The basilica of San Pancrazio ( en, St Pancras; la, S. Pancratii) is a
Roman Catholic ancient basilica and
titular church founded by
Pope Symmachus in the 6th century in Rome, Italy. It stands in via S. Pancrazio, westward beyond the
Porta San Pancrazio
Porta San Pancrazio is one of the southern gates of the Aurelian walls in Rome, Italy.
The gate houses the National Association of Garibaldi Veterans and Survivors along with the Garibaldi Museum (also dedicated to the Italian Partisan Division ...
that opens in a stretch of the
Aurelian Wall on the
Janiculum. It covers the
Catacomb of San Pancrazio.
The
Cardinal Priest of the ''Titulus S. Pancratii'' is
Antonio Cañizares Llovera
Antonio Cañizares Llovera (; born 15 October 1945) is a Spanish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who was the Archbishop of Valencia from 2014 to 2022. He was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacramen ...
. Other previous titulars include
Pope Paul IV (15 January – 24 September 1537) and
Pope Clement VIII (18 December 1585 – 30 January 1592).
History

The basilica was built by
Pope Symmachus (498–514), on the place where the body of the young martyr Saint
Pancras of Rome, or Pancratius, had been buried, ''Via Aurelia miliario secundo'' ('on the Via Aurelia at the second milestone'). The church was originally placed by him under the care of the clergy of the Church of S. Crisogono. Due to their neglect of the site, Pope Gregory I (590–604) handed it over to the members of the newly founded
Benedictine Order
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
after the
Lombards sacked their monastery of
Montecassino
Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...
in 580. In the seventh century Pope Honorius I (625–638) built a larger church for the increasing numbers of pilgrims; he placed the relics of the saint beneath the high altar, with a window of access from a semi-circular corridor that led behind and below the altar. In the 17th century, it was given to the
Discalced Carmelites, who completely remodeled it. The church underwent further rebuilding in the 19th century, having been heavily damaged during Garibaldi's attack on Rome in 1849; but it retains its plain brick facade of the late 15th century, with the arms of
Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII ( la, Innocentius VIII; it, Innocenzo VIII; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death in July 1492. Son of th ...
.
[Touring Club Italiano, ''Roma e dintorni'' (Milan, 1965) p. 455.]
Below the church there are huge
catacomb
Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire.
Etymology and history
The first place to be referred ...
s, the ''
Catacomb of San Pancrazio'' or ''di Ottavilla''. Entrance is next to the small ''Museo di S. Pancrazio'' with fragments of sculpture and pagan and early Christian inscriptions.
Cardinal-Priests of San Pancrazio
The Church of S. Pancrazio was established as the titulus of a Cardinal-Priest by Pope Leo X on 6 July 1517.
[David M. Cheney, ''Catholic-Hierarchy:']
''The Cardinal-Priests of S. Pancrazio''
Retrieved: 2016-03-12.
*
Ferdinando Ponzetti (1517–1527)
*
Francesco Corner (1528–1534)
*
Gian Pietro Carafa
Pope Paul IV, born Gian Pietro Carafa, Theatines, C.R. ( la, Paulus IV; it, Paolo IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death in August 1559. While serv ...
(1537)
*
Federico Cesi (1545–1550)
*
Juan Álvarez de Toledo
Juan Álvarez de Toledo (15 July 1488 – 15 September 1557) was a Spanish Dominican and Cardinal, from 1538. Considered '' papabile'' in the papal conclave (1549–1550), he was initially running second in votes to Reginald Pole. He was again ...
(1551–1553)
*
Miguel da Silva
Miguel da Silva (c. 1480 – 5 June 1556) was a Portuguese nobleman, the second son of Diogo da Silva, 1st Count of Portalegre and of his wife Maria de Ayala, a Castilian noblewomen. He was ambassador of the king of Portugal to several popes, ...
(1553)
*
Giovanni Antonio Capizucchi
Gianantonio Capizucchi (24 October 1515 – 28 January 1569) was an Italian Roman
Catholic cardinal and bishop.
Biography
Gianantonio Capizucchi was born in Rome on October 24, 1515. He was a doctor of both laws, and belonged to the noble ...
(1556–1562)
*
Bernardo Navagero
Bernardo Navagero (Venice 1507 – 13 April 1565 Verona) was a Venetian ambassador and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.
Life
Venetian patrician, son of Gianluigi Navagero and Lucrezia Agostini, he studied at the University of Padua. He ma ...
(1562)
*
Stanislaus Hosius (1562–1565)
*
Simone Pasqua
Simone Pasqua (1492–1565) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. He was first appointed Bishop of Luni e Sarzana in Italy in 1561 and then Cardinal-Priest of Santa Sabina in 1565. He became Cardinal-Priest of San Pancrazio in 1565.
...
(1565)
*
Tolomeo Gallio
Tolomeo Gallio (also spelled Gallo and Galli; 25 September 1527 – 3 or 4 February 1607) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal.
Biography
In the time of Pope Gregory XIII, he acted as papal secretary of state (in office 1572 to 15 ...
(1565–1568)
*
Gianpaolo Della Chiesa Gianpaolo Della Chiesa (1521–1575) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal.
Biography
Gianpaolo Della Chiesa was born in Tortona in 1521. He was a relative of Pope Pius V. He was educated at the University of Padua and the University ...
(1568–1575)
*
Ippolito Aldobrandini (1586–1592)
*
Girolamo Mattei (1592–1603)
*
Pietro Aldobrandini (1604–1605)
*
Domenico Ginnasi 200px, Cardinal Domenico Ginnasi
Domenico Ginnasi (19 June 1550 in Castel Bolognese – 12 March 1639, in Rome) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic church created by Pope Clement VIII.
Biography
Ginnasi was born the third of seven children to F ...
(1605–1606)
*
Ludovico de Torres (1606–1609)
*
Gabriel Trejo y Paniagua (1617–1621)
*
Cosimo de Torres
Cosimo de Torres also Cosmo de Torres and Cosma de Torres (1584–1642) was a Roman Catholic cardinal who served as Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere (1641–1642), Cardinal-Priest of San Pancrazio (1623–1641), Archbishop of Monreale ...
(1623–1641)
*
Gaspare Mattei Cardinal Gaspare Mattei
Gaspare Mattei (1598 - around 1am, 9 April 1650) was an Italian cardinal of the house of Mattei.
Life
Mattei was born in Rome, the eldest son of Mario Mattei, duke of Paganica and Prudenzia Cenci; he was a relative of Pope ...
(1643–1648)
*
Francesco Maidalchini
Francesco Maidalchini (21 April 1631 – 13 June 1700) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.
Early life
Maidalchini was born 12 April 1631 in Viterbo, the son of Andrea Maidalchini and Pacifica Feliziani. His father was the b ...
(1653–1654)
*
Carlo Gualterio
Carlo Gualterio (1613 – 1 January 1673) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal.
Biography
Gualterio was born at Orvieto. In his family, Silvio Antoniani was cardinal and Sebastiano Gualterio had been Bishop of Viterbo, Papal Nuncio to France a ...
(1654–1667)
*
Giacomo Franzoni Giacomo is an Italian name. It is the Italian version of the Hebrew name Jacob.
People
* Giacomo (name), including a list of people with the name
Other uses
* Giacomo (horse), a race horse, winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby
* ''Giácomo'' (film) ...
(1670–1673)
*
Pietro Vidoni
Pietro Vidoni (8 November 1610 – 5 January 1681) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal who served from 1652 to 1660 as the papal legate and nuncio to Poland.
Personal life
Vidoni was born 8 November 1610 in Cremona into Italian nobili ...
(1673–1681)
*
Antonio Pignatelli
Pope Innocent XII ( la, Innocentius XII; it, Innocenzo XII; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700.
He ...
(1681–1691)
*
Bandino Panciatichi
Bandino Panciatici (10 July 1629 – 21 April 1718) as a Roman Catholic cardinal from 1690 to 1718.
Biography
Bandino Panciatici was born in Florence on July 10, 1629. He came from a Pistoian noble family, and was a relative of Pope Clement IX. ...
(1691–1710)
*
Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn
Damian Hugo Philipp von Schönborn (19 September 1676 in Mainz – 19 August 1743 in Bruchsal) was Prince-Bishop of Speyer (1719–1743), Bishop of Konstanz (1740–1743) and a cardinal (1713). He participated in papal conclave
A papa ...
(1721–1726)
*
Vincenzo Ludovico Gotti
Vincenzo Ludovico Gotti (5 September 1664 – 18 September 1742) was a Cardinal and theologian of the Roman Catholic Church.
Gotti was born in Bologna. Educated by Jesuits, he entered the Dominican Order at the age of sixteen. After studies i ...
, O.P. (1728–1738)
*
Gioacchino Bessozzi
Gioacchino is a masculine Italian given name, equivalent to the English Joachim. Notable people with the name include:
* Gioacchino Assereto (1600–1649), Italian painter
* Gioacchino Cocchi (1720–1804), Italian composer
* Gioacchino Colombo (1 ...
, O.Cist. (1743–1744)
*
Federico Marcello Lante Montefeltro Della Rovere (1745–1753)
*
Giuseppe Maria Feroni
Giuseppe Maria Feroni (born 1693, died 1767) was a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic church, and camerlengo from 1760–1761.
A famous bust of him by Andre-Jean Lebrun is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Biography
Feroni cam ...
(1753–1764)
*
Giovanni Battista Bussi (1824–1844)
*
Carlo Vizzardelli Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to:
*Carlo (name)
* Monte Carlo
*Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Cha ...
(1848–1851)
*
Clément Villecourt
Clement or Clément may refer to:
People
* Clement (name), a given name and surname
* Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People
Places
* Clément, French Guiana, a town
* Clement, Missouri, U.S.
* Clement Township, Michigan, U.S.
Other uses
* ...
(1855–1867)
*
Josip Mihalovic Josip () is a male given name found among Croats and Slovenes, a cognate of Joseph.
In Croatia, the name Josip was the second most common masculine given name in the decades up to 1959, and has stayed among the top ten most common ones throughout 2 ...
(1877–1891)
*
Francesco Ricci Paracciani
Francesco Ricci Paracciani (8 June 1830 – 9 March 1894) was an Italian priest of the Catholic Church, who spent his career in the service of the papal household and in the Roman Curia.
Biography
Francesco Ricci Paracciani was born in Rome on ...
(1891–1894)
*
Achille Manara
Achille Manara (20 November 1827 – 15 February 1906) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who became a bishop in 1879, a cardinal in 1895, and an archbishop in 1904.
Biography
Manara was born in Bologna on 20 November 1827. He was orda ...
(1895–1906)
*
Aristide Rinaldini
Aristide Rinaldini (5 February 1844 – 11 February 1920) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Apostolic Nuncio to Spain from 1899 to 1907. He was made a cardinal in 1907.
Biography
Born in Montefalco, Aristide Ri ...
(1907–1920)
*
Giovanni Bonzano
Giovanni Vincenzo Cardinal Bonzano PIME (27 September 1867 – 26 November 1927) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Nunciature of the Holy See in Washington DC, Apostolic Delegate to Uni ...
(1922–1924)
*
Lorenzo Lauri
Lorenzo Lauri (15 October 1864 – 8 October 1941) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Major Penitentiary from 1927 and Camerlengo from 1939 until his death and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1926.
Biography
...
(1927–1941)
*
Carlos Carmelo de Vasconcelos Motta (1946–1982)
*
José Lebrún Moratinos
José Lebrún Moratinos (19 March 1919 – 21 February 2001) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Caracas. Besides his native Spanish, he spoke Italian, Latin and French.
Early life and priesthood
He was born in Puerto Cabello, ...
(1983–2001)
*
Antonio Cañizares Llovera
Antonio Cañizares Llovera (; born 15 October 1945) is a Spanish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who was the Archbishop of Valencia from 2014 to 2022. He was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacramen ...
(2006–)
References
Bibliography
* Richart Krautheimer, ''Corpus Basilicarum Christianarum Romae: The Early Christian Basilicas of Rome (IV–IX Cent.)'' Part II (Roma: 1937), pp. 153–177.
* John Crook, ''The Architectural Setting of the Cult of Saints in the Early Christian West c. 300 – c. 1200'' (Oxford: Clarendon 2000), pp. 82–83.
* Giuseppe Burragato and Antonio Palumbo, ''Sulle orme di San Pancrazio, martire romano. Culto, basilica, catacombe'' (Morena (Roma) : Edizioni OCD, 2004).
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pancrazio
Basilica churches in Rome
Titular churches
6th-century churches
17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
Rome Q. XII Gianicolense