Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller

Links to this page can be found in Book 3 and Day 3.

The page covers:
The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
Today's view
St. Lawrence's Martyrdom
S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura
   - Cloister and Catacombs of St. Ciriaca
Cimitero del Verano and S. Maria della Misericordia
Exhibits from the Museums (including Sarcofago di Portonaccio)

The Plate (No. 47 - ii)

S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura (without the walls) is located outside Porta S. Lorenzo along Via Tiburtina, the road leading to Tivoli. Because of its isolated position the basilica was surrounded by medieval walls, which were demolished in the XVIIth century; in 1704 the area in front of the church was redesigned with the erection of a column and two lateral pillars which were decorated with the heraldic symbols (three mountains and a star) of Pope Clement XI, the reigning pope. You may wish to see the basilica as it appeared in a 1588 Guide to Rome or a 1575 etching showing S. Lorenzo still surrounded by walls and the other six basilicas which were visited by pilgrims.
The view is taken from the green dot in the small late XIXth century map here below. In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) Basilica di S. Lorenzo; 2) Monastery adjoining the Basilica; 3) Via Tiburtina. The small map shows also 4) Porta S. Lorenzo; 5) Portonaccio.

Today

The view in March 2008

A large cemetery (Campo Santo in the small map) began to be developed behind the church and at its sides in the early XIXth century. In 1855-1864, during the pontificate of Pope Pius IX, the façade of S. Lorenzo underwent significant changes which were designed by Virginio Vespignani and in 1865 a new column was erected.
On July 19, 1943 the basilica was bombed by the Allies; the objective of the air raid was a nearby railway depot, but bombs fell on the façade and on the central part of the nave as shown by a photograph taken after the event (it opens in another window); the bombs fell also on the highly populated area between the basilica and the depot causing more than 3,000 casualties. Besides the military objective, the raid was aimed at weakening the Italian government from a political viewpoint: six days later Mussolini was arrested and his regime fell.
The reconstruction has eliminated all XIXth century additions, but today's upper part of the façade has a plain appearance which most likely it never actually had.

St. Lawrence's Martyrdom

(left) Detail of the mosaic in the choir showing St. Lawrence holding the inscription "Dispersit dedit pauperibus" (he distributed and he gave to the poor); (centre) 1865 statue of St. Lawrence by Stefano Galletti; the saint carries a gridiron and a jewel box bearing the same inscription as in the mosaic; (right) processional statue of St. Lawrence carrying a palm leaf, symbol of martyrdom and a gridiron

St. Lawrence outside the Walls. It holds the first rank among the nine churches of Rome that bear the martyr's name. Before entering on its description it may not be inappropriate to premise a brief biographical notice of the Saint, to whom it is sacred, serving as it does to illustrate several of the paintings with which the church is decorated, and the memorials of the martyr which it contains. St. Lawrence was a native of Spain; was ordained Deacon by Sixtus II, when raised to the Pontificate in 257; and appointed by him the first among the seven Deacons of Rome, a sacred charge to which were attached the care of the treasury of the Church and the distribution of its riches among the poor. In consequence of the sanguinary edicts of Valerian against the Church in 257 the aged Pontiff was apprehended; and, when being led to execution, was met by his faithful Deacon, who, inflamed with a holy envy and burning with an ardent desire to share his martyrdom, burst into these pathetic words: "Father, whither goest thou without thy son? Whither goest thou, o holy priest, without thy deacon? Thou wert not wont to offer sacrifice without me thy deacon. Wherein have I displeased thee? try me now, and see if thou hast made choice of an unfit minister for dispensing the blood of the Lord." "I leave thee not, my son." - tenderly replied the holy Pope - "For thee, who art in the vigour of youth, are reserved a greater trial and a more glorious victory." (..) The riches of the Church inflamed the cupidity of the Praefect Macrian, who, to get possession of the concealed treasures, summoned to his presence their faithful guardian; but St. Lawrence presented to him in their stead the blind, the lame, the orphans, the widows, the poor in a word, who were supported by the charity of the Church. "Behold" says he "the treasures which I promised to show thee, to which I will add pearls and precious stones, those widows and consecrated virgins. The Church hath non other riches." "Do you thus mock me?" replied the disappointed and incensed praefect. "Is it thus the ax and the fasces are respected? I know you desire to die; but you shall die by inches."
He accordingly ordered St. Lawrence to be bound with chains to a large gridiron placed over a slow fire; and thus did the Saint consummate with joy the holocaust offered in his person for the faith of Christ.
Rev. Jeremiah Donovan - Rome Ancient and Modern - 1843
Of the many Roman historical churches dedicated to St. Lawrence, four are associated with his martyrdom; S. Lorenzo in Fonte was built above the prison where Lawrence was jailed; S. Lorenzo in Panisperna on the site of his martyrdom, S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura where he was buried and finally S. Lorenzo in Lucina houses a fragment of the gridiron. In The Innocents Abroad Mark Twain commented on the high number of Roman churches dedicated to martyrs; St. Lawrence and St. Sebastian rank at the top of the list; their acts do not have particular significance from a historical or religious point of view; most likely their popularity was due to the unusual circumstances of their martyrdoms. You may wish to see a page on the iconography of the saints and another one depicting a number of martyrdoms (both with images of St. Lawrence).

S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura

(left) Façade; (right) XIIth century bell tower

The church was built upon the Cemeterium Sanctae Ciriacae, where that holy woman used to bury the bodies of the Holy martyrs. It is one of the seven Churches of Rome and one of the five Patriarchal Churches, and therefore is not titular of any Cardinal. (..) In the roof of this Church I found these words cut in great Letters of wood "Quam clarificata est Hierosolyma Stephano, tam illustris facta est Roma Laurentio" (Jerusalem is made glorious by Stephen as much as Rome is made famous by Lawrence) taken out of S. Leo in his sermon upon the feast of S. Laurence.
Richard Lassels - The Voyage of Italy - publ. 1670
Though frequently repaired and altered since, yet its original form and most of its original decorations still remain. A portico, as is usual in all the ancient Basilicas leads to its entrance. (..) This church, though unfrequented on account of its site is yet rendered highly interesting by its antiquity, its form, and its materials and by a certain lonely majesty which seems to brood over it, and fills the mind with awe and reverence.
John Chetwode Eustace - A Classical Tour through Italy in 1802
Emperor Constantine is said to have ordered the construction of a large basilica above the crypt which housed the grave of St. Lawrence. In the late VIth century a second basilica was built by Pope Pelagius II at the side of the first one which was abandoned and eventually disappeared. St. Lawrence was associated with St. Stephen the Protomartyr because they were both deacons and martyrs (see a painting at Viterbo). According to a medieval account the body of St. Stephen was moved from Jerusalem to Constantinople and eventually to this church and when the grave was opened, the body of St. Lawrence moved to the side to make room for him in the tomb.

Portico: (above) detail of the cornice mosaic showing Pope Honorius III and Pierre de Courtenay; (below-left) relief depicting an eagle holding a snake above the main door, a symbol of the Church; (below-right) detail of a sarcophagus in the portico: it is generally thought to be a VIth century work, but not all experts agree; it recalls the decoration of a sarcophagus and of mosaics at S. Costanza

Its antique portico, is sustained by six ancient Ionic columns, of which four are fluted spirally. On its mosaic frieze are several half portraits, among which may be distinguished those of S. Lawrence and Honorius III. (..) Behind the tribune is a large cinerary urn of the middle ages, sculptured with curious reliefs, with grapes, flowers, birds and genii. Donovan
The portico is a very interesting mixture of ancient and medieval elements; it is attributed to the Vassalletto, who with the Cosmati family developed a type of decoration which is usually called Cosmati work; a small mosaic portrays the coronation of Pierre de Courtenay as Emperor of the Latin Empire which took place in S. Lorenzo in April 1217. Other Cosmati works, i.e. a pulpit (ambo) and the papal throne, can be seen in the historical section and in the image used as background for this page.

(left/centre) Medieval lions in the portico; (right) another lion in the oldest part of the basilica

The lions were symbols of Jesus or of the Church protecting the faithful who were portrayed as small human beings or lambs or young deer, but the lions were usually given a very aggressive aspect as they acted as wardens of the entrance to the church. Their iconography derives from a popular ancient Roman decorative subject (see lions attacking horses in a sarcophagus and in a statue). Similar medieval lions can be seen at SS. Giovanni e Paolo and S. Lorenzo in Lucina and in many other towns of Italy, e.g. at Civita Castellana and Verona.

Portico: XIIIth century frescoes depicting the funeral and burial of St. Lawrence

On the inner walls of the portico are remains of numerous ill executed frescos, most of which relate to St. Lawrence. Donovan
The frescoes were retouched in the XIXth century and damaged by the bombs although the wall between the portico and the interior withstood the impact of the explosions. This wall is decorated with 36 scenes depicting episodes of the lives of Sts. Lawrence and Stephen. The frescoes on the side walls of the portico depict legendary events, but they have been more damaged. A much better preserved XIIIth century cycle of frescoes can be seen in an oratory at SS. Quattro Coronati.

Interior: in the foreground the section built by Honorius and in the background that built by Pelagius

Three doors give admission from the portico to the church, the interior of which is divided into a nave and two aisles by twenty two ancient columns, for the most part granite, of the Ionic order, which sustain a plain entablature, above which rise the heavy walls that ascend to support the roof and light the nave. The church is 226 feet long by 68 feet 8 inches broad. (..) At the entrance of the choir rise, at its sides, two ambones, ascended each by a flight of marble steps, and richly inlaid with gilt mosaics, marbles and porphyry. Donovan
Towards the end of the XIIth century Pope Clement III fortified the basilica and the small nearby burg (Laurentiopolis) by surrounding them with walls; a few years later Pope Honorius III built a new basilica on the back of the old one and this resulted in its orientation being changed; the VIth century basilica had the entrance facing the east (an orientation very common in the ancient temples and early churches), whereas after the changes made by Honorius the façade is on the west side of the building. The old part makes up the choir of the basilica and the new one its naves; the two sections are slightly misaligned.

(left) Easter candelabrum (see a very similar one at SS. Cosma e Damiano) and right ambo (pulpit); (centre) upside down Roman altar with a decorative motif based on birds at the sides of a tree (see similar altars at Musei Capitolini and Villa dei Volusii); (right) coat of arms of Cardinal Oliviero Carafa (in the portico), who promoted a general restoration of the church

The church floor is a handsome specimen of opus Alexandrinum (a more general term to indicate a Cosmati work); and its ceiling, constructed by order of Card. Caraffa, is divided into hexagonal coffers, separated by gilt rosettes. Donovan
The roof of the nave collapsed in 1944, but it had already been modified by Vespignani, together with other Renaissance features of the interior.

Mosaic on the arch of the basilica built by Pope Pelagius II showing (see a page on some of the finest mosaics in the churches of Rome). The inscription says: "Martyrdom with flames you a deacon once endured. Rightly does venerable light return to your temple."

Over the arch of the tribune is an ancient mosaic of the VI. century, in the centre of which is the Eternal Father seated on a globe in the act of imparting his divine benediction and at his right and left are S. Peter, S. Lawrence and Pelagius II., S. Paul, S. Stephen and S. Hippolytus. Donovan
Pope Pelagius II had to face hard times. At the time of his appointment in 579 Rome was sieged by the Longobards and his appeals to the Byzantine Emperors for help fell flat. Eventually the Longobards lifted the siege in return for a large ransom of gold. In 589 a major flood struck Rome and in the following year a new outbreak of plague and a famine reduced the population of the city. Notwithstanding these difficulties the Pope managed to build and decorate a large basilica.

(left) Canopy; (right-above) upper part of the canopy; (right-below) inscription: "Ioh(anne)s Petrus Ang(e)l(u)s et Sasso filii Pauli marmor(arii) hui(c) op(er)is magistri fuerunt"

Two flights of seven marble steps each lead up from the nave to the sanctuary, in the centre of which is the great altar, which is decorated with four columns of porphyry, sustaining a canopy that terminates with a little temple encircled by a small peripteral portico of porphyry columns, and surmounted by a cross. Donovan
The canopy is not entirely original, but was in part redesigned in the XIXth century, based on a detail of the frescoes in the portico, after a fall of the ceiling had seriously damaged the existing one. It is signed by four brothers (Giovanni, Pietro, Angelo and Sasso who were sons of Paolo) who describe themselves as magistri marmorari (masters in marble cutting). It is the oldest work signed by members of a Cosmati family.

(left) Sanctuary (old basilica); (right) Altar of Cappella di S. Ciriaca

A flight of steps leads to the sanctuary paved with mosaic and adorned by a double story, each of twelve pillars of rich marble and Corinthian form. Of the lower range of pillars part only appears above, as it descends through an open space left for that purpose, far below the pavement. Four other columns adorn the wall that runs some feet behind the sanctuary, as four more of porphyry support the canopy over the altar. The seats of the sanctuary are of marble as is the chair of the pontiff, a very ancient episcopal throne. Eustace
The columns are all more than half sunk beneath the present floor, having belonged to the ancient church: and above them are as many more corresponding smaller columns, which form an upper portico after the manner of the ancient basilics. (..) At its extremity is the ancient pontifical chair, which is adorned with inlaid gilt mosaics, together with slabs of serpentino, verde antique and porphyry; the end wall is decorated with the same materials in small square compartments and the seats of the presbytery as well as the chair are, of white marble. We now return to the left aisle, and meet to our right a doorway that leads down by fourteen steps to a small chapel, which communicated with the Catacombs of S. Cyriaca. Donovan
The old basilica had a matroneum, a gallery from where women (or perhaps catechumens) attended ceremonies, similar to what can be seen at S. Agnese fuori le Mura, S. Vitale in Ravenna and Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

Detached XIth century fresco from the walls of the old basilica portraying four saints; the last two are St. Andrew (in a red garment) and St. Lawrence (in a golden one)

The floor of the main nave of the old basilica was raised in order to use its space as a choir. The apse, which most likely was decorated with mosaics, was pulled down; it stood over the catacombs where Lawrence was buried. An underground chapel leading to the catacombs was built at the junction between the new and the old basilica. It is named after Ciriaca, the Roman matron who owned the catacombs. Its decoration was completed in 1730, but it contains medieval and Renaissance works of art.

(above-left) Ionic capital in the portico; (above-right) capital of the basilica by Pelagius II; (below) capital in the main nave depicting a frog and a lizard

At the sides of the tribune are ten magnificent fluted columns of pavonazzetto or Phrygian marble, of the Corinthian order, the capitals of the two first of which are adorned with Victories and trophies; and at its extremity are two others of the same material and order. (..) In the volutes of the eighth column, on the right hand in walking up the nave, and adjoining the right ambo, are sculptured a lizard and a frog, emblems of the architects Saurus and Batrachus of Laconia, who, not having been permitted to inscribe their names on the columns of the edifices erected by them in Rome, ingeniously contrived to sculpture on them a lizard, which corresponds with the Greek word Sauros, and a frog, which is synonimous with the Greek word Batrachos, a fact related, as here illustrated, by Pliny, Dion, and Suetonius, who also inform us that they erected the portico of Octavia. Donovan
Ancient columns which most likely came from the abandoned basilica built by Constantine, were utilized for the enlargement of S. Lorenzo in the XIIIth century. The capitals at their top however are attributed to the Vassalletto, a family of architects/sculptors/mosaicists, who were very good at imitating ancient architectural patterns. The decoration of one of their capitals led J. J. Winckelmann, the art historian who set the bases of Neoclassicism, to believe it was a work by two ancient sculptors and architects. As a matter of fact it was not unusual for ancient Roman sculptors to portray small animals inside a decorative motif (see an example at S. Saba) and medieval sculptors copied them.
The capitals used for the section built by Pelagius were taken from an ancient building, which was most likely dedicated to an emperor, because they are decorated with military trophies (similar to those you can see below in the page on an ancient sarcophagus).

Ancient sarcophagus reutilized for the Monument to Cardinal Guglielmo Fieschi

To the right, on entering the nave, is an ancient sarcophagus within a cinquecento shrine, adorned with a Roman marriage sculptured in bas-relief, in which, as its inscription records, now repose the remains of Card. Fieschi, nephew of Innocent IV. On it we observe the preparatory sacrifice, the bride and bridegroom attended by a train of Paranymphs or witnesses of the marriage contract (auspices nuptiarum), in whose presence they are affianced by the Genius of Love. Donovan
Cardinal Guglielmo Fieschi was the nephew of Pope Innocent IV and he assisted his uncle during a very turbulent pontificate. He chose to be buried in a very fine IInd century AD sarcophagus portraying a wedding: in the right side of the relief the groom and the bride are portrayed during the dextrarum iunctio (clasping of the right hands), a key moment of the ceremony which preceded the passage of the bride to her new family which was formalized by the words Ubi tu Gaius, ego Gaia (Where you are Gaius, I will be Gaia); in the central part of the relief a sheep is about to be sacrificed; the stool upon which the groom and the bride sat while eating a ceremonial pie was covered with its skin (pellis lanata).

Details of the pavement

The floor of this choir, like that of the nave, is also a beautiful specimen of opus Alexandriuum. Donovan
The fine decoration of the pavement had at its centre a square mosaic which portrayed lions, mythical creatures and two knights; it was most likely a reference to heraldic symbols of Pope Honorius III (Savelli family); unfortunately it was entirely destroyed by a bomb and it was possible to reconstruct it only in part.

Cloister and Catacombs of St. Ciriaca

Cloister giving access to the catacombs

The church is situate over the "Catacombs of S. Cyriaca", so called after that Roman matron, who had given interment within their subterranean vaults to the bodies of numerous martyrs, and amongst them to that of the holy Deacon. (..) The Catacombs, are entered from the adjoining cemetery and are very extensive and are ranged in some instances in three stories rising one above the other. They are in care of the Canons of the church and are shown, if required, to the curious stranger; and of them a minute description is to be had in Bosio's Roma Sotterranea. Donovan

Musei Vaticani: mosaics from the catacombs of Ciriaca

These two mosaics were found during the pontificate of Pope Alexander VII and in line with the practice of the time they were largely restored. The inscription is lost, but it was recorded. The mosaics were commissioned by Flavius Iulius Iulianus after the death of his young wife at the age of eighteen and after a marriage which lasted three years. Because of the location where they were found and because of the wife being portrayed while praying they are regarded as early Christian mosaics (see a fresco from Catacombe di S. Callisto).

(above) A wing of the cloister; (below) details of Christian tombstones showing a bird and tools for writing

Having seen the church the stranger may pay a passing visit to the cloisters, the walls of which are lined with ancient fragments and with Greek and Latin monumental inscriptions both Pagan and Christian. Donovan
The cloister, similar to those of S. Paolo fuori le Mura and S. Giovanni in Laterano is an interesting lapidary museum, especially of the early Christian centuries. The depiction of birds, often doves, as well as of references to the job of the dead can be seen in other Christian tombstones, e.g. those of the Catacombs of SS. Pietro e Marcellino.

Sarcophagus in the form of a temple (in the portico and without the inner box)

The practice of placing the body or the ashes of the dead inside a container having the shape of a house or of a temple goes back to the earliest times (see a cinerary urn at Lavinium). In Asia Minor this practice led to the development of a particular type of sarcophagus, an example of which at Antalya is almost identical to the one at S. Lorenzo, but retains the decorated box with the ashes or the body of the dead.

(above) Sarcophagus with two scenes of a pagan religious procession: the woman portrayed on a throne carried by lions is perhaps Cybele, a goddess of Asia Minor who was worshipped in Rome as "Magna Mater"; (below) Christian sarcophagus of Licinius Honorius "vir clarissimus" (lit. very famous man), a member of an important family, usually the son of a senator. He died in 366 and he was portrayed (centre) in the act of praying; the two men at the sides of the inscription could be St. Peter and St. Paul. The sarcophagus testifies to the spreading of Christianity in the Roman upper classes before it became the state religion of the Empire. It testifies also to the decline of Rome both because it is poorly decorated and because the age of Licinius is stated as "Vixit Anni Plus Minus LX" (he lived more or less sixty years) whereas the Romans were always very precise in indicating the age of the dead (see a Ist century AD inscription reporting even the hours)

Fragments of Christian sarcophagi (see a sarcophagus at Toledo where both fragments are depicted): (left) Sacrifice of Isaac; (right) Nativity with the Three Magi; the depiction of the Magi in oriental garments is typical of Early Christianity (see a famous mosaic at Ravenna and also sarcophagi at Arles and Osimo)

Cimitero del Verano

Monumental entrance to the cemetery

Near the church is the public cemetery of Rome, consisting of one hundred brick vaults, originally planned by the French, and completed in 1836, when the cholera had invaded Italy. When its porticos shall have been completed, and a suitable church erected in its centre, it will form a commodious and handsome cemetery. Donovan
The cemetery was designed by Vespignani and it was completed in the 1880s.

(left) S. Maria della Misericordia; (right) family chapels including that of the Colonna

During the French annexation of Rome a decree forbade burial in churches and within settlements; the French started the construction of a large cemetery which surrounded on three sides S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura; the hygienic reasons behind the decree were understood by the popes whose rule was restored in 1814; however the part of the decree which limited the pomp and decoration of the tombs was disregarded and Pope Pius IX commissioned a large portico made up of a series of chapels for the richest families.

(left) Monument to the Fallen Papal Troops (designed by Vespignani; statues by Vincenzo Luccardi); (right) Monument to Goffredo Mameli by Luciano Campisi

On June 14, 1870 Pope Pius IX inaugurated a Monument to the Fallen at Mentana, a small town near Rome where in 1867 his troops checked the advance of Garibaldi and his volunteers. The statues portray St. Peter in the act of giving a sword to a medieval knight. A few months later, on September 20, Italian troops entered Rome near Porta Pia.
In 1891 the City of Rome built a monument to Goffredo Mameli, the author of the text of Fratelli d'Italia, the current Italian national anthem. He died in 1849 at the age of 22 at Ospizio dei Pellegrini during the Defence of the Roman Republic.

Museo di Roma a Palazzo Braschi: Pincetto, a section of the cemetery on a terrace similar to Pincio in the early XXth century

Exhibits from the Museums

Museo Nazionale Romano: Sarcofago di Portonaccio

"Portonaccio" means large and ugly door and it was a reference to a ruined arch of an aqueduct to the south of Via Tiburtina, which, similar to other ancient Roman roads, was flanked by tombs. In 1931 a very large sarcophagus was found in this location, today a densely populated neighbourhood of Rome. Its front is entirely occupied by a complex relief showing a fight between Romans and barbarians. It is dated late IInd century AD and it most likely depicts events of the military campaigns of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in today's Austria; the Emperor died at Vindobona (Vienna) in 180 AD. The style of the relief is similar to that of Colonna Antonina, which celebrated those campaigns.

Museo Nazionale Romano: Sarcofago di Portonaccio: details

The face of the Roman commander at the centre of the scene was not finished and the sarcophagus does not bear an inscription. According to archaeologists it was not made to order, but it was produced to be offered on sale to a commander who had taken part in Marcus Aurelius' campaigns (you may wish to see another unfinished and unsold sarcophagus). The sarcophagus has some similarities with Sarcofago Grande Ludovisi, another large sarcophagus depicting a fight between Romans and barbarians, which was found near Porta San Lorenzo, not very far from Portonaccio.

Temporary exhibition at Musei Capitolini: base of altar with dedication to Hercules (217 BC)

The existence of a temple of Hercules, outside the Porta S. Lorenzo, within the enclosure of the modern cemetery, was first made known in 1862, in consequence of the discovery of an altar raised to him by Marcus Minucius, the "master of the horse" or lieutenant-general of Q. Fabius Maximus. This altar is now exhibited in the Capitoline Museum. Fourteen years later, in 1876, the favissae (deposits) of the temple were found in the section of the cemetery called the Pincio. There were about two hundred pieces of terra-cotta, vases of Etruscan and Italo-Greek manufacture; several statuettes of bronze, and pieces of early bronze coins. This deposit seems to have been buried at the beginning of the sixth century of Rome.
Rodolfo Lanciani - Pagan and Christian Rome - 1893
You may wish to see the objects which were found at the shrine of Minerva Medica.

Centrale Montemartini: detail of a sarcophagus found in 1920 near the Verano cemetery

Heracles's last, and most difficult, Labour was to bring the dog Cerberus up from the Underworld. (..) Heracles found the dog chained to the gates of Acheron, and resolutely gripped him by the throat - from which rose three heads, each maned with serpents. The barbed tail flew up to strike, but Heracles, protected by the lion pelt, did not relax his grip until Cerberus choked and yielded. (..) Heracles dragged Cerberus, bound with adamantine chains, up to a subterranean path to sunlight.
Robert Graves - The Greek Myths - Penguin Books 1955
The depiction of Heracles returning from the Underworld indicates that the person who bought the sarcophagus hoped that one day he/she would return to life.

(left) Centrale Montemartini: altar/temple to Terra Mater (Mother Earth) found near the Verano cemetery; (right) Musei Capitolini: gravestone of Lucius Aelius Melitinos found near the Verano cemetery

The very early Romans worshipped Mother Earth; this cult did not fit into the formal religious scheme the Romans borrowed from the Greeks, but it surfaced from time to time. The small altar to the goddess is dated early Ist century AD, so it is almost the same age as the relief of Earth at Ara Pacis Augustae.

Praecatio Terrae Dea sancta Tellus, rerum naturae parens, quae cuncta generas et regeneras indidem, quod sola praestas gentibus vitalia, caeli ac maris diva arbitra rerumque omnium, per quam silet natura et somnos concipit, itemque lucem reparas et noctem fugas: (..)

Prayer to Earth Goddess revered, O Earth, of all nature Mother, engendering all things and re-engendering them from the same womb, because thou only dost supply each species with living force, thou divine controller of sky and sea and of all things, through thee is nature hushed and lays hold on sleep, and thou likewise renewest the day and dost banish night. (Loeb Classical Library)

The parents of Lucius Aelius Melitinos, who lived 13 months and 9 days, came from the eastern provinces of the Empire and they expressed their grief in Greek. The last sentence however was an appeal not to damage their child's gravestone and was therefore written in Latin. Ne sis molestus, ne patiarus hoc, et ollas inclusas cave (Do not harm this gravestone and do not allow others to do it. Pay attention to the funerary urns it contains). This sort of plea is not unusual and can be read on other gravestones or sarcophagi.

Next plate in Book 3: Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore .
You have completed Day 3. Move to Day 4!

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:

Basilica di s. Lorenzo fuori delle mura Nel campo Verano, ove fu sepolto il santo Diacono, si osserva questa santa Basilica in un sito basso e arenoso. Il suo Fondatore si crede essere stato il Gran Costantino, e poi da varj Pontefici fu ristaurata, e ornata di marmi e di pitture. Si osservano le bellissime colonne di marmo striate, e specialmente quelle nel coro, ed in mezzo il ciborio con 4. colonne di porfido, sotto cui riposa il corpo del s. Titolare con quello di s. Stefano protomartire: esistono in mezzo della nave i pulpiti marmorei, chiamati dagli antichi ambones su i quali leggevansi al popolo li Evangelj e l'Epistole nelle Messe solenni, e da piede sonovi due sepolcri alla gotica con bassirilievi di marmo. Il quadro nel primo altare a destra con alcuni santi, che vengono seppelliti è di Emilio Sottino; la s. Ciriaca nell'altra cappella, che pure seppellisce altri santi Martiri, è di Emilio Savonanzio, ed il quadro nel terzo altare è del suddetto Sottino; le pitture a fresco furono però fatte da Domenico Rainaldi. L'altare sotterraneo, che sta a destra della tribuna è molto celebre per essere il primo, che fosse privilegiato; appresso a questo corrisponde il cimiterio di s. Ciriaca, in cui seppelliva i corpi de' ss. Martiri: Il s. Lorenzo, che distribuisce i tesori della Chiesa a' poveri, e la decollazione di s. Gio. Batista sono di Gio. Serodine d'Ancona, e la ss. Vergine del sudd. Sottino; le pitture però a fresco sono di Gio. Antonio, e Gio. Francesco allievi del Vanni, e li due depositi presso al cimiterio sono di Franc. Fiammingo, col disegno però di Pietro da Cort. Si nota, che in questa chiesa Onor. III. coronò il Conte Auxerre, e Jole sua moglie per Imperatori di Costantinopoli.