Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Rome
The Basilica di Sant'Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine is a titular church in Rome dedicated to Saint Apollinare, the first bishop of Ravenna and a martyr venerated since early Christian times. Located near Piazza Navona in the Campus Martius, the church was built over the ruins of ancient Roman baths and has been a centre of religious and cultural life in the heart of Rome for more than a millennium.
- Address
- Piazza di Sant'Apollinare, 00186 Roma RM
- Period
- Medieval origins; rebuilt in the 18th century
- Style
- Baroque; earlier medieval fabric beneath
- Dedication
- Saint Apollinare, first bishop of Ravenna
- Status
- Titular church (assigned to a Cardinal-Priest)
- Current use
- Active Roman Catholic church; associated with the Pontifical University of Sant'Apollinare (Opus Dei)
- Coordinates
- 41.9008° N, 12.4734° E
- Notes
- Built over the Thermae Neronianae-Alexandrinae; the full title references these ancient baths; connected to the adjacent Palazzo Altemps
At a glance
- Type
- Titular church, basilica
- Period
- Medieval origins; 18th-century reconstruction
- Style
- Baroque
- Location
- Campo Marzio, near Piazza Navona, Rome
Overview
The Basilica di Sant'Apollinare is one of Rome's historic titular churches — a category of ancient congregations each assigned to a Cardinal who bears the church's title. Situated in the Campus Martius district between Piazza Navona and the Tiber, the church occupies a site of continuous Christian worship stretching back to at least the early medieval period. Its full topographic title, “alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine,” recalls the large ancient Roman baths complex (built under Nero and expanded under Alexander Severus) over whose ruins the church was established.
History
A church dedicated to Saint Apollinare is attested at this site from the early medieval period; Apollinare was the legendary first bishop of Ravenna and one of the most widely venerated saints of the early Italian Church. The structure was rebuilt and remodelled at various points across the medieval and early modern eras. The current appearance largely dates from an 18th-century reconstruction that gave the facade and interior their Baroque character. From the 20th century, the church became closely associated with the Pontifical University of Sant'Apollinare (administered by Opus Dei), which occupies the adjacent former college buildings.
What you see
The exterior presents an 18th-century Baroque facade opening onto the small Piazza di Sant'Apollinare. The interior is a three-nave basilica with side chapels. Beneath and around the church, traces of the ancient Roman baths — one of the largest bath complexes of imperial Rome — have been identified in archaeological investigations, though they are not visible to visitors. The adjacent Palazzo Altemps, now part of the Museo Nazionale Romano, shares the same urban block and gives a sense of the area's layered history.
Cultural significance
As a titular church, Sant'Apollinare carries a role in the governance structure of the Roman Catholic Church, linking Rome's topography to the College of Cardinals. Its site above ancient Roman baths exemplifies the process by which early Christian communities built their worship spaces over the great monuments of pagan Rome. Cultural Heritage Online has documented this church as part of Rome's network of lesser-known but historically layered religious sites in the Campo Marzio.
Practical information
The basilica is open for religious services. Piazza di Sant'Apollinare, 00186 Rome. Visiting hours vary; check with the resident clergy or the Pontifical University of Sant'Apollinare for access details. The adjacent Palazzo Altemps has regular museum hours.
Getting there
The church is a five-minute walk north of Piazza Navona. Bus lines 30, 40, 70, 492, and 628 stop on Corso del Rinascimento nearby. No Metro station is within close walking distance; the area is best reached by bus or on foot from the historic centre.