San Martino ai Monti, officially known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti ("Saints Sylvester & Martin in the Mountains"), is a

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, in the Rione Monti neighbourhood. It is located near the edge of the Parco del Colle Oppio, near the corner of Via Equizia and Viale del Monte Oppio, about five to six blocks south of

Santa Maria Maggiore Santa Maria Maggiore (), also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, is one of the four Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas, major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim C ...

. The current

Cardinal Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

with title to the basilica is Kazimierz Nycz, the Archbishop of Warsaw. Among the previous titulars are Alfonso de la Cueva; Joseph Mary Tomasi, C.R.; Achille Ratti, later

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

; Ildefonso Schuster, O.S.B.; and Gianbattista Montini, later

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. The parish is served by members of the Italian Province of the

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

Order and the residence next door to the church houses the offices of the Province.

History

The basilica was founded by

Pope Sylvester I Pope Sylvester I (also Silvester, before 284 – 31 December 335) was the bishop of Rome from 31 January 314 until his death on 31 December 335. He filled the See of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church, though very lit ...

on a site donated by one Equitius (hence the name of ''Titulus Equitii'') in the 4th century. At the beginning it was an oratory devoted to all the martyrs. It is known that a meeting in preparation for the Council of Nicaea was held here in 324. The current church of San Martino ai Monti dates from the Carolingian era, but remains of a 3rd-century pillared hall have been located below and adjacent to it. Some scholars have identified this earlier building with the ''Titulus Equitii,'' but according to Hugo Brandenburg, it is "most unlikely that it could have served as a place of worship for any larger community and its liturgy: The original purpose of this fairly modest hall ... was probably to serve as a storage space for commercial purposes." In 500, the church was rebuilt and dedicated to Saints

Martin of Tours Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third French Republic, Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hung ...

and Pope Sylvester I by

Pope Symmachus Pope Symmachus (died 19 July 514) was the bishop of Rome from 22 November 498 to his death on 19 July 514. His tenure was marked by a serious schism over who was elected pope by a majority of the Roman clergy. Early life He was born on the Medi ...

. On this occasion, the church was elevated and the first oratory became subterranean. It was reconstructed by

Pope Hadrian I Pope Adrian I (; 700 – 25 December 795) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 until his death on 25 December 795. Descended from a family of the military aristocracy of Rome known as ''domini de via Lata'', h ...

in 772 and by

Pope Sergius II Pope Sergius II (; died 27 January 847) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from January 844 to his death in 847. Sergius II's pontificate saw the Arab raid against Rome as well as the city's redevelopment. Rise Born to a noble ...

in 845. The structure of the present basilica follows the ancient church, and many pieces had been re-used. Remains of Pope St Martin I were said to be transferred there following his death in the 7th century in the Crimea region. During the

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe, the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture), abbots of monasteri ...

and the Gregorian Reforms, the priest of San Martino, Beno, supported the

Antipope Clement III Guibert or Wibert of Ravenna (8 September 1100) was an Italian prelate, archbishop of Ravenna, who was elected pope in 1080 in opposition to Pope Gregory VII and took the name Clement III. Gregory was the leader of the movement in the church w ...

. The inscriptions found in S. Martino ai Monti, a valuable source illustrating the history of the Basilica, have been collected and published by Vincenzo Forcella. The basilica is served by the members of the Italian Province of the

Order. It was granted to them in 1299 by

Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII (; born Benedetto Caetani; – 11 October 1303) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of baronial origin with connections t ...

; their ownership was confirmed in 1559. This basilica is the resting place of the Blessed Angelo Paoli, O. Carm., (1642–1720) who was revered throughout Rome for his service of the poor; he was beatified on 25 April 2010.

Interior

The interior has a nave and two aisles, divided by ancient columns. A votive lamp, made in silver sheet and housed in the sacristy, was believed to be St. Sylvester's

tiara A tiara (, ) is a head ornament adorned with jewels. Its origins date back to ancient Greco-Roman world. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women at formal occasions ...

. Under the major altar are preserved the relics of Saints Artemius, Paulina and Sisinnius, brought here from the

Catacomb of Priscilla The Catacomb of Priscilla is a large archaeological site on the Via Salaria in Rome, Italy, situated in what was a quarry in Roman times. The catacombs extend underground for over seven miles, making them one of Romes most extensive catacombs. ...

. A mosaic portraying ''Madonna with St Sylvester'' is from the 6th century.

Interior decoration

Further transformations were executed in the 17th century by Filippo Gagliardi. In the mid-17th century a series of frescoes, architectural additions, and altarpieces were commissioned including series landscape and architectural frescoes of typically biblical scenes by Gaspar Dughet and Galgliardi. There is a fresco by

Jan Miel Jan Miel (1599 in Beveren, Beveren-Waas – April 1664 in Turin) was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish painter and engraver who was active in Italy. He initially formed part of the circle of Dutch and Flemish genre painting, genre painters in R ...

of ''St Cyril Baptizing a Sultan''. Fabrizio Chiari (now overpainted by Antonio Cavallucci) painted a ''Baptism of Christ.'' Giannangiolo Canini painted an altarpiece of ''Holy Trinity with Saints Nicola and Bartholemew.'' The

Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

painter Girolamo Muziano provided an altarpiece of ''St. Albert.'' Galeazzo Leoncino painted a fresco of '' Pope Silvester holding the Council of 324 in the church of San Martino,'' Pietro Testa the ''Vision of St Angelo the Carmelite in the Wilderness,'' and Filippo Gherardi an altarpiece of ''San Carlo Borromeo.'' Cannini also painted the ''Martydom of St. Stephen.'' Chiari also painted ''St Martin Sharing His Cloak with the Beggar.'' Giovanni Battista Crespi is the author of a ''Vision of St Teresa,'' while the altarpiece of ''Vision of Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi'' was executed by Matteo Piccione. Paolo Naldini painted a series of ''Saints'' on the upper register of the nave (counterclockwise starting from the nave, they are identified as Ciriaca, Stephen, Fabianus, and Nicander, then, in the left nave, Theodore, Martin, Innocent, and Iusta). Daniele Latre painted a ''St. Anthony and John the Baptist'' on the southern wall (counterfacade), while Naldini painted a ''Peter and Paul.''

List of Cardinal-Priests since 1088

List of the cardinal titulars of the church Cardinal Title Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti
/ref> * Pietro Senex (1088 - about 1099) *Benedict (1099 - about 1102) *Domnizzone (about 1102 - about 1122) *Boniface (or Bonifacio) (?) (1105 ? - ?) *Pietro Cariaceno (1122 or 1123 - about 1138) *Matteo (about 1138 - January 1139 deceased) *Egmondo (or Edmondo) (1139 - about 1145 deceased) *

Robert Pullen Robert Pullen (also rendered as Polenius, Pullan, Pullein, Pullenus, Pullus, Pully, and La Poule; – c. 1146) was an English theologian and Cardinal of the Catholic Church, often considered to be one of the founders of Oxford University. Biogr ...

(1142 - 1146 deceased) **Giovanni Mercone (1150 - 1169 deceased), pseudo-cardinal of the antipopes Victor IV and Paschal III * János Struma (?) (1163 ? - 1165 ?) **Stephen (1172 - 1173), pseudo-cardinal of the antipope Callistus III *Rolando Paparoni (1184 - 1189) *Alessandro (May 1189 - 1190 deceased) *Ugo Bobone (or Uguccione Thieneo) (September 1190 - March 9, 1206 deceased) *

Guala Bicchieri Guala Bicchieri ( 1150 – 1227) was an Italian diplomat, papal official and Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. He was the papal legate in England from 1216 to 1218 and took a prominent role in the politics of England during John, King of Eng ...

(or Beccaria), C.R.S.A. (1211 - 1227 died) *François Cassard (1237 - 7 August 1237 died) * Simone Paltanieri (or Paltineri) (17 December 1261 - 1277 died) * Gervais Jeancolet de Clinchamp (12 April 1281 - 15 September 1287 died) * Benedetto Caetani senior (22 September 1291 - 24 December 1294 elected pope) *

Gentile Portino da Montefiore Gentile Portino da Montefiore (also Gentile Partino di Montefiore, ; ''c''. 1240 – 27 October 1312) was an Italian Franciscan friar and prelate, who was created Cardinal-Priest of Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 ...

(or Partino), O.Min. (2 March 1300 - 27 October 1312 died) *

Vital du Four Vital du Four (Bazas, 1260-Avignon, 1327) was a French Franciscan theologian and scholastic philosopher, and Prior (ecclesiastical), prior of Eauze. He became Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal in 1312 and bishop of Albano in 1321. Works * ''Qua ...

, O.Min. (December 23, 1312 - June 1321 appointed Cardinal Bishop of Albano) * Pierre de Chappes (December 18, 1327 - March 24, 1336 died) * Aymeric de Chalus (September 20, 1342 - October 31, 1349 died) * Pierre de Cros (December 17, 1350 - September 23, 1361 died) * Gilles Aycelin de Montaigu (September 17, 1361 - 1368 appointed Cardinal Bishop of Frascati) * Filippo Carafa della Serra (September 18, 1378 - May 22, 1389) **Nicolas de Saint-Saturnin, O.P. (18 December 1378 - 23 January 1382 deceased), pseudocardinal of the antipope Clement VII **Faydit d'Aigrefeuille, O.S.B.Clun. (December 23, 1383 - October 2, 1391 died), pseudo-cardinal of the antipope Clement VII * Bartolomeo Mezzavacca (December 18, 1389 - July 20, 1396 died) **Pedro Serra (September 22, 1397 - October 8, 1404 died), pseudo-cardinal of the antipope Benedict XIII * Angelo Cybo, deaconry pro illa vice (February 27, 1402 - 1404 ? died) * Giordano Orsini (June 12, 1405 - March 25, 1409 appointed cardinal-priest of San Lorenzo in Damaso) *

Guillaume d'Estouteville Guillaume d'Estouteville (c. 1412–1483) was a French aristocrat of royal blood who became a leading bishop (Catholic Church), bishop and cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. He held a number of Church offices simultaneously. He conducted th ...

(January 8, 1440 - 1459 appointed cardinal-priest of Santa Pudenziana) **Johannes Grünwalder (October 2, 1440 - January 15 1448 dismissed), pseudo-cardinal of the antipope Felix V (did not accept the promotion) *

Jean Jouffroy Jean Jouffroy (c. 1412–1473) was a Burgundian prelate and diplomat. He was born at Luxeuil-les-Bains in the County of Burgundy. After entering the Benedictine order and teaching at the university of Pavia from 1435 to 1438, he became almoner ...

, O.S.B.Clun. (1461 - 24 November 1473 died) * Charles II of Bourbon (15 January 1477 - 17 September 1488 died) *

André d'Espinay André d'Espinay (died 1500) (called the Cardinal of Bordeaux or the Cardinal of Lyon) was a French people, French Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal. Biography André d'Espinay w ...

(23 March 1489 - 10 November 1500 died) *

Tamás Bakócz Tamás Bakócz OP (, Erdőd, Esztergom) was a Hungarian archbishop, cardinal and statesman. He was a serious candidate in the 1513 papal conclave. Life Born in Szatmár County, Bakócz was the son of a wagoner and was adopted by his uncle, wh ...

(5 October 1500 - 11 June 1521 died) * Louis de Bourbon-Vendôme (11 June 1521 - 3 March 1533 appointed Cardinal Priest of Santa Sabina) * Jean d'Orléans-Longueville (3 March 1533 - 24 September 1533 died) * Philippe de la Chambre, O.S.B.Clun. (November 10, 1533 - March 23, 1541 appointed Cardinal Priest of Santa Prassede) * Uberto Gambara (March 23, 1541 - February 15, 1542 appointed Cardinal Priest of Sant'Apollinare) * Giovanni Vincenzo Acquaviva d'Aragona (June 12, 1542 - August 16, 1546 died) * Girolamo Verallo (May 10, 1549 - November 29, 1553 appointed Cardinal Priest of San Marcello) * Diomede Carafa (January 13, 1556 - August 12, 1560 died) *

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo (; ; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was made a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal in 156 ...

, deaconry pro illa vice (September 4, 1560 - June 4, 1563); (June 4, 1563 - November 17, 1564) * Philibert Babou de la Bourdaisière (November 17, 1564 - May 14, 1568 appointed Cardinal Priest of Sant'Anastasia) * Girolamo di Corregio (May 14, 1568 - June 9, 1570 appointed Cardinal Priest of Santa Prisca) * Gaspar Cervantes de Gaeta (June 16, 1570 - January 23, 1572 appointed Cardinal Priest of Santa Balbina) *

Gabriele Paleotti Gabriele Paleotti (4 October 1522 – 22 July 1597) was an Italian cardinal and Archbishop of Bologna. He was a significant figure in, and source about, the later sessions of the Council of Trent, and much later a candidate for the papacy in 15 ...

(July 5, 1572 - May 11, 1587 appointed Cardinal Priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina) * William Allen (August 31, 1587 - October 16, 1594 deceased) * Francesco Cornaro (June 21, 1596 - April 23 1598 deceased) * Fernando Niño de Guevara (January 8, 1599 - January 8, 1609 deceased) * Domenico Rivarola (September 12, 1611 - January 3, 1627 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (1627 - 1633) * Alfonso de la Cueva-Benavides y Mendoza-Carrillo (July 18, 1633 - July 9, 1635 appointed Cardinal Priest of Santa Balbina) * Pier Luigi Carafa (July 10, 1645 - February 15, 1655 deceased) * Federico Sforza (June 26, 1656 - April 21, 1659 appointed Cardinal Priest of Sant'Anastasia) * Volumnio Bandinelli (April 19, 1660 - June 5, 1667 deceased) * Giulio Spinola (July 18, 1667 - November 13, 1684 appointed Cardinal Priest of San Crisogono) *''Vacant title'' (1684 - 1689) * Opizio Pallavicini (November 14, 1689 - February 11, 1700 died) * Marcello d'Aste (March 30, 1700 - June 11, 1709 died) * Giuseppe Maria Tomasi di Lampedusa, C.R. (July 11, 1712 - January 1, 1713 died) * Niccolò Caracciolo (February 5, 1716 - February 7, 1728 died) * Giovanni Antonio Guadagni, O.C.D. (December 17, 1731 - February 23, 1750 appointed Cardinal Bishop of Frascati) *''Vacant title'' (1750 - 1754) * Giovanni Francesco Stoppani (May 20, 1754 - July 18, 1763 appointed Cardinal Bishop of Palestrina) *''Vacant title'' (1763 - 1773) * Francesco Saverio de Zelada (April 26, 1773 - June 17, 1793); in commendam (June 17, 1793 - December 19, 1801 deceased) * Luigi Ruffo Scilla (August 9, 1802 - November 17, 1832 deceased) * Ugo Pietro Spinola (December 17, 1832 - January 21, 1858 deceased) * Antonio Benedetto Antonucci (March 18, 1858 - January 29, 1879 deceased) *

Pier Francesco Meglia Pier Francesco Meglia (3 November 1810 – 31 March 1883) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He was made a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal in 1879. Biography Pier ...

(February 27, 1880 - March 31, 1883 deceased) *''Vacant title'' (1883 - 1887) * Luigi Giordani (March 17, 1887 - April 21, 1893 deceased) * Kolos Ferenc Vaszary, O.S.B. (June 15, 1893 - September 3, 1915 deceased) * Giulio Tonti (December 9, 1915 - December 11, 1918 deceased) *

Achille Ratti Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

, O.SS.C.A. (June 16, 1921 - February 6, 1922 elected Pope) * Eugenio Tosi, O.SS.C.A. (December 14, 1922 - January 7, 1929 deceased) *

Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, (, ; born Alfredo Ludovico Schuster; 18 January 1880 – 30 August 1954) was an Italian Catholic prelate and professed member of the Benedictines who served as the Archbishop of Milan from 1929 until his death. He ...

, O.S.B.Cas. (July 18, 1929 - August 30, 1954 deceased) * Giovanni Battista Montini (December 18, 1958 - June 21, 1963 elected Pope) *

Giovanni Colombo Giovanni Umberto Colombo (6 December 1902 – 20 May 1992) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Milan from 1963 to 1979 and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1965. Biography Early life and pri ...

(February 25, 1965 - May 20, 1992 deceased) * Armand Gaétan Razafindratandra (November 26, 1994 - January 9, 2010 deceased) * Kazimierz Nycz, since November 20, 2010

References

Bibliography

* Emmanuele Boaga, "Il complesso titolare di S. Martino ai Monti in Roma," in: Mario Fois, Vincenzo Monachino, F. Litva (editors), ''Dalla Chiesa antica alla Chiesa moderna. Miscellanea per il 50o della Facoltà di storia ecclesiastica della Pontificia Università Gregoriana'' (Roma: Università Gregoriana Editore, 1983) pp. 1-17. *''Ancient Churches of Rome from the Fourth to the Seventh Century: The Dawn of Christian Architecture in the West'', by Hugo Brandenburg, Brepols, 2005. *''Le chiese medievali di Roma'', by Federico Gizzi, Newton Compton, Rome, 1994. * Richard Krautheimer, ''Corpus Basilicarum Christianarum Romae: The Early Christian Basilicas of Rome (IV-IX Cent.)'' Part 3 (Roma: Pontificio Istituto de archeologia cristiana, 1937), pp. 87 ff.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rome, Saint Martin Saint Martin Titular churches 4th-century churches Saint Martin