San Cosimato, Medieval church building in Trastevere, Rome, Italy
San Cosimato is a church in the Trastevere district of Rome, with a plain brick facade, a Romanesque bell tower, and a 12th-century portico opening onto a public square. The former convent buildings that surround it now house the Nuovo Regina Margherita hospital.
The site began as a Benedictine monastery in the 10th century, dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian. Pope Sixtus IV ordered its reconstruction in 1475, and after 1870 the convent buildings were converted into a hospital.
The churchyard opens onto a lively square where locals pass through daily and small markets occasionally take place. The fresco inside, showing the Madonna with Child flanked by Saints Francis and Clare, is easy to see and freely accessible to anyone who steps in.
The church opens directly onto public squares in the Trastevere district and is easy to reach on foot. Visiting in the early morning or outside midday hours generally allows for a calmer entry.
The full name of the site is San Cosimato in Mica Aurea, a phrase referring to the yellow fluvial sand found in the soil during construction. This sand, typical of the Tiber floodplain, is still present beneath the surface today.
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