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Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin

Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin

Piazza Bocca della Verità 18 – ROME (ITALY)

RELIGIONS Catholic

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELIGIOUS SITE

DESCRIPTION
The basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a place of Catholic worship in Rome, located in Piazza della Bocca della Verità, in the Ripa district; it’s officiated by the Greek-Melchite Catholic Church, whose official language is Arabic. At the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, the Melkite ritual is celebrated in Arabic Language, on Sunday at 10.30 am and Fridays at 5.30 pm.
HISTORICAL RELEVANCE
The site on which stands the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, in Roman times was located at the southeastern edge of the Forum Boario, next to the river Tiber and the Circus Maximus. In this area was found the Great Altar of Hercules, built according to tradition by Evander after Hercules had killed the giant Cacus, and which assumed its final shape with a reconstruction in the second century BC. Subsequently inside it there was a Christian community, which built a primitive place of worship by exploiting the pre-existing structure (it would therefore be the first case of christianization of a place of pagan worship in the city of Rome). The name of the deanery was that of Santa Maria in Schola graeca, due to the large presence of a Greek community in that area.
INTER-RELIGIOUS RELEVANCE
In medieval times the church and its annexes were entrusted to a colony of Greek monks who had taken refuge in Rome to escape the iconoclastic persecutions of Constantine V; from these the church took the name of Santa Maria in Schola Greca, and later became known as Santa Maria in Cosmedin, from the Greek word kosmidion (ornament), a typically Byzantine name found in various churches in Constantinople and, in Italy, also in Naples and Ravenna (name with which the baptistery of the Arians was called starting from the 8th century).
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
The Greek-Melchite Catholic Church is a Catholic Church of the Byzantine rite. It counts about 1,700,000 believers and it is led by the Patriarch of Antioch of the Melchites. It extends its jurisdiction over all the Catholic believers of the Byzantine rite residing in the territory of the ancient patriarchates of Antioch, Jerusalem and Alexandria of Egypt, and those of the Diaspora. It is considered heir to the ancient tradition of Syriac Christianity. The melkites follow the Greek variants of the Byzantine rite about guidance, theology and spirituality. For this reason they are also called "Eastern Catholics", "Byzantine Catholics" or "Greek Catholics".
HOW TO USE WITH THE STUDENTS
Direct visit:
it is possible according to the opening hours: every day from 09:00 to 18:00

Virtual tour:
By google maps, google street view, google Heart: https://goo.gl/maps/nHJyhiubsBk

Didactic use:
Deepen the meaning of the expression "Melchite Church" starting from the meaning of the Arabic word MALIK, which translates the Greek Basilikós (imperial), into the derogatory use made by the monophysites of Egypt (called Copti) to indicate the Orthodox.
CONNECTION WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS SITES

Church and Miterreum of Santa Prisca - Via di S. Prisca - 00153 Rome RM - Italy

REFERENCE TO THE GUIDELINE

VIDEOS

  • YOUTUBE VIDEO:
    Short Video by American Institute for Roman Culture, 11 feb 2016

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.