The Basilica of Santa Pudenziana is one of the oldest churches in Rome. It is located in the Via Urbana in the fashionable Monti district. It is built on top of the domus of a senator called Pudens, who was converted to Christianity by St. Peter himself.
A brief history of the basilica of Santa Pudenziana in Rome
According to legend, the church was constructed by Pius I, at the site where the house of Senator Pudente used to live. It was a token of recognition for the Senator, after he had shown hospitality to Saint Peter in his house. The domus is located 9 metres below the present basilica. In the 2nd century it was transformed into a bathhouse and it became an actual church in the 4th century.
Saint Pudenziana never existed: Just like Prassede, who also gave her name to a Roman church, she was not a saint but just one of the senator’s daughters.
The Chiesa di Santa Pudenziana is the national church of the Philippines in Rome.
What to see in the Basilica of Santa Pudenziana
The main points of interest are the 19th century facade, the elegant staircase to the church square, and the mosaics embellishing the interior. The square in front of the church is well below street level, which gives you an idea of the extent to which Rome’s ground level has been raised in the course of the centuries.
The frieze above the entrance shows Pudente, his daughters Pudenziana and Praxedes, and the Lamb of God.
The Romanesque bell-tower was constructed in the 13th century.
Santa Pudenziana initially consisted of 3 naves, but in 1588 a reconstruction by the architect Francesco da Volterra‘s reduced this to one single one.
The coat of arms on the floor near the entrance belongs to the family of Cardinal Alberto de Iorio. Descendent of a noble family from Naples, Alberto was the titular cardinal of Santa Pudenziana until his death in 1979.
Presbytery and apse
The altarpiece was the work of Bernardino Nocchi and depicts the “Apotheosis of Santa Pudenziana” (1803).
The apse mosaic depicts “Christ enthroned among the apostles and the Saints Pudenziana and Praxedes”. The mosaic, by an unknown artist, dates back to around 410 AD. The four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are depicted respectively as an angel, a lion, a bull and an eagle). The buildings behind Christ depict the sacred sites of Jerusalem.
The fresco decorating the apse vault depicts “Christ Adored by the Host of Heaven” and was painted by Pomarancio. The figures between the windows are saints, whereas the ones in the pendentives are angels.
Right wall
The decorations are punctuated by ancient columns that are incorporated in the wall.
The painting “Baptism of San Pudente”, attributed to Biagio Betti dates back to around the year 1600. Betti was a monk in the nearby monastery of San Silvestro al Quirinale.
Włodzimierz Czacki (1834-1888), private secretary of Pope Pius IX and collaborator of Leo XIII, poet and publicist. Originally buried in the Verano cemetery, his tomb was moved to the basilica of Santa Pudenziana in 1982. The tomb was sculpted by the Lithuanian artist Pijus Veliuoniškis.
The “Guardian Angel” is a copy of a work painted by Gramatica Antiveduto in 1618. The original painting, which used to grace the Church of Sant’Agostino, does not exist anymore.
Cappella di San Pietro
The “Chapel of Saint Peter”, to the left of the apse, supposedly contains part of the table at which Peter the Apostle held the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the house of Pudens. Giacomo della Porta was responsible for the sulpture group “Christ delivering the keys of Heaven to St. Peter” (1594). There are two bronze plaques, claiming that Peter was given hospitality and that he used bread and wine as a consecration of the Eucharist here. There is also a door leading to a courtyard containing a chapel with 11th century frescoes.
Left wall
The tomb of Cardinal Lucien-Louis-Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte, son of Napoleon’s brother’s daughter, is located along the left wall.
The Cappella Caetani, designed in 1588 by Francesco Capriani (who was better known as il Volterra) is a deep chapel along the left wall. It was constructed and named for Cardinal Enrico Caetani.
Ludovico Gimignani painted the “Assumption of the Virgin Mary,” which was originally on display in the Church of Santa Rita da Cascia alle Vergine.
Address, opening hours and admission
The address of the Chiesa di Santa Pudenziana is Via Urbana, 160 – 00184 Rome (tel. +39 064814622). District: Monti. Metro: Termini (lijn A, B), Cavour (lijn B). Opening hours: 08.30 to 12.00 and 15.00 to 18.00 hours. Admission: Free.
The excavations below the present church can only be visited by reservation.
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