Underground Rome: Case romane al Celio and Basilica di San Clemente

Duration: 3 hours

Founded in the early fifth century by Pammachius, a Roman senator, the titulus Pammachii or Basilica of SS. Giovanni e Paolo now stands over a magnificent residential complex comprising several Roman houses of different periods.

According to tradition, this was the dwelling of John and Paul, officers at the court of the Emperor Constantine (312-37), both of whom, having suffered martyrdom by execution during the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), were buried on the site of their own house.

In 1887, Padre Germano, a Passionist brother, excavating beneath the church, uncovered a fascinating site comprising more than twenty rooms, some of which were richly decorated with paintings dating from the third through the twelfth centuries.

The sequence of decorated rooms and the maze of stratified structures cut through by the foundations of the church, reveal aspects of Roman daily life with an interesting blend of cultural themes.

This monument originated in a variety of building types including an insula or apartment block for artisans, and a wealthy domus, which was subsequently converted into an early Christian church.

According to tradition, this was the dwelling of John and Paul, officers at the court of the Emperor Constantine (312-37), both of whom, having suffered martyrdom by execution during the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), were buried on the site of their own house.

During the third century A.D., these different properties were combined under a single owner and transformed into an elegant pagan house characterized by finely-decorated rooms.

Then you will admire the marvellous Basilica di San Clemente, one of the most interesting monuments in Rome. The church has a beautiful interior, but it is especially notable for its three historical layers. The 12th-century basilica is built on top of a well-preserved 4th-century church (with many frescoes), which was built next to a 3rd-century Mithraic Temple.