Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano

The Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano in Rome, dedicated to Pope Clement I, stands in the valley between the Esquiline and the Celio, on the route that connects the Colosseum to the Lateran, in the Monti district. It has the dignity of a minor basilica.

It is currently governed by the Irish province of the Dominicans.

The basilica we see today was built in the 12th century and is connected to the Dominican convent.

The complex is of great importance because it is located above ancient underground buildings for two levels of depth, the oldest of which dates back to the 1st century AD; the two levels below the current basilica have been rediscovered and brought to light since 1857 thanks to Father Joseph Mullooly O.P., then prior of the convent.

The three levels are, from the top: the current medieval basilica; the ancient basilica, in a building formerly the residence of a Roman patrician; a set of Roman buildings from the post-Nero era.

Traces of older Roman constructions belong to a fourth level below the previous ones.

These overlaps, which are found in other Roman buildings, occurred in a particularly evident way by virtue of the considerable sedimentations due to the position (the valley between the Esquilino and Celio hills) and to particular historical events (the Neronian fire, the sacking of Robert the Guiscardo).

The first two underground levels have been unearthed and consolidated, and today most of them are easily accessible and accessible.

The wealth of architectural, artistic and historical elements, including the life span of almost the entire Christian era, makes it a unique monument in the history of art in Rome.

Map: Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano