Walking on Holy Land

Basilica di Santa Clemente (Matteo Carboni)

The other day I visited Basilica Di Santa Clemente al Laterano. Santa Clemente is an 11th century church built on top of a 4th century church named after St. Clement of Rome who was the Pope between 88 and 99 CE. It is likely that the site had been used as a house church since the 2nd century CE, then transformed into a large church complex in the 4th century. Beside the 4th century church there was a temple of Mithras that had been used since the 2nd century CE. Underneath the church and the temple, excavators found Roman households destroyed by the fire of Nero in 64 CE.

I think Santa Clemente is one of the coolest sites I have visited in Rome. It has been a neighborhood church for nearly 2000 years and has only needed one upgrade!

The physical relationship between the two churches has given me much to ponder. The foundations of the 4th century church was used as a blueprint for the 11th century church. One the one hand, this is practical. This was already the space for Santa Clemente. A new church was needed, of course this is the place a new one would be built.

On the other hand, there is a metaphysical reason for building a new church on the foundation of the old. There is a tradition that dates back to the third millennium BCE Mesopotamia in which temples were built on the foundations of the previous temple. By building a temple on the site, the community created a link between the new temple and the old temple. It also ensured they were building on Land that had been set aside by the community for worship and consecrated. In other words, by building on the foundations of the previous temple, the community ensured they would continue to worship on Holy Land. This tradition was brought west by the Yehudite community returning from the Babylonian Exile and the Seleucid Greeks.

Standing in Santa Clemente, walking through the ruins of the 4th century church, I felt very aware that physical relationship between the buildings creates a spiritual link between the two churches. The prayers prayed by Christians for thousands of years has made a mark on the space. Santa Clemente is welcoming and I feel grounded when I am there. When I am there I know that I am walking on Holy Land.

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