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{{Infobox church| |
{{Infobox church| |
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| − | image= | |
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| − | caption= | |
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| − | englishname=St John before the Latin Gate| |
+ | englishname=St John before the Latin Gate| |
| − | dedication= St [[John the Evangelist]]| |
+ | dedication= St [[John the Evangelist]]| |
| − | denomination= [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]| |
+ | denomination= [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]| |
| − | type= Titular church| |
+ | type= Titular church| |
| − | clergy= | |
+ | clergy= | |
| − | titular= Cardinal Franciszek Macharski| |
+ | titular= Cardinal Franciszek Macharski| |
| − | national= | |
+ | national= | |
| − | built= 5th c., rebuilt 8th c., restored in 1191 and 20th cent.| |
+ | built= 5th c., rebuilt 8th c., restored in 1191 and 20th cent.| |
| − | consecrated= | |
+ | consecrated= | |
| − | architect= | |
+ | architect= | |
| − | artists= | |
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| − | address= 17 Via di San Giovanni a Porta Latina <br>00179 Roma| |
+ | address= 17 Via di San Giovanni a Porta Latina <br>00179 Roma| |
| − | phone= 06 77 40 00 32| |
+ | phone= 06 77 40 00 32| |
| − | fax = | |
+ | fax = | |
| − | e-mail= | |
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The exterior walls are all in brick. The entrance is on a courtyard with iron railings separating it from a quiet piazza just north of the former convent rebuilt by the Lateran canons in the 18th century, which separates the church from the road. This now the central curia or headquarters of the Institute of Charity (IC) or Rosminians, founded by [[Antonio Rosmini]]. |
The exterior walls are all in brick. The entrance is on a courtyard with iron railings separating it from a quiet piazza just north of the former convent rebuilt by the Lateran canons in the 18th century, which separates the church from the road. This now the central curia or headquarters of the Institute of Charity (IC) or Rosminians, founded by [[Antonio Rosmini]]. |
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| + | [[File:Giovanni_a_Porta_Latina.jpg|thumb|Nice tree. The well is behind the left hand railings.]] |
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There is an extrance narthex, with a pitched tiled roof and five rather narrow arches with brick voussoirs and re-used ancient columns. They are mismatched, being green marble, grey granite, red granite and white marble. They have Ionic capitals, except the green one which has a debased Doric one. The white marble one is ribbed. Above the narthex, the gable end wall of the nave is pierced by three arched windows in a row, with fretted marble screens. There is a glazed round window under the gable. In the narthex on the right is the original stone finial of [[San Giovanni in Oleo]]. Pieces of ancient sculpture have been used in the pavement. |
There is an extrance narthex, with a pitched tiled roof and five rather narrow arches with brick voussoirs and re-used ancient columns. They are mismatched, being green marble, grey granite, red granite and white marble. They have Ionic capitals, except the green one which has a debased Doric one. The white marble one is ribbed. Above the narthex, the gable end wall of the nave is pierced by three arched windows in a row, with fretted marble screens. There is a glazed round window under the gable. In the narthex on the right is the original stone finial of [[San Giovanni in Oleo]]. Pieces of ancient sculpture have been used in the pavement. |
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Revision as of 15:28, 10 October 2011
San Giovanni a Porta Latina is dedicated to St John the Evangelist, and is hidden away behind the Rosminian college at Via di Porta Latina 17. The church is not near a bus stop; the nearest is the Latina stop on route 360 from Termini or Porta San Giovanni (or 218 from the latter only), which entails a walk through the Porta Latina. Pictures of the church at Wikimedia Commons. [1]
History
The church was built in the 5th century, according to tradition by Pope St Gelasius I (492-496). Maker's stamps on roof tiles have been dated to the end of the 5th century, so it seems likely that it was indeed built during St Gelasius' time. It was rebuilt by Pope Hadrian I in 772, when it was apparently a hermitage, and restored in 1191 under Pope Celestine III when the campanile was built. This was only one of several restorations on record as being needed throughout the centuries, as the area became completely depopulated and isolated. At the end of the 18th century some of the ancient Roman columns re-used in the porch and nave were allegedly appropriated for San Giovanni in Laterano (an indignity also suffered by San Saba) and replaced with inferior ones, as the church and adjoining convent belonged to the Canons Regular of the Lateran. The ancient columns in the church came, according to tradition, from a local temple of Diana, but they are a mixed lot and obviously came from several structures. The cardinalate title was only created in 1517.
French soldiers used the church as a barracks after the invasion in 1798. After that, it was first turned into a warehouse for wool and then a tannery. However, in 1905 the Annunciation sisters (who had moved here from Santa Maria Annunziata delle Turchine) began a thorough restoration which lasted intermittently until the 1940's. This involved removing all Baroque embellishements in favour of the pure Romanesque style, with the result that much of the original 11th century decoration was found under later plasterwork. In 1940, the sisters moved to Santa Maria Annunziata delle Monache Celesti, and the Rosminians took over. A new programme of restoration is now (2011) under way, which may affect access to the building.
The current titular of the church is H.E. Franciszek Cardinal Macharski, archbishop of Kraków, who has been its titular since 1979.
Exterior
The exterior walls are all in brick. The entrance is on a courtyard with iron railings separating it from a quiet piazza just north of the former convent rebuilt by the Lateran canons in the 18th century, which separates the church from the road. This now the central curia or headquarters of the Institute of Charity (IC) or Rosminians, founded by Antonio Rosmini.
Nice tree. The well is behind the left hand railings.
There is an extrance narthex, with a pitched tiled roof and five rather narrow arches with brick voussoirs and re-used ancient columns. They are mismatched, being green marble, grey granite, red granite and white marble. They have Ionic capitals, except the green one which has a debased Doric one. The white marble one is ribbed. Above the narthex, the gable end wall of the nave is pierced by three arched windows in a row, with fretted marble screens. There is a glazed round window under the gable. In the narthex on the right is the original stone finial of San Giovanni in Oleo. Pieces of ancient sculpture have been used in the pavement.
The campanile is from the 12th century restoration and was inserted into the narthex on the left hand side, an odd arrangement which has been copied at San Giustino. It stands six stories above the narthex roof, each storey separated from the next by a dentillate cornice. The second storey displays an arched recess, the third one has two arches separated by a brick pier and the top three storeys have triple arches having marble columns and capitals.
The well in the forecourt is ancient, a very rare survival of the 9th century and a witness to the collapse of the ancient aqueducts which used to supply the water. It has a wellhead in white marble, shaped like an inverted tree stump and bearing bearing naïve relief carvings of interlinked wheels and an abbreviated Latin inscription around the rim. This reads "In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Omnes sitientes venite ad aquas Ego Stefano", meaning "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. All who thirst, come to the waters. I, Stephen." The last is thought to be the carver. This wellhead is flanked by two small ancient marble Corinthinan columns. On the other side of the courtyard is a cedar tree, which looks old enough to have been planted when the restoration started in 1905.
From outside you can see that the triple apses are polygonal, which is an Eastern feature. The main apse has three large arched windows fenestrated with selenite (a kind of alabaster) rather than glass. There are windows at Santa Sabina treated in this way.
Interior
The nave arcades have five ancient columns on either side, an interesting mix of types and colours of stone. However, they have been provided with matching Ionic capitals. Above the arcades are arched windows. The wooden roof is open and trussed.
During the latest restoration, an archaeologist noticed previously unknown 12th century paintings hidden by later plaster. These depict scenes from Genesis, the Creation and the Fall of Man, and from the New Testament, the Redemption. The Old testament scenes start on the right side near the sanctuary, and the New Testament scenes are painted below them in two tiers. In the central apse are 12th century paintings of the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse and symbols of the Evangelists. The cycle is thought to be the work of three or four artists.
Fragments of ancient sculptures have been reused in the pavement of the sanctuary as in the narthex, and some of the pieces can be interesting. There are traces of cosmatesque pavement near the sanctuary.
External links
"ArcheoGuida" web-page (Italian)
Template:Commons