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San Nicola in Carcere St Nicholas in Prison

46 Via del Teatro di Marcello / Via del Foro Olitorio

Church dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of sailors. History

The first church here was probably built in the 6th century, but the first certain dedication is from 1128, attested by a plaque on the church. It was constructed in the ruins of two temples and the ancient Forum Olitorium, and you can see fragments from them reused in the church. The most important of the temples was the Temple og Piety, built by Acilius Glabrius, consul in 191 B.C. The dedication to St Nicholas was made by the Greek population in the area.

'In carcere' probably refers to a tradition, supported by Pliny's history of Rome, that there was once a prison here, built in the ruins of the temples.

In the 11th century, it was known as the Church of Petrus Leonis, referring to the converted Jewish family who rebuilt the nearby Theatre of Marcellus as a fortress.

It was rebuilt in 1599, and restored in the 19th century.

The current titular deacon of the church is H.E. Zenon Cardinal Grocholewski. He was appointed on February 21, 2001. Exterior

The façade incorporates three columns from the Temple of Juno Sospita, built in the 3rd century BC. It was designed by Giacomo della Porta in1599, reusing the columns from the earlier façade.

The bell-tower is medieval, and was not changed during the 16th century rebuilding. It was originally a fortified tower, but when it was abandoned it was changed into a bell-tower for the church. Interior

Beneath the altar is an antique basalt bath containing the relics of martyrs.

On a fluted column near the door, you can see a 10th century inscription.

In the church, there is devotion to two cults of the Madonna; the Italian Our Lady of Pompeii and the Mexican Our Lady of Guadalupe. The chapel of the latter has a reproduction of the miraculous painting, sent here from Mexico in 1773. The feast of Our Lady of Pompeii is celebrated on 8th May.

The crypt can be visited on Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Remains from the Temple of Juno Sospita, one of the very few known ruins of a Roman temple from the Republican period, can be seen there. The other temples were those of Spes and Janus.