Santa Sabina

The Basilica of Santa Sabina Aventine is a Roman Catholic church in Rome. It was built ( 422-432 ) under Pope Celestine I, but probably only under his successor Sixtus III. finalized. This makes it one of the oldest and most important Christian basilicas in the city ( almost simultaneously was Santa Maria Maggiore). Santa Sabina is located on the Aventine Hill in Rome, about 400 m southwest of the Circus Maximus.

The church was built where according to an old legend, the house of slain around the year 125 martyr Sabina said to have stood. In fact, was located to the construction of the church on the Aventine Hill, a posh residential area. The former road layout and the foundations of the demolished houses have determined the orientation of the church. Remains of these houses have been included until now visible inter alia, in the south aisle wall of the church.

As with most other titular churches in Rome you take today rather that the name Sabina was originally not related to a saint, but one of the trustees of the church. As a principal founder and architect of the building at the same time is called (on the inside of the facade above the entrance ) Peter of Illyria in a preserved inscription.

The wooden entrance portal with the oldest Crucifixion

The door of cypress wood from the year 432 is considered one of the oldest existing doors of a Christian church. The carved images treat biblical themes; from the original 28 images have been preserved 18. Since you do not know the content of the lost panels exactly, the original sequence can no longer be safely reconstructed. The images were painted with high probability. One of the panels is particularly famous: it contains but the oldest known representation of the Crucifixion.

The crucifixion was not always the most important issue of the Christian image circle to where it was until later. It would be truer for this presentation here also more likely the name " Christ on the Cross " and not " Christ crucified " because not the act of crucifixion, but its result is shown. The genesis of the Crucifixion in the arts is still controversial in some points. One of the first preliminary experiments, this presentation here. Christ is still shown here in the 5th century in the position of Oranten, so the worshiper between the two thieves, so actually not as crucified. The cross is only hinted at, added a symbol or a sign.

Since the birth of Christian art, the church was very cautious with the pictorial representation of the sacrificial death of Christ. In the early days of this design was reproduced only by symbols such as the cross or the lamb and similar allusions. It was only in the 6th century created the first historical crucifixion images in which Christ can be clearly seen nailed to the cross, in the beginning but still. Than survivors as here, as a picture of salvation

It was only in the 11th century, the disreputable impression, which was connected with the representation of death disappears. The Romanesque artists have treated the subject of death with some caution, the stigmata are indicated either do not exist or only slightly. In the Gothic era, and especially the end of the Middle Ages, the sign of death, however, were so strongly worked out that the believers were deeply moved and the event experienced in all its horrors after.

Architecture

The church had three doors, one of which was blocked by the later added Campanile. As part of this entrance doors spolia were used from ancient buildings.

Such spoils are also the 24 fluted marble columns in the Corinthian order, separating the nave from the aisles. Unlike in other churches of that time, in which you all kinds of ancient columns that fit the size of about one another, einbaute, the pillars in Santa Sabina are uniform, ie, all come from the same ancient building. The same is true for the bases and capitals. This certainly had its price, and is the effort that was operated at a church there. ( On one of the pillars of the left row is the name Rufenus scratched, possibly this is the name of the dealer from which the columns were purchased. )

Santa Sabina was one of the earliest churches in which above the columns arches the hitherto traditional horizontal entablature, the architrave, displaced and have thus introduced a critical new stylistic device in the history of architecture. The horizontal orientation of the space in the Roman temple was left here and tendencies visible to structure the space vertically. The now used arch would connect to the top of the window area where the arch motif repeated. ( The arcade area of the ground floor and the window region were obtained later in Roman churches by accompanying pilasters and half-columns even more with each other and combined into one unit, the church was organized increasingly in the sequence by yokes -. A development that in the Gothic its climax and conclusion has found. in Santa Sabina you see one of the first steps in this direction. )

About the arches is a frieze was installed ( as an indication of the architrave unused? ) In which by porphyry and marble slabs liturgical items are shown. Such incrustations, which were considerably more expensive than paintings, also adorned the lower part of the apse; today's panels there are not original, but inspired by the former state.

About the mentioned frieze extends the window zone. It is likely that the broad wall strip was originally painted or mosaiziert over the arcade, as it corresponded to the practice at that time and still get impressive especially in Ravenna. The windows are very large ( the wall width between the holes is only 1.20 m, resulting in significant structural engineering experience presupposed ) and immerse the nave in bright light. The nave was emphasized as a central location opposite the rather dark aisles With this abundance of light. The latticework of the window is not original; it is modeled in plaster stone some surviving fragments. As in the original construction, the disks of mica or tinted glass. The impression of space is thus now almost the same as with the period.

Window zone

In the hall preserved fragment of the original windows

As the side walls, as well as the apse was decorated with a large mosaic. Remnants have been preserved until today. Today's picture is from the 16th century. How magnificent the mosaics must have been showing the preserved remains on the inside of the entrance wall. This mosaic is next to the foundation inscription on the left represents the Jewish church and on the right the Gentile Church

The barriers of marble in the chancel, which separated the area from which the priests of the simple faithful, were constructed in the years 824-827 on behalf of Pope Eugene II, but re-assembled during the last restoration (1936-39 ). The floor dates from this period; original are just a few parts in the right aisle.

The tower dates from the tenth, today porch dating from the twelfth century. 1219 (1222? ) Gave Pope Honorius III. the Church of Saint Dominic for his new Order. As a result, a monastery was built. From this period also dates the cloister. Here taught, inter alia, Thomas Aquinas, and the venue gained special fame.

Other renovations and restorations, there were in the 16th, 17th and 18th century and in the years 1914-1919; at the last between 1936 and 1939 there have been attempts to restore an original state as possible.

The basilica is now one of the most popular wedding churches in the city. From the eastern park has a beautiful view of the city.

The organ of the basilica in 1936 - built in 1938 by the organ builder Mascioni. The instrument has 37 stops on two manuals and pedal.

• Couplers: II / I, I / P, II / P; Suboktavkoppeln (II / I, II / II), Superoktavkoppeln (I / I, II / I, II / II, I / P, II / P)