San Clemente, Rome

San Clemente in Rome is a layered archaeological and ecclesiastical site on the Caelian Hill, comprising a 12th-century basilica built over an earlier 4th-century church and a 1st-century Roman house with a Mithraeum below. The standing basilica displays medieval frescoes and liturgical fittings while the excavated subterranean levels reveal earlier phases of occupation.

The visible church is noted for its decorated apse mosaics and medieval interior decoration; a stairway and series of underground chambers allow visitors to descend through successive historical layers. The lowest level contains remains of a Roman domestic complex and a small Mithraic shrine, illustrating religious and urban continuity on the site.

A church has occupied this site since late antiquity; the current upper basilica was largely rebuilt in the 12th century and consecrated in that period, while archaeologists have documented continuous use from the Roman imperial era through the medieval period. Conservation and archaeological study in the 20th century opened the lower levels to public view.

Located on the Caelian Hill a short walk east of the Colosseum and within Rome’s central historic core, San Clemente is easily reached from central tourist routes and other major ancient monuments.

• Lower levels: Access to the excavated lower levels requires going down several underground floors and often a separate ticket or entry route from the upper church.

What to See #

• Upper basilica: Upper basilica - the 12th-century church visible from the street with a decorated apse, medieval frescoes and a Cosmatesque floor in the nave.
• Lower basilica: Lower church - the 4th-century Byzantine basilica and associated medieval alterations accessible via the excavated levels below the current floor.
• Roman house and Mithraeum: Roman house and Mithraeum - the earliest archaeological level, a 1st-century Roman domestic complex that contains a small Mithraic cult shrine and Roman-period frescoes and structures.