A Tourist in Rome - Santa Prassede

Location:41.89643, 12.49884 A half block south from Santa Maria Maggiore
Metro:Cavour, located along my Southeastern Sights Walking Tour
Time:about 1 hour
Cost:Free
Hours:7:30 AM - 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM

The church of Santa Prassede is most famous for its mosaics, which mark it as among the oldest churches in Rome. The church in its current place and layout was commissioned by Pope Hadrian I around the year 780 AD, built on top of the remains of a 5th century structure designed to house the bones of Saint Praxedes which itself was built over a 4th century Roman bathhouse named the Terme di Novato. The current entry doorway to the church at its side entrance on Via Santa Prassede is shown in the 1st photo below. But before you enter, go south along that street and take the first right around the corner to view the original main entrance on Via San Martino ai Monti, shown in the 2nd photo below. That entrance amounts to a porch and other Roman churches have them, such as Santa Maria in Cosmedin and San Clemente. It has a pair of ancient grey granite columns with Ionic capitals, of which the one on the right is ancient and the one on the left was carved when the basilica was created. The column bases are Doric capitals turned upside-down. The barrel-vault is now rough brick but was originally plastered. After observing this prior entrance, come back to the first photo and enter the church.

    
The entry doorway of the church of Santa Prassede
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Original entrance to the church of Santa Prassede on Via San Martino ai Monti, no longer used
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The nave of the church and the apse and altar are shown in the photos below. The nave has a beautiful cosmetesque floor, laid in 1916-1918, which I don't have a good photo of, but the best example of this type of flooring in Rome is in Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Granite columns pillaged from some high-status ancient building line the nave, with four frescoes on each side which illustrate scenes from the Passion of Christ (1st three photos below). The left side, from back to front, shows Christ Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, by Giovanni Balducci, then The Arrest of Christ by Paris Nograi, Christ Before Caiaphas by Girolamo Massei, and Christ Before Pilate by Agostino Ciampelli. The right side, from front to back, shows The Scourging of Christ by Agostino Ciampelli, Christ Crowned with Thorns by Baldasse Croce, Ecce Homo by Ciampelli, and Christ Meets Veronica by Balducci.

The altar and its surroundings is quite complex. First comes the Triumphal Arch, which is the nearest archway to the camera which is colored blue in the 1st photo below. It's shown reasonably well in the 4th photo below, although the edges are cut-off in that photo. The mosaic on the Triumphal Arch depicts The Heavenly Jerusalem, with Christ in the top-center accompanied by two angels. Below them, within the jeweled walls of Jerusalem are two lines of apostles and saints. To the left, the first two are Our Lady and St John the Baptist, to the right the first is St. Praxedis. At the ends of the lines are Moses and Elijah. Outside the walls are more saints in flowery meadows, with the right-hand set being led by Saints Peter and Paul. Below this composition, on either side of the arch, are two crowds of people holding crowns and palm brances, which were seriously damaged by having relic cupboards, visible in the 1st photo below, inserted into them by St. Charles Borromeo.

If you walk up toward the altar, you'll see that there is another arch behind the Triumphal Arch, with a blue field of starry sky between them, all shown in the 4th photo below. The mosaic on this arch depicts items from the Book of Revelations, best shown in the 5th photo below. At the central keystone position, the Lamb of God on a throne under which is the Book with the Seven Seals of the Apocalypse. To its left and right are the Seven Lampstands, then four angels, then four winged creatures which are symbols of the Evangelist derived from the Apocalypse. Below, on either side of the arch, are 24 white-beaded elders holding crowns.

Inside the Arch Depicting Revelations is the Apse, the half-dome above the altar, best seen in the 6th photo below. Christ is being awarded a wreath of victory from the hand of the Father above him. At his side are Saints Peter and Paul, holdinig their arms around the shoulder of Saints Prassede and Prodentiana. To the right is a deacon claimed to represent St. Zeno. To the left Pope St. Paschal is holding a model of the churh. The Pope's square halo signifies that he was alive when the mosaic was created. The blue band at the bottom is the River Jordan, where the sacrament of baptism began. Below this the outer rim shows the Lamb of God with twelve sheep, possibly representing the Apostles. The sheep are emerging from the holy cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The 7th photo below shows the baldacchino over the high altar. Finally look again at the 4th photo below and notice the doorway under the altar. That is the entrance to the crypt, which we'll get to later, and the view looking back at the rear of the church from the top of those steps is shown in the 8th photo below.

    
The nave and apse of the church of Santa Prassede
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The nave of the church of Santa Prassede
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Fresco in the nave of the church of Santa Prassede showing the flogging of Jesus, tied to the pillar, which is claimed to be in this church (sorry for the blown-out reflection at lower left that I did my feeble best to repair)
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The High Altar and apse mosaics in Santa Prassede church
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Apse mosaics in Santa Prassede church
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Apse mosaics in Santa Prassede church
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The baldacchino over the high altar of the church of Santa Prassede
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The nave of the church of Santa Prassede, toward the back of the church, taken from near the top of the steps to the crypt
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Though there are several chapels in this church, the most famous one is the Chapel of St. Zeno, decorated with glittering mosaics, about half way back on the right side. The mosaics of the Triumphal Arch, the Arch Depicting Revelations, the Apse, and the Chapel of St. Zeno are all from the time of Pope St. Paschal I (817-824 AD), and are some of the most important examples of the Roman school of Byzantine style. Pashcal built the chapel as a mausoleum for his mother, Theodora.

The 1st photo below shows the entrance to the Chapel of Zeno. The columns on either side of the doorway are ancient, one in serpentine and the other black granite, extremely valuable in ancient times. Above the door is an ancient vase thought to be the original funerary urn for Theodora's dug-up bones. Surrounding that urn are two arch-shaped mosaics, best shown in the 2nd photo below. The inner band portrays the Virgin Mary between Saints Valentino and Zeno, and eight female saints. The outer band contains Christ and the twelve Apostles. The two characters in the upper corners are perhaps Moses and Elias, those in the lower corners are 19th century paintings portraying Pope Paschal I and another pope, perhaps his successor Eugene II.

Enter the chapel and you will be overwhemed by the glitter of gold. The tiles of the golden mosaics in this room are made of clear glass with gold leaf on their backs set at different angles to create a glitter instead of a sheen. On the wall opposite the door you walked in through is the altar (3rd photo below). A 17th century wooden enclosure houses a mosaic (4th photo below) from about 1275 of the Madonna and the Divine Child being venerated by Saints Prudentiana and Praxedis. The baby holds a scroll with the words EGO SUM LUX, 'I am the light (of the world)'. Two spirally fluted alabaster columns support a horizontal entabulature, which damaged the lunette mosaic above and behind it when it was installed. That lunette (3rd photo below) is of the Transfiguration of Christ. Christ is with Moses and Elijah, accompanied by the apostles (left to right) Peter, John and James, where James has only his hand surviving.

The bottom of the arch above the apse (3rd photo below) features vine scrolls with flowers and little animals. Above the apse (5th photo below) is a window, and the original mosaic around it features Our Lady and St. John the Baptist. The light from the window is equated with Christ. And above this is the feature you've been looking at since you entered this chapel, the glittering ceiling mosaic (5th and 6th photos below) showing four angels standing on top of the columns at the corners of the chapel, holding up a round mosaic of Christ on a starry blue background.

    
Pope Paschal's entrance facade into the Chapel of Zeno, in the church of Santa Prassede. The doorway is assembled from ancient spolia. Above the doorway is an ancient vase used in pagan ceremonies, surrounded by mosaics of Mary and ten Saints, surrounded by mosaics of Christ, the twelve apostles, Pope Paschal and Pope Eugene II.
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Pope Paschal's entrance facade into the Chapel of Zeno, in the church of Santa Prassede. Above the doorway is an ancient vase used in pagan ceremonies, surrounded by mosaics of Mary and ten Saints, surrounded by mosaics of Christ, the twelve apostles, Pope Paschal and Pope Eugene II.
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The altar in the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede. The 17th century wooden shrine houses a mosaic from about 1275 of the Madonna and the Divine Child being venerated by Saints Pudentiana and Praxedis. Christ holds a scroll with the words EGO SUM LUX, 'I am the light (of the world)'.
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The altar in the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede. The 17th century wooden shrine houses a mosaic from about 1275 of the Madonna and the Divine Child being venerated by Saints Pudentiana and Praxedis. Christ holds a scroll with the words EGO SUM LUX, 'I am the light (of the world)'.
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The ceiing mosaic of the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede. Four angels stand on a column in each corner of the chapel, and support a round mosaic showing Jesus, depicted as Christ Pantokrator, on a starry blue background.
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The ceiing mosaic of the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede. Four angels stand on a column in each corner of the chapel, and support a round mosaic showing Jesus, depicted as Christ Pantokrator, on a starry blue background.
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The left-hand wall (from the doorway where you entered, 1st, 2nd, 3rd photos below) has a mosaic showing, at the top, the Lamb of God presiding over the Rivers of Paradise, from which drink four deer. Below them Theodora (still-alive mother of Paschal), Saint Praxedis, Saint Prodentiana, and Mary are shown. Under the archway (1st photo below) is a mosaic depicting The Harrowing of Hell. Christ is breaking down the gates of Hell to rescue Adam and Eve and other Old Testament figures waiting for him.

The right-hand wall (from the doorway where you entered, 4th and 5th photos below) shows (at the top) the apostles John, Andrew and James processing towards a small niche that might once have contained something important. In the tympanum of the doorway niche below, Christ is flanked by Saints Zeno and Valentine.

    
Mosaic in the left-side wall of the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede, showing the Lamb of God at the top, and Theodora (still-alive mother of Paschal), Saint Praxedis, Saint Prodentiana, and Mary.
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Mosaic in the left-side wall of the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede, showing the Lamb of God at the top, and Theodora (still-alive mother of Paschal), Saint Praxedis, Saint Prodentiana, and Mary.
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Mosaic in the left-side wall of the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede, showing the Lamb of God presiding over the Rivers of Paradise, from which drink four deer
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The right-hand wall of the Chapel of Zeno, in the church of Santa Prassede. The apostles John, Andrew and James process towards a small niche that might once have contained something important. In the tympanum of the doorway niche below, Christ is flanked by Saints Zeno and Valentine. At lower left, one of the columns that the ceiling angels are standing upon can be seen.
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The tympanum of the doorway nich in the right-hand wall of the Chapel of Zeno, in the church of Santa Prassede. Christ is flanked by Saints Zeno and Valentine.
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Walk through the doorway in the right-hand wall into the tiny chapel of the Pillar of the Scourging. This relic was brought from the Holy Land in 1223 by Giovanni Cardinal Colonna after he served as Papal legate in Syria during the Fifth Crusade. It is venerated as the pillar to which Christ was tied when he was whipped before his crucifixion, but it is unlikely that it is authentic. The marble (?) used, and the execution of the carving, is of too high a quality for use in punishing criminals, and there is another Pillar of the Scourging, of a more realistic form, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The 4th photo below shows a frieze from somewhere in the church of the pillar being brought here.

    
The Pillar of the Scourging, in the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede, brought here from the Holy Land in 1223 by Giovanni Cardinal Colonna after he served as Papal legate in Syria during the Fifth Crusade. It is claimed to be the pillar to which Christ was tied when he was whipped before his crucifixion, but it is unlikely that it is authentic. The marble used, and the execution of the carving, is of too high a quality for use in punishing criminals, and there is another Pillar of the Scourging, of a more realistic form, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
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The Pillar of the Scourging, in the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede, brought here from the Holy Land in 1223 by Giovanni Cardinal Colonna after he served as Papal legate in Syria during the Fifth Crusade. It is claimed to be the pillar to which Christ was tied when he was whipped before his crucifixion, but it is unlikely that it is authentic. The marble used, and the execution of the carving, is of too high a quality for use in punishing criminals, and there is another Pillar of the Scourging, of a more realistic form, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
See all Santa Prassede photos.
    
The Pillar of the Scourging, in the Chapel of Zeno in the church of Santa Prassede, brought here from the Holy Land in 1223 by Giovanni Cardinal Colonna after he served as Papal legate in Syria during the Fifth Crusade. It is claimed to be the pillar to which Christ was tied when he was whipped before his crucifixion, but it is unlikely that it is authentic. The marble used, and the execution of the carving, is of too high a quality for use in punishing criminals, and there is another Pillar of the Scourging, of a more realistic form, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
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A frieze in the church of Santa Prassede, showing the Pillar of the Scourging being brought here (?)
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The pillar nearest the sanctuary on the right-hand aisle displays one of Bernini's earliest works, a funerary bust of Giovanni Battista Santoni, located on the side of the pillar facing the main entrance. The rest of the decoration, including the ornate framing of the epitaph with its winged putto's heads, is thought now not to be by him. The bust was carved when the artist was about 22 years old (1613-16), and shows a certain naivety. Some scholars claim an even earlier date, about 1609; the uncertainty is because the monument was commissioned well after after the cardinal died in 1592.

    
One of Bernini's earliest works is this funerary bust of Giovanni Battista Cardinal Santoni, in the church of Santa Prassede, carved when he was about 22 years old, during 1613-16.
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One of Bernini's earliest works is this funerary bust of Giovanni Battista Cardinal Santoni, in the church of Santa Prassede, carved when he was about 22 years old, during 1613-16.
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One of Bernini's earliest works is this funerary bust of Giovanni Battista Cardinal Santoni, in the church of Santa Prassede, carved when he was about 22 years old, during 1613-16.
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One of Bernini's earliest works is this funerary bust of Giovanni Battista Cardinal Santoni, in the church of Santa Prassede, carved when he was about 22 years old, during 1613-16.
See all Santa Prassede photos.
    
One of Bernini's earliest works is this funerary bust of Giovanni Battista Cardinal Santoni, in the church of Santa Prassede, carved when he was about 22 years old, during 1613-16.
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Four photos of other features in Santa Prassede are shown below.

    
A chapel in Santa Prassede church
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The crypt in the church of Santa Prassede
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A large, but unidentified, inscription in the church of Santa Prassede
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Funerary monument of Silvio Santacroce (1603), in the church of Santa Prassede
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