San Bartolomeo all'Isola. The century-old history of the Basilica of St. Bartholomew begins on the Tiber Island, one of the first inhabited areas of the ancient city of Rome. At the time of the Roman …More
San Bartolomeo all'Isola.
The century-old history of the Basilica of St. Bartholomew begins on the Tiber Island, one of the first inhabited areas of the ancient city of Rome. At the time of the Roman Empire, an ancient temple dedicated to the god Aesculapius was built in the area where the Basilica now stands, and people from all over the city came to ask for healing from their ailments. In year 997, the German Emperor Otto III decided to honour two important saints: Bartholomew the Apostle, and Adalbert, a well-known martyr killed while he was in mission preaching the Gospel in Poland. The Basilica was built to keep the bodies of these two martyrs. The Baroque façade was added with a portico in the 17th century, but the original medieval façade is still intact behind this. Across the front of the facade is a Latin inscription: "In this basilca rests the body of St Bartholomew the Apostle".
Source: Lawrence OP on Flickr
The century-old history of the Basilica of St. Bartholomew begins on the Tiber Island, one of the first inhabited areas of the ancient city of Rome. At the time of the Roman Empire, an ancient temple dedicated to the god Aesculapius was built in the area where the Basilica now stands, and people from all over the city came to ask for healing from their ailments. In year 997, the German Emperor Otto III decided to honour two important saints: Bartholomew the Apostle, and Adalbert, a well-known martyr killed while he was in mission preaching the Gospel in Poland. The Basilica was built to keep the bodies of these two martyrs. The Baroque façade was added with a portico in the 17th century, but the original medieval façade is still intact behind this. Across the front of the facade is a Latin inscription: "In this basilca rests the body of St Bartholomew the Apostle".
Source: Lawrence OP on Flickr