San Stefano Rotondo

Of the handful of must-see Early Christian churches on the east side of the Colosseum, Santo Stefano in Rotondo is by far the strangest.

It was nice to be back. The facade still oozes age and magic.

Bill and I are writing a guidebook to Rome and we needed better pictures of the circular interior.

It is difficult to suggest the vast circular footprint of the interior in one or two pictures.

Roman churches are almost never built in the round. Mausoleums, yes. Churches, no.

Light comes in from the centre and also from windows set in the one long circular exterior wall.

The exterior wall is filled with frescos depicting the torture and execution of Christian martyrs.

My aesthetic approach to churches failed me here.  These horrifying scenes demand visceral engagement and empathy. I found it hard to rise to the occasion. 

The more you look the more terrible things you see. The backgrounds are busy with mayhem.

I wonder who we have here, with his head in his hands?

I believe this is a bath of boiling lead.

I noticed Bill taking pictures of the chapel that was in restoration on our last visit in 2016.

It looks wonderful now. More heart-wrenching images. Except for those mosaic saints over the altar.

Let's have a look. Lovely. 

Guidebook says 7th century.

I remember The Seven Sorrows of Mary from our last visit. I find empathy with the figure easier here. We all have memories that pierce our hearts like swords.

Altogether a challenging experience. What a pleasure to step out once more into the garden. Lunch at Luzzi, awaits.

 

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We last visited San Stefano Rotondo (St. Stephen in the Round) in 2016. Link to our 2016 Tomatoes post.