#impronteurbane

Once upon a time, there was a small temple of Roman times... The original construction on the site was a pagan temple or perhaps a tomb, from around 160 AD. Urban exploration to rediscover built and abandoned places, but that shouldn't be the case.

The church of Sant'Urbano alla Caffarella is found on the edge of the Caffarella Park in the southeast of Rome.

It was originally a Roman temple. In the 10th Century, the structure was modified and consecrated as a church after restoration works commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Barberini on May 24, 1636.

Reconstruction of the original appearance of the façade - (Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0)

Built in a dominant position over the valley of the Almone river, the current Caffarella valley in the Ardeatino district, this church is one of the lesser-known monuments of Rome outside the Walls. Although it is of great value for at least two reasons, it is a real ancient temple (dated to Emperor Marcus Aurelius). The second is that it preserves a pictorial cycle, a rare testimony of Roman art of the early eleventh century.

Its current appearance is due to the last radical restoration carried out in the seventeenth century under the pontificate of Urban VIII.

Interior fresco showing the crucifixion of Christ - (Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0)

After a long period of abandonment, at the behest of the Barberini family, it was consecrated again on May 25, 1894.

The Church today is inside a private property. And unfortunately, it is no longer open to the public.

initially published by Alessandra Persiano in La Mia Casa è Roma

header image church building in Rome, Italy of Sant'Urbano alla Caffarella

Note. The Caffarella valley reflects the history of Rome, the city and culture, the people who populated it, and the area in which they settled down—located close to the Aurelian Walls and between two ancient roads, the Via Latina and the Via Appia. The valley was the scene of myths and legends, perhaps suggested by the gentle hills that make it a natural border and the Almone, a small tributary of the Tiber, considered a sacred river by the Romans since the beginning of Rome's settlement.