Basilica of Saint Praxedes

Based on the outside was not what I expected. A beautiful small basilica filled with wonderful mosaics and sculpture. Visited close to noon December 20, 2023. It's well worth the visit

The most beautiful experience of a basilica in Rome! It is a gem! When we stepped into it, there was a live preparation for a celebration with music which felt sacred carried by the acoustics of the place. It was welcoming and we could sit there and enjoy the atmosphere for some time. It was very special to behold its beautiful frescos.

This basilica has so much history in it. However some of the highlights are: 1. The chapel of St Zeno. Its interior is adorned with some of the best examples of early Christian mosaics. The chapel dates back to the ninth-century and was constructed on the orders of Pope Paschal I. He wanted to use it as a sepulchral chamber for his beloved mother, Theodora. The cross-vaulted ceiling is decorated with an image of Christ Pantocrator and four angelic figures. The mosaic were made of precious golden tiles that create the backdrop, and the light blue and red coloring that helps accentuate the details. 2. On a pillar, opposite the entrance to the Chapel of St Zeno, is Gian Lorenzo Bernini “a masterpiece, the bust of Giovanni Battista Santoni. The precocious sculptor, who happened to live very close to Santa Prassede, was no more than seventeen years old when he finished carving the bust. 3. At the bottom of the apse, steps lead down to the confessio, where we can find the relics of St Praxedes and St Pudentiana, which were brought here from the catacombs in 822. They were said to contain the sponge, which St Praxedes is believed to have used to collect the blood of the martyrs. 4. the Chapel of the Flagellation, so-called because of the column of oriental jasper, supposedly the one against which Christ was scourged. The column was brought to Rome in 1233 by Giovanni Colonna, titular cardinal of the church and papal legate to Constantinople.

Fascinating place to visit. The exterior is unassuming to say the least but the inside…just amazing! Highly recommended place to visit. No crowds. Perfect place to reflect and pause for a moment.

What a lovely Basilica. Churches like this don't exist anymore. This is a must stop on your Catholic pilgrimage or any Christian. This Basilica has the Pilar or part of it of Christ the Lord's scourging. This is a must stop

Situated steps from the very well-known Santa Maria Maggiore, this much smaller and much older basilica is a hidden gem that is worth the detour. It may look like it needs a restoration job, but the fading and peeling ochre paint outside gives it an aura rarely equalled in newer and better kept churches. It's a little dark inside, but don't let that discourage you from visiting the darkest corner where you will be rewarded with old frescoes and a couple of Byzantine style mosaics.

Date of Visit: Dec 19, 2021, approx. 8pm Local Time. For Roman Catholics, this is a Roman Church not to be missed, especially if you are visiting the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore...it's a short walk. WHY? The important & sacred relic of the column where the Flagellation of Jesus Christ took place resides here. The Second Sorrowful Mystery, the Scourging at the Pillar... the column base of that Pillar...and conceivably... The Blood of Jesus Christ may have once fallen onto this column base. This is a very unassuming church from the outside, very easy to miss. But walk inside and you will be treated to a very old, very ancient Roman Catholic Church built by some of the earliest Christians. There is nothing like it among all the Churches of Rome inside the "Old Walls" (which of course can be said of many of them).

This building, concealed in a hidden, narrow alley, seems just any common street church from the outside. Instead, it is a papal basilica (just as St. Peter, to say) and it preserves an incredible amount of unique art works.