Santa Maria in Trastevere, Minor basilica in Trastevere district, Rome, Italy.
Santa Maria in Trastevere is a basilica in Rome's Trastevere district. Its facade, restored by Carlo Fontana in 1702, has a five-arch portico with a balustrade topped by four pope statues and a 13th-century mosaic of Mary nursing the Child. The 12th-century brick campanile carries a clock and a niche mosaic of the Madonna and Child. Inside, 22 granite columns from the Baths of Caracalla divide three naves.
Pope Callixtus I established a Christian community here around 220 and converted a tavern into one of Rome's first official churches. The site was later rebuilt and became an important place of worship.
The apse mosaic of 1140–43 shows Christ and the Virgin enthroned side by side, with Innocent II holding a model of the basilica; below, Pietro Cavallini's 1291 panels narrate the Life of the Virgin. Ernst Kitzinger linked this iconography to Rome's medieval Assumption night procession on 15 August, when the church is still a pilgrimage stop.
Entry is free and the church welcomes visitors daily, though hours may vary with the season. It's best to visit in the morning when crowds are lighter, allowing time to view the details comfortably.
The octagonal fountain in the piazza, already shown on a map of 1472, was restored by Carlo Fontana together with the facade in 1702. The 22 granite columns inside, with Ionic and Corinthian capitals, were taken from the Baths of Caracalla, as was the lintel of the entrance door.
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