December 4, 2013: San Clemente and SS. Quattro Coronati

Reflection:

Today we had the opportunity to visit two more basilicas from early Christianity. The one I would like to focus on was the basilica of San Clemente which was constructed during the 12th century. Looking at the entrance to the quadriporticus (basically a quad), it is clear that the church is far below modern ground level. As I mentioned in a previous post, it was common to simply remove the roofs of buildings and build on top of them. This practice has led to the gradual rise of ground level over several centuries.

The building to the left of the tree is San Clemente, and the stairs lead to the quad 

The visible church was not the only one we were able to see. Two more layers exist below this church. Directly below is a church that was built in the 4th century, and below that was the equivalent of an apartment building from the 1st century. It was thought that San Clemente lived in one of these 1st century apartments. More importantly, and this would lead to the construction of the 4th century basilica, San Clemente's apartment was a house church where early Christians gathered. San Clemente was most commonly known for three things: the fact that he ran this house church, that he was a disciple of the apostles, and that he was martyred. Unlike the basilica of St. Peter, which was built over the location of Peter's remains, the 4th century church of San Clemente was built because it was the location of the house church. The 4th century church would later be damaged by an earthquake, and modifications were made to it during the 9th century. These modifications would include the fresco art on the walls. These frescos told about San Clemente, about the life of St. Alexis, as well as one that showed San Clemente celebrating the Eucharist. On ground level, in the 12th century church, the original arches of the 4th century can be seen on the walls. Some of the materials, including a marble slab located in the center of the church, was taken from the 4th century church (but dates to the 6th century). Finally, the mosaic in the apse is of a crucifixion scene that shows the cross as a tree of life. What I found most interesting about this apse was that it uses the crucifixion scene to signify new life. This can bee seen in the way that Christ is represented: he is in an oran position (paying position) and does not seem to be in pain. Surrounding him are ordinary people going about ordinary things, and animals fill the scene to show life. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed inside of the church, or in the excavation sites, but the fact that we were able to walk the same streets as San Clemente did in the 1st century was absolutely mind blowing.