Santa Maria Antiqua, Early Christian church in Roman Forum, Italy
Santa Maria Antiqua is an early Christian church in the Roman Forum built inside a former imperial administrative building. The walls display overlapping frescoes from several centuries, with later artists painting directly over older imagery.
The building was converted from Roman administrative rooms into a Christian church during the fifth century. An earthquake in the ninth century buried the structure under rubble and sealed the frescoes until their rediscovery in the twentieth century.
The name comes from Latin words meaning old church of Mary, distinguishing it from later churches dedicated to the same saint. Worshippers once gathered here beneath layers of painted saints and biblical scenes that covered every available surface.
Access is through the Roman Forum, and visitors should allow extra time to view the wall paintings in low light conditions. The rooms are small and can fill during peak visiting hours.
The structure remained hidden beneath rubble from a nearby collapsed building for nearly a millennium. This accidental sealing preserved pigments and details that have long faded in most other early Christian churches.
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