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San Basilio agli Orti Sallustiani
| San Basilio agli Orti Sallustiani | |
|---|---|
| | |
| English name: | St Basil at the Sullstian Gardens |
| Dedication: | St Basil |
| Denomination: | |
| Built: | 1682 |
| Architect(s): | Francesco Bizzaccheri |
| Artists: | Gregorio Stasi |
| Contact data | |
| Address: | Via di San Basilio 51 00187 Roma |
| Phone: | 06 48 82 580 |
San Basilio agli Orti Sallustiani is a church dedicated to St Basil, Doctor of the Church, at Via di San Basilio 51/A north-east of the Piazza Barberini. Mass is celebrated according to the Byzantine Italo-Greek Rite, one of the eastern rites of the Catholic church equal in dignity to the Latin rite. Picture of the church on Wikimedia Commons. [1]
Contents |
History
Edit
The Italo-Greek rite claims direct descent from the ancient Greek cities of southern Italy, an area which was ruled by the Roman and Byzantine empires until the mid 11th century. One of the many Basilian monasteries founded in the early Middle Ages and using the Byzantine rite was Grottaferrata near Frascati, which was consecrated by the Pope in 1024. The vicessitudes of history have meant that it was the only one to survive to modern times, after being made the mother house of the Italian Baslilan Order of Grottaferrata (OSBI). This monastic congregation was founded in the 16th century, when Pope Gregory XIII united all the monks under the Rule of St Basil in Italy. In order to establish a Generalate the abbey of Grottaferrata bought property in the rione Trevi on the then outskirts of Rome in 1660, and founded a monastery, a college, a seminary and a library. In 1682, they had this small church dedicated to their patron built. The architect was Francesco Bizzaccheri.
ExteriorEdit
The façade, by Bizzaccheri, has two storeys and is now painted in pale blue with the architectural details in
Added by Basilwatkinsosbwhite. On the lintel of the door is a dedicatory inscription, above which is a segmental pediment. A pair of wide rectangular Doric pilasters, with recessed edges, occupies the corners of the first storey and supports a full entablature. Above this, the second storey has a pair of dumpy pilasters in the same style supporting a triangular pediment into which is inserted a segmental pediment. Below the latter is a rectangular window. The façade does not end with the pediment, but continues upwards to a horizontal roofline.
InteriorEdit
The church has a single nave. To provide for the Byzantine liturgy, the choir is separated from the nave by an iconostasis.
In the apse is a painting of St Basil by Gregorio Stasi. There are also several paintings from the 17th century. There are also several inscriptions commemorating monks and prelates at the adjacent college.
Special notesEdit
The liturgy is celebrated according to the Italo-Greek Byzantine Rite, which is the only one of the eastern rites never to have been out of communion with the Holy See. This church and its mother monastery of Grottaferrata are the only survivors of the Italo-Greek rite historically speaking, for the other worshipping communities of this rite in Italy are descended from Albanian refugees from the Ottoman conquest of Albania in the 15th century. However, no canonical distinction is made. Since, rather bizzarely, nationalist Greeks claim that Albanian Christians using the Byzantine rite in Albania are actually Greeks in disguise, the name of the Italo-Greek rite has become politically sensitive. It is often referred to as the Italo-Greek-Albanian rite or simply the Italo-Albanian rite, although Grottaferrata has never had anything to do with Albania.
The Feast of St Basil is celebrated on 5 January. In the Roman calendar it is on 2 January, jointly with St Gregory Nazianzen, and this is also usually marked in some way.
