Basilica di San Clemente - Kathy & Lucie

Sunday, September 29, 2013.  Lucie,  Al and I went to mass at the Basilica di San Clemente.  It is a beautiful old church.  The Mass, of course, was all in Italian, but it is amazing how much we understood.  There were 3 priests, one who did all the singing - a wonderful voice.  

We took a tour after Mass of the catacombs below the church.  

  This Irish Dominican church is a microcosm of Rome, with the many layers of Roman history visible in its structure.  At street level is a 12th century church with a Renaissance and baroque additions.  Below are excavations of a 4th century basilica, atop a Roman house from Nero's era and a Mithraic temple from the first century BC.  

The church also has magnificent mosaics, frescoes and pavements.  All in all, it illustrates the evolution of Christian art between the first and 19th centuries.  It has a enclosed courtyard which is featured in the photo above. 

 The church was a short walk from our hotel, The Lancelot.