The Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages reopens to the public in Rome

The Santa Maria Antiqua Church, built in the 6th century and featuring a rare collection of early Christian art, is reopened to the public in Rome after a restoration that took more than 30 years.

The church is located at the foot of the hill where the emperors of Rome once lived. It was literally buried under the rubble as a result of the earthquake in 847 and was only rediscovered in 1900. Inner frescoes depicting saints and great martyrs, popes and emperors were carefully restored. The total cost of restoration work amounted to about 2.7 million euros, the money was allocated by the Italian government and the World Monument Fund.

“This church can be called the Sistine Chapel of the early Middle Ages,” says art historian Maria Andaloro. “Here are collected the best examples of the culture of the early Christian world, the era of Ancient Rome and Byzantium.”

Among all the treasures, one can separately distinguish the image of the Virgin Mary with the baby. This is one of the oldest known Christian icons in the world. For a long time after the earthquake, she was in another church in Rome, and now she has returned to Santa Maria Antiqua. Among the exhibits there is also a partially destroyed fresco on which the angel Gabriel informs Mary of the news that she was chosen to become the mother of Christ. According to the Byzantine tradition, Mary is dressed in a crown and mantle decorated with pearls. Instead of the missing parts of the mural, projections of the image

According to Maria Andaloro, the church is also unique in that it practically did not change during the Baroque and the counter-reformation. At a time when many other churches were renovated, this one remained untouched, although it suffered greatly from time to time.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru