Santa Sabina
From Churches of Rome Wiki
| Santa Sabina all'Aventino | |
|---|---|
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| English name: | St Sabina at the Aventine |
| Dedication: | St Sabina |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Type: | Titular church |
| Clergy: | Dominicans |
| Titular church | Jozef Tomko |
| Built: | 5th century |
| Architect(s): | |
| Artists: | |
| Contact data | |
| Address: | 1 Piazza Pietro d'Illiria |
Santa Sabina all'Aventino is a church dedicated to St Sabina, a 2nd century martyr.
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[edit] History
The church was built in the 5th century, presumably at the site of the original Titulus Sabinae, a church in the home of Sabina who had been martyred c. 114. The tituli were the first parish churches in Rome. The exact date of the foundation is believed to be 422-423, and it is known that it was founded by an Illyrian priest named Peter.
It was restored in the 8th and 9th centuries.
In 1218, the church was given to the Dominicans by Pope Honorius III, who had approved the foundation of the order. They still serve the church, although since 1370 Santa Maria sopra Minerva has been their main church in Rome. The Pope was of the Savelli family, whose palace was next to the church.
St Dominic lived in the adjacent monastery for a period soon before his death in 1221. Among other residents of the monastery is St Thomas Aquinas.
During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, some additions were made. In the 20th century, most of these were removed to restore the church back to its original state. The restorations took place 1914-1919 and 1936-1938, and were led by A. Muzo and P. Berthier.
The current titular of the church is H.E. Cardinal Jozef Tomko.
[edit] Exterior
The church looks much as it did when it was built in the 5th century.
The style is Illyrian rather than Roman, which explains the unusually large windows. The windows are of silenite, not glass.
The original front door can be found by walking through the arcade in front of the monastery. It is possible to enter from the side porch, but I recommend going through the front door. It dates from between 420 and 450, and is made of cypress wood. About 10 of the original 28 panels are missing, but any wooden object from this period is a rare sight. In one of the panels with scenes from the life of Moses, God the Father is depicted as a hand extended from a cloud, the earliest way of representing Him in Christian art. The crucifixion scene in the top left-hand panel may be the earliest preserved representation of the Christ crucified between two thieves in Western art.
Opposite the door, there is a hole in the wall. If you look through it, you can see and orange tree which is descended from one planted by St Dominic.
St Dominic, Pope St Pius V, St Celsus, St Hyacinth and St Thomas Aquinas are among those who have lived in the monastery adjacent to the church
Below a grating in the floor is a room of a Roman house, which has been excavated. It might be the original Christian 'house-church' at the site, the "Title of Sabina".
[edit] Interior
The church's interior is different from other early churches as we see them today, because the large windows let so much light through. This was common in ancient and early medieval churches, but we rarely experience it today because the openings have been walled up. The reason for this is the idea that less light would give better conditions for prayer and meditation.
There is no apse mosaic, which is unusual for a church of this date. It was originally decorated, as was the triumphal arch, but the mosaics are lost. They have been replaced by frescoes by Taddeo Zuccari, painted 1560, and these probably have the same motif as the lost mosaics.
Below the high altar is a shrine to St Sabina and other martyrs.
Over the cypress doors, there is a mosaic showing ecclesia ex circumcision, (The Church from the Circumcision) and ecclesia ex gentibus, (The Church from the Nations). Some believe that it represents the Old and New Testaments, but it seems more likely that they are intended to represent the Christians of Jewish origins and the Christians who were converts from pagan religion. Between the two figures is a text recording the building of the church by Peter the Illyrian, who was a priest. The first line contains an assertion of the Pope's supreme and universal authority, and is an early example of such a text.
The columns are ancient, and may have been taken from one of the many buildings on the Aventine that were destroyed by the Goths in 410. They support arcades rather than straight architraves, and this is one of the earliest example of such a construction in Rome. The proportions of the church are based on Hellenistic principles, as described by Vitruvius. For instance, the height of the columns equal 9 1/2 times their diameter, and the space between columns equal 5 times their diameter; this is just as Vitruvius describes it.
The wooden ceiling is a simple one, and it was restored to this state in 1936.
The schola cantorum, or choir enclosure, dates to the ninth century. The relief on it is inspired by Persian style.
The mosaic on the tomb in the middle of the nave floor depicts a Master General of the Dominicans, probably Monoz de Zamora, who died in 1300. The mosaic has been dated to c. 1300 on stylistic grounds, so it seems likely that the identification is correct.
In the Cappella d'Elci, on the left side at the middle of the length of the nave, is a painting of Our Lady of the Rosary by Sassoferrato. She is flanked by St Dominic and St Catherina of Siena.
In the right nave is the late 15th century tomb of the Spanish Cardinal Auxias di Poggio (died 1484). The artist is unknown, but it is likely that he belonged to the school of Andrea Bregno. The inscription says: "To live after death, he lived as one who was going to die".
[edit] Special notes
There is a shop in the monastery that sells postcards, including cards showing the panels in the front door, and religious objects and literature. It is of special interest to those interested in Dominican spirituality.
Santa Sabina is the station church on Ash Wednesday. Since the time of Pope John XXIII, it is custom for the Holy Father to assist in person in the afternoon Mass on that day, when ashes are distributed.
It is possible to see the rooms of Pope St Pius V and St Dominic at the monastery. Men can visit the Romanesque cloister and the chapter house where St Celsus and St Hyacinth, apostles of Hungary and Bohemia, gave their vows as Dominicans. To visit these places, apply at the monastery.
