Minor basilica · 10th–17th century · Rome

San Bartolomeo all’Isola

San Bartolomeo all’Isola is a Roman Catholic minor basilica on Tiber Island in the heart of Rome. Founded in 998 by Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, it stands on the site associated with the ancient Temple of Aesculapius and today shelters relics of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. Since 2000 it has also served as a memorial to the Christian martyrs of the 20th and 21st centuries.

At a glance

Type: Roman Catholic minor basilica and titular church
Period: Founded 998; current form completed 1644
Style: Romanesque and Baroque
Location: Tiber Island (Isola Tiberina), Rome, Italy

Overview

The basilica occupies the eastern tip of Tiber Island, the small island in the river that has held a place of healing and worship since antiquity. Dedicated to Bartholomew the Apostle, it is roughly 45 metres long and 22 metres wide. The church combines surviving medieval fabric with a Baroque reworking completed in the 17th century.

History

Otto III founded the church in 998, initially dedicating it to Adalbert of Prague. It rose over the ruins of the ancient Temple of Aesculapius, the island’s classical sanctuary of healing. The relics of Saint Bartholomew reached Rome from Benevento, where they had arrived in 838 from Lipari, and were placed beneath the main altar. The building was given its present form by 1644, and in 2000 Pope John Paul II dedicated it as a memorial to modern martyrs.

What you see

The Baroque façade was designed by Orazio Torriani in 1624. Inside, fourteen ancient Roman columns and two lion supports survive from earlier structures on the site. The relics of Saint Bartholomew rest in a porphyry sarcophagus beneath the high altar. In the plaza before the church stands a four-sided obelisk with saints set in niches, carved by Ignazio Jacometti in 1869.

Cultural significance

The basilica layers nearly three thousand years of continuous sacred use on a single site, from a classical temple of healing to a Christian sanctuary. Its dedication in 2000 as a memorial to the martyrs of the modern age gives it a distinct role among Rome’s churches as a place of contemporary remembrance.

Practical information

The basilica is an active place of worship on Tiber Island. Opening hours and access for visitors may vary with liturgical schedules. Check the official parish website before visiting.

Getting there

Tiber Island is reached on foot from the Trastevere bank via the Ponte Cestio or from the city centre via the ancient Ponte Fabricio. Numerous bus lines and tram routes serve the nearby riverside stops, and the island is a short walk from the Largo di Torre Argentina interchange.

Sources & resources

Find it on the map

Google Maps See the location on a full map → Street View Walk around the place virtually → OpenStreetMap Free community cartography →

Historical events at this place (1)

2022 I mosaici della controfacciata di S. BARTOLOMEO ALL’ISOLA

The Basilica of San Bartolomeo all&#39;Isola is a Catholic place of worship in Rome and was built in the year 1000 on the Tiber Island, in the Ripa district.



Emperor Otto III of Saxony built this basilica by dedicating it to his friend, Saint Adalbert of Prague, but when the apostle&#39;s relics arrived, the basilica changed its dedication.



The relics were placed in a basin placed under the altar: they had arrived in Benevento from Armenia in 809, and then moved from the city of Campania to Rome, perhaps causing the siege of Benevento by Otto against Pandolfo II.



In 1018 Pope Benedict VIII&#39;s bull Quoties illa refers to the definitive transfer of the cathedral and the episcope of the bishops of Porto to the church of San Bartolomeo.



The remains of St. Bartholomew were transported to Rome in a basin that was stolen by unknown persons in January 1981 and found in May 1985. However, the remains that reached Rome were not those of St. Bartholomew, but of the bishop of Nola, St. Paulinus, as the relics of the Apostle always remained well preserved in Benevento.



The basilica was entrusted in 1993 to the Community of Sant&#39;Egidio. Starting in 1999, the &quot;New Martyrs&quot; commission met for two years in the basilica, with the task of investigating the Christian martyrs of the twentieth century.



In October 2002, with a solemn ecumenical celebration in the presence of Cardinals Ruini, Kasper and George, and the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Teoctist, a large icon dedicated to the martyrs of the twentieth century was placed on the high altar; other memories of martyrs are placed in the side chapels, each dedicated to a particular historical situation.



The basilica of San Bartolomeo is today a memorial place for the &quot;new martyrs&quot; of the twentieth century. Inside, the basilica houses the memories and relics of many witnesses of our time, from the martyred bishop &Oacute;scar Arnulfo Romero to Cardinal Juan Jes&uacute;s Posadas Ocampo, killed by drug traffickers at Guadalajara airport, from evangelical pastor Paul Schneider to farmer Franz J&auml;gerst&auml;tter, opponents of Nazism for conscientious objection and testimony of faith, from the monk and spiritual guide Sofian Boghiu, opponent of communist totalitarianism in Romania, to Fr Andrea Santoro, a Roman priest killed in Trebizond, like the French priest Andr&eacute; Jarlan in Chile, witnesses to dialogue and friendship with the poorest.



A fresco with Mary Enthroned with the Child among figures of prayers, Byzantine art with clear Romanesque influences, dating back to the 12th century, has re-emerged above a side altar.

https://culturalheritageonline.com/places/san-bartolomeo-allisola-basilica-virtual-tour-360-l4371/

#CulturalHeritage #CHO

San Bartolomeo all’Isola Basilica – Virtual Tour 360°