Sant'Eusebio - Friday, Fourth Week of Lent

For our visit to Sant'Eusebio, we will return to the Esquiline Hill, home of the Monti district and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. With its rounded arches on the front, the grand staircase, and the second story windows it appears more like a late Renaissance palace or, more specifically, a Tuscan country villa. Instead, it is one of the oldest churches in Rome, dating to the late 300s. The staircase in front is a result of the excavations and lowering of the surrounding street levels. (We have seen this before; the level of Rome over the years has risen, resulting in buildings centuries apart - although on the same street - sitting at very different layers!)

Saint Eusebius of Rome was a Roman priest martyred during the time of Constantius II, son of the Emperor Constantine, reportedly starved to death in his own home. His crime was defense of the Nicene Creed against a splinter group of Christians. The church is said to be a titular church, because it is built over the remains of the house of Eusebius.

The church has been rebuilt, and the interior reflects the time period of the 1700's and the Age of Enlightenment. A few reminders of the late baroque exist, but overall the theme is one of order and light - closer to Neo-Classicism than the decorative Baroque. Take note of the ceiling displaying the fresco, The Glory of Saint Eusebius, by Anton Raphael Mengs, painted in 1757, presenting a much more balanced classical style, as opposed to the swirling illusions of the Baroque. There are two other fascinating items to note:

• This site is said to be the heart of the Blessing of the Animals, where animals of all sorts, but particularly horses and cows, were brought to the church to be blessed.

• The site also sits near the Gardens of Maecenas, who was the cultural czar of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus. Maecenas was responsible for contracting and generating nearly all of Augustus's public art, including the literary masterpiece, the Aeneid.

This site is rich in historical layers, and is well worth the visit.

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Sant'Eusebio, Google Maps

Sant'Eusebio, Google Street View

Church Website

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