Italy Trip 2024 - Basilica of Santa Sabina and so many temples!
We’ve returned to our Air B and B tonight after a busy day visiting churches and archeological sites in central Rome … a good kind of exhaustion (and sunburn!)
We started at a monumental pyramid that was built about 18–12 BC as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a magistrate. One of the oldest fully intact monuments in Rome. It’s across a street from an ancient city gate (Porta) that led to Ostia Antica.
On the way back into central Rome we stopped at St Sabina Basilica. It is famous for its cypress wood doors carved in AD 430-432 with Biblical scenes. It has the first known publicly displayed depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus and the two thieves. This is a highlight - we were really hoping to be able to photograph this carving and are so excited to have seen it!
We walked the length of the circus Maximus on the way down to the Tiber River. There are several ancient monuments there: The Temple of Hercules Victor, dating back to the 2nd century BC, Temple of Portunis, the arch of Janus. All near St Maria in Cosmedin church - whose porch holds the famous mouth of truth from the movie “Roman Holiday”.
Then we walked through the archeological sites of the theater of Marcello to the church of St Maria in Aracoeli which has a billion steps ( just kidding, only 124) that some pilgrims do on their knees. We decided walking was difficult enough. The tomb of St Helena is in this church.
Next, the area where Julius Caesar was executed - the area sacra de largo Argentina. There are 4 temples here from 3rd to 2nd century BC. Then on to the Pantheon because visiting Rome wouldn’t be complete without it!
Highlight from of the churches today: Michelangelo’s elaborate marble sculpture including Moses at San Pietro Vincoli, a Raphael painting in Santa Maria Della Pace, but our favorite was the less elaborate San Sabino.
Tomorrow - St Paul Outside the Walls, the crypt of St Thecla, area called the Pretoria which house Roman guards in Paul’s day. We are Metro / bus / cab masters now - no where we can’t go LOL.
Blessings, PB, Margery and Jacob.
Pyramid tomb of Gaius Cestius (18-12 BC construction) and the Porta Ostiensis (the gateway to the ancient Roman route to Ostia Antica).
