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San Clemente |
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written
by Paul Lang / 07.12.2004 |
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Church |
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The church of San Clemente, just south of the Colosseo, has edged out San Luigi dei Francese for my favorite church.
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Reason for Selection |
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The floor made up my mind. I think the fascination with San Clemente began on the first church outing in Rome. The very first church our class visited in Rome was Santa Maria in Trastevere. On the outside of the church were placed broken marble fragments found during excavations under the church. Many were "graffiti", no doubt difficult to do in marble, but generally categorized this way based on irregular grooves and uneven writing. One piece always stayed in my head, a crooked and angular, but distinctively drawn anchor. Mr. Wong told us this was the symbol of a martyred-by-drowning saint--San Clemente. The same, albeit better drawn, anchor adorns the canopy over the altar. It is almost comical, and at least memorable to see an anchor in a church in Rome. San Clemente also contains one of my favorite features available in a church, a Comatesques floor. Their particular floor is well done; the mistakes are unnoticeable but beautifully obvious when discovered. As an example, the eyelets are not spaced out evenly between the altar and the door, requiring a subtle although obvious piece of red marble to complete the path.
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Description |
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San Clemente appears isolated on your first approach. The courtyard and ancient doors separate the streets from the church. Small weeds and grasses take root in between the marble paved courtyard, enjoying the morning sun more than you. Inside, it is obvious that few parishioners venture to their church and even fewer tourists wander south of the Colosseo. Inside the church the mismatched columns and colored floor invite the faithful to gather. San Clemente has the friendly atmosphere of a church that is enjoyed, contrasted to the impeccable marble in St. Peter's. Sitting in the pews, it is easy to imagine a child brought weekly to the neighborhood church, memorizing the colors of the floor around her family's usual spot, counting the sheep on the blue background behind the altar.
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Memorable Visit |
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Like almost all the churches in Rome, San Clemente was not the first to occupy its present location. Although the ancient Roman house and pagan temple are interesting, I was most taken by the frescoes from the 4th century Christian church that built in between the first and the last places of worship. One set of frescoes depicts San Clemente's end and the aftermath of his death. Christian worshipers would travel to where he was thrown in the water, a spot where the sea would part every year on the anniversary. One year a mother forgot her child and the sea closed before she could retrieve him. After a year of praying, the sea opened for the anniversary and the mother was reunited with her unharmed child. How could you forget your kid at the bottom of the sea? Although this is an excellent question, the story is more relevant to an important aspect of Christianity; mistakes are not permanent. St. Paul was once a tax collector, but became one of the more important figures in Christianity.
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Image |
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| Behind the Altar at San Clemente |
| The Central icon in apse of San Clemente |
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If I were reborn as Roman, I can only hope that my family go to church at on of the few with disciple sheep on a blue background. Two famous Cosmatesque churches share these features, S. Maria in Trastevere and S. Clemente. The gilded apse of each cause further notice when viewing unknowingly discovering their similarities. The differences lie in the details. Jesus' crucifixion decorates San Clemente while a seated God and Son decorate Santa Maria. The cross bends with the arc of the ceiling, a dark set of lines on a bright background. Without maximizing the size of the cross possible, the designers of San Clemente have succeeded in creating a brightly lit and well-decorated church. One they hope will outlive the sites former users'.
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