Mausoleum of Constantina Church

Address: Basilica di Santa Costanza (Mausoleum of Constantina), Via Nomentana, Rome, Italy

The Mausoleum of Constantina, commonly called Santa Costanza, is a 4th-century circular mausoleum in Rome originally built as a tomb for Constantina (also called Constantia), a daughter of Emperor Constantine. The building is one of the better-preserved late Roman centrally planned mausolea and later served as a church.

The monument’s architectural core is a large central rotunda surrounded by an ambulatory; interior decorations include early Christian mosaics and a surviving porphyry sarcophagus historically associated with imperial burials. The mosaics date from the late Roman period and illustrate early Christian and imperial themes.

Constructed in the mid-4th century, the building reflects imperial funerary architecture of the Constantinian era and was adapted for liturgical use in later centuries while retaining much of its original form and decoration.

Santa Costanza stands near the Via Nomentana in Rome, close to other early-Christian monuments and basilicas; it is accessible within the city’s network of historical sites.

• Date and identity: Built in the 4th century, it is one of Rome’s surviving late-antique mausolea and is now commonly visited as the church known as Santa Costanza.

What to See#

• Rotunda and ambulatory: The central rotunda with a circular ambulatory surrounds the former burial chamber and retains early Christian mosaic decoration and a porphyry sarcophagus associated with Constantina’s burial.
• Exterior drum and plan: Exterior and attached elements include a cylindrical drum and ambulatory that illustrate the 4th-century centrally planned mausoleum form later converted for liturgical use as a church.

The Mausoleum of Constantina (Santa Costanza) is in Rome on Via Nomentana. It is inside the city and reachable from central Rome by local bus or taxi; from Roma Termini it is a short drive (a few kilometres) or a 20-30 minute taxi/bus ride depending on traffic.

• Visit early in the day to see the mausoleum's interior mosaics and architecture before larger tour groups arrive-early hours are usually much quieter than midday.
• Access the site from Via Nomentana at the Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura complex; the mausoleum is best combined with a short visit to the nearby catacombs for historical context.
• Allow time to walk the circular ambulatory - many visitors view the central space briefly and miss the well‑preserved 4th‑century mosaic decoration in the surrounding gallery.