Santa Maria in Tempulo, Medieval Catholic church in Caelian Hill, Rome, Italy.
Santa Maria in Tempulo is a church on the Caelian Hill in Rome, situated along Via della Valle delle Camene. The building has stone walls and a bell tower, and its structure reflects several layers of construction that followed one another over many centuries.
The site traces back to a 6th-century chapel linked to a Greek community and dedicated to Saint Agatha. It later became a Benedictine convent mentioned in documents from the 12th century, before losing its monastic function during the 13th century.
Santa Maria in Tempulo is now used for civil wedding ceremonies by the city of Rome, giving it a new social role that visitors may witness. Couples gather in the old church space, which has shifted from a place of monastic seclusion to one of public celebration.
The church stands in a quiet part of the Caelian Hill, close to Villa Celimontana, and is best reached on foot. Access can be restricted when civil ceremonies are taking place, so it is worth checking before you visit.
In the 17th century, the structure was incorporated into the Villa Celimontana estate and partly transformed into a fountain feature within the garden of the Cenci family. This means that for a period, a place of worship effectively became an ornamental element in a private garden.
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