Overview
Nestled north of the San Lorenzo district, it was originally erected in 330 by the Emperor Constantine next to the tomb of the martyr Lorenzo. Much remodelled over the following centuries, on 19 July 1943, the building was devastated, as was the entire neighbourhood, by Allied bombing. It was rebuilt in the immediate post-war period with the original materials and on this occasion, it was decided to eliminate the invasive 19th-century intervention in order to enhance the 13th-century appearance. The mosaics that decorated the façade have been irretrievably lost. The beautiful thirteenth-century frescoes on the portico, depicting the lives of St. Lorenzo and St. Stephen the Protomartyr (or first martyr), have been saved. Also located in the portico is the funeral monument created by Giacomo Manzù for Alcide De Gasperi, who served as Prime Minister in the newly formed Italian Republic from December 1945 to August 1953.
The internal structure reveals at first glance the fusion of two different building phases: it is in fact composed of two buildings constructed at different times, adjacent but not on an axis, as can be seen by the misalignment between the main body of the church, dating back to the 13th century, and the presbytery dating back to the 6th century, originally conceived as a separate church. To the right of the portal, a memorial stone commemorates the visit of Pius XII, who blessed the victims of the 1943 bombing on the Verano square. The basilica is part of the Pilgrimage of the Seven Churches.
Piazzale del Verano, 3, 00185 Roma RM, Italia
