Santa Balbina, Minor basilica on Aventine Hill, Rome, Italy
Santa Balbina is a church on Aventine Hill with a single-hall layout, wooden roof truss, and six chapels. These chapels hold frescoes and oil paintings from different periods that make up the artistic core of the building.
The building was constructed in the 4th century on the site of a Roman house that belonged to Lucius Fabius Cilo in the late 2nd century. It developed from ancient Roman foundations into an early Christian place of worship.
The basilica displays artworks spanning multiple periods, including a 13th-century episcopal chair with Cosmatesque decorations and late 16th-century frescoes by Anastasio Fontebuoni depicting Christ in Glory. These pieces shape the interior and show artistic evolution across centuries.
You can reach the basilica through the ancient Via di Santa Balbina or by climbing the stairway on Via Baccelli near the San Saba district. Access is straightforward once you locate these entry points in the neighborhood.
The floor contains mosaic fragments from a 1st-century necropolis discovered during construction works in 1939. These archaeological remains reveal the long history of the site before the current church was built.
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