Basilica of San Clemente

Ten minutes from the Colosseum, the Basilica of San Clemente, is one of the miracles of Rome:

 a twelfth-century church built over a fourth century church built over a Roman house.

The twelfth-century entrance leads into a courtyard from the same period.

The church is prized for it's twelfth-century mosaics and cosmatesque floor.

They are difficult to see because you can't get past the gate.

But the ticket office has dozens of postcards with magnificent details of the art.

 The ticket office also has the stairs that lead to the excavations of the fourth-century church below.

Cleared of rubble in the 1800s the fourth-century church displays fragments of sculpture,

fragments of inscriptions, and fragments of frescos.

A wall-text describes The Miracle of the Sea of Azov: "..once a year the tide was said to recede to reveal the tomb of St Clement. On one occasion, a child was caught by the tide but was recovered safe and sound the following year".

Christ is ascending into heaven at the top of this ninth-century fresco while the apostles look on from below.

Detail of the apostles with Pope Leo IV (left).

Scenes from the life of St Alexis.

Wall text: "in 1859, a fresco of the Madonna and Child was discovered in a niche"

1861 brought us scenes from the life of St Clement.

A further flight of steps takes back another 400 years. At the time of classical Rome this area was at street level.

One last treasure of San Clemente: the remains of a third-century Mithraic temple, with a central altar.