SAINT CRISOGONO

The undeground of St. Crisogono have the ruins of one  of the most ancient tituli born in Trastevere district.
But what does a titulus mean? At the begin the Church did not have the giuridic power so the meetings of the first Christian people were held inside private house that was put at disposal of the Christian belivers. These ecclesia domesticae were marked the outside from a table, titulus precisely which had the name of the ower. From here the meaning used to indicate the same place of the meeting. The disposition of the area was tipical of the roman house. The titulus Crisogoni born from the use of having two or three  roman domus built in the II and in the III century before having the basilical form characteristical of the V century. 
Crisogono was the martyr came from Aquileia and move to Rome in chain under the empire of Domitian between 304 and 305. The first name of the church dated back 499 A.D. when it was considered during the Council desired by pope Simmaco. In the 1123, the costruction of the new basilica wanted by the cardinal John Crema, in the upper floor gave the necessity of destroying of the ancient area.
The discovering of the paleochristianic basilica came in 1908 during some escavation work made by the Ministero delle Belle Arti. With the first escavation came in the light the schola cantorum, the presbytery and the coffessio and the semianular crypt with some frescoes representing saints.  The escavation went in the basilical area and in two area bisede the apse. Unfortunately the presence of the foundation of the upper church that are today in upper side of the big area of the building preventing it from the complete removal of the building.
It is probable to go down in the underground of the sacristy in the church througha modern stair: form the high it is possible to see the cuve of the apse. The plane of the building is known in almost all our particularities: it is a paleochristianic basilica with one nave (also the posterior wall separated in two parts the area chainging  the spatial percection) equipped with a porch different from the others roman examples for the presence of the apse in the sides, of two areas with the function of a battistery and a secretarium. Three lateral arcades formed the entrance while the side in the depth was closed from the façade of a roman house dated from III century (well-preserved).
The presbytery was later raised up with three stairs for creating the crypt with the finestrella confessionis  (through it the belivers touched the reliquia) situated nearby the a semianular corridor that running in the apse curve. In the straight arm of the confessio there are some pictures date back the  restoraion made during the pontificate of pope Gregory III (731-741) the image of the fresco represent thre saints Rufo, Crisogono and Anastasia. The corridor had the ceiling covered with marble slabs now disappeed.In the upper wall thate are some decoration made  at the age of Gregory III. On the right of the apse there is the sacristy with a floor composed by tessera in marble now there is a nice sarcophagus. In the opposit corner of the apse there is an area indentificated with a baptistery that at the beginin was a fullonica that mean a place using for washing garments.

Utility Informations

For informations and reservations:

Cooperativa IL SOGNO
Viale Regina Margherita, 192 - 00198 ROMA
Tel. +39/06.85.30.17.58 - Fax +39/06.85.30.17.56
Email: ilsogno@romeguide.it