Santa Costanza

From Churches of Rome Wiki

Santa Costanza St Constance

349 Via Nomentana

The Mausoleum of Constance (Constantia), daughter of Constantine, now a church. History

The mausoleum was probably built while Constantine was still alive, in the early 4th century.

It was consecrated as a church in 1254 by Pope Alexander IV.

It was restored in 1620 by Cardinal Veralli. Most of the mosaics in the dome were destroyed in the process. In the 19th century, a new restoration destroyed the remains of the dome mosaics. Exterior

Like many other Roman mausoleums, including that of her mother Helena, it is a circular building. Interior

The dome rests on 12 pairs of granite columns. It was decorated with mosaics, of which nothing remains.

The vault has a well preserved 4th century mosaic. In the recesses in the wall, there are mosaics from the 5th century. The decorations are typical of pre-Christian Roman art, with geometric, floral and figurative (harvest scenes) motifs.

The porphyry sarcophagus is a copy. The original can be seen in the Vatican Museums. Special notes

The church is often used for weddings.