 Introduction
History
The first church here was a great basilica built in the 4th century over several pagan tombs and parts of a Roman villa. It may have been constructed during Constantine's reign. In 258, during the Valerian persecutions, the catacombs were temporarily used as place of sepulture of two other saints martyrized in Rome, Peter and Paul, whose remains were later transferred to the two basilicas carrying their names: whence the original name of the church, “Basilica Apostolorum” the Basilica of the Apostles. In the 9th century, it was rededicated to St Sebastian, a Christian officer in the Praetorian Guard who was martyred in the reign of Diocletian, who was buried here. The last major reconstruction of the church's interior was started by Flaminio Ponzio in 1608, but several features have been added since, including the chapel situated above the tomb of St. Sebastian, which came later in the 17th century, and the wooden ceiling, which dates from the 18th.
Location
Transit: Metro: San Paolo (line B) Bus: 23, 123, 170, 223, 673, 707, 766.
What's to see
Beneath the center of the church is a meeting-hall (triclia) in which commemorative services were held, with large numbers of scratched inscriptions dating from the turn of the third-fourth centuries. Here can be seen numerous examples of the symbolic language of the early Christians - the fish (Greek ichthys, made up of the initials of the words “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior”); the lamb, referring to Christ's sacrificial death; the anchor, a sign of trust; the dove as a symbol of peace. Here too, are tomb chambers on several levels (first century A.D.) with fine paintings, stucco decoration and inscriptions. A conducted tour of the whole underground complex of catacombs is recommended.
The chapel above the tomb of St Sebastian was ordered by Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the 17th century. At the shrine of St Sebastian is a statue of the dying saint by Antonio Giorgetti, one of Bernini's pupils. It may have been made after a drawing by Bernini himself.
Opposite that shrine is the Chapel of Relics, with the original footprint relic from Domine Quo Vadis, and an arrow said to be one of those that killed St Sebastian as well as the column he was tied to when he was killed. The chapel was designed in the 18th century by Carlo Fontana. The sarcophagus of Pope St Fabian (236-250) was discovered here in 1915.
Useful information
Open: 8:30pm-noon, 2:30pm-5:30pm, Mon-Sat; closed Nov.
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Basilica of St. Sebastian outside the walls
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