If you have ever visited Rome, you’ll know around almost every corner is a Church or ruin with some significant story to tell. San Clamente, which lies just some hundred meters from the Colosseum and has been under the care of the Irish Dominicans for the past 350 years is not just ‘another’ Church with historical interest, however, it is in fact one of the most fascinating historical and archaeological sites in all of Rome. For tourists or passersby who might frequent this quite unassuming Basilica from the outside, they are immediately awestruck by the magnificent mosaic above the main altar which many art historians and theologians have studied for centuries – including the late Pope Benedict XVI who’s published reflections are now proudly available in the basilica shop. But while the famous 12th Century mosaic of the crucifixion surrounded by vines is indeed a magnificent sight, the real historical and archaeological significance of this site lies underground and was discovered just some 170 years ago by a Longford man, Fr. Joseph Mullooly.
Under the patronage of the first century Pope and martyr St. Clement, who is said to have been ordained by St. Peter, San Clemente Basilica was granted to the care of the Irish Dominicans in 1677 as many priests and religious fled persecution in Ireland. Today, San Clemente is now home to some dozen Irish Dominicans with a number of other international students at various stages in priestly formation and study. One such caretaker of the site and very much following in the footsteps of Fr. Mullooly, is Prior Fr. Paul Lawlor – a native of Co. Kerry and chief archaeologist today. Fr. Lawlor’s passion for the history of the site is infectious and his knowledge on the basilica unmatchable. This week I had the opportunity to tour the site with him and discuss the significance of San Clemente for the universal Church as well as his own role and vocation both as a priest and archaeologist.
Underground
As we exited what is now called the ‘upper basilica’ after Fr. Mullooly’s discoveries underground, we proceeded downstairs underneath today’s street level to enter what is now understood to be the original basilica dating from the 4th Century. The street level of the time is some 20 meters below today having been built upon after the destruction of the devastating fire in Rome during the time of Emperor Nero. Walking around the dimly lit tunnels underground, remnants of the original basilica frescos stand beautifully intact and bring to life the historical continuity of Catholic worship for 2,000 years. Reflecting on this, Fr. Lawlor recounted a story of a protestant tourist who when encountering the depths of the archaeological findings came to a realisation of the historical continuity of the Catholic Church and later converted having encountered the “bricks and stone of Christ’s true Church.”
Another story, Fr. Lawlor quips as we take a walk around the underground basilica, is of a visit from the late Queen-Mother of England who when finishing the tour remarked: “it’s wonderful, but why are the Irish here?” – to which the priest giving the tour quickly responded: “for historical reasons Ma’am.”
The historical significance of San Clemente does not end with the 4th Century Basilica unearthed underground by Fr Mullooly”
While it’s true to say the Irish Dominicans might have acquired the site fleeing persecution from Cromwell, the treasures unearthed many years later by the curious Fr. Mullooly may have never been discovered had it not fallen into the hands of the Irish province. What’s more, the historical significance of San Clemente does not end with the 4th Century Basilica unearthed underground by Fr. Mullooly. Further excavations in the early 20th Century have uncovered a 1st Century pagan Mithras temple which tourists and visitors can now access as a part of the fascinating tour.
How did you join the Dominican order and moreover, how did you end up becoming an archaeologist?
I grew up in Tralee, Co. Kerry where the Dominicans have a parish, and I got to know them attending Mass there as a family. But there was also a connection with San Clemente from the beginning. My parents came here (San Clamente) in 1950. They drove from Tralee to Rome, and they came to visit San Clemente. So, as a child I grew up hearing stories of the ‘lower church’ (underground). So, for years I heard about this old Church and the ancient ruins and I was always interested in history and archaeology.
I came out here in 1976 initially to study Arabic to go to a mission in Iran and I worked there until 79/80 when the revolution occurred. After that, I came back to San Clemente and did my degree in Christian Archaeology and taught this for many years in the Angelicum University. At the same time, I had the opportunity to take part in a number of excavations in the Middle-East, Georgia and the Holy Land, but the main excavation I took part in was here in San Clemente in the 80’s and 90’s. I was also very lucky to study under some of the great people of Christian Archaeology; people like Antonio Ferrua who excavated the tomb of St. Peter and Testini who wrote the great Manual of Christian Archaeology.
Could you explain the layered history of San Clemente? How does it reflect the evolution of Rome?
Up until 1857 was believed that the current ‘upper basilica’ was the original Church, making it one of the oldest Churches in the world because St. Jerome talks about it in 384AD. This changed however when Fr. Mullooly began his excavation work and discovered the ruins below. But the extraordinary thing about San Clemente is the continuity of life. Underneath the 4th Century Basilica is again another layer – the 1st Century Mithras temple. You’ve got a visible history going back to 40AD and you can see something from every century – the marbles, the partings, the brickwork, every century has added something.
The great treasure of the Church is the 12th Century mosaic which a number of significant people have done commentaries on – including G.K. Chesterton and more recently Pope Benedict XVI”
Beyond St. Jerome’s writings, San Clemente is mentioned right throughout Christian history – Gregory the Great preached here, Leo the Great also, and a Papal election was held here – it was one of the great Churches of Rome.
The great treasure of the Church is the 12th Century mosaic which a number of significant people have done commentaries on – including G.K. Chesterton and more recently Pope Benedict XVI. It’s a powerful image where Christ on the cross appears to have died but is displaying a sense of peace – pointing to the resurrection.
What are the most significant archaeological discoveries at San Clemente, and what do they tell us about early Christian worship?
The Christian origins of San Clemente are actually shrouded in mystery. The Basilica dates from the year 400, but as I mentioned, St. Jerome already talked about a ‘San Clamente’ Church in the 300’s. So where was the earlier Church? Before the actual basilica, there was a 3rd century building which I believe was a ‘House Church’ – a large hall but not yet in the style of a roman basilica.
Discovered even further below the original basilica building is a Mithraic temple. What do we know about Mithraism?
We know very little about this ancient religion. Mithraic temples have been discovered in a number of locations right across the Roman empire even as far as England – but this one in San Clemente is one of the best preserved because it was filled-in and abandoned when the apse of the basilica was built over it. Studies as recent as 1971 have postulated that it (Mithraism) was a Roman religion and that it is linked in some way with astronomy. One of the problems is that there is practically no documents or sources about it, we know it was condemned by Justine Martyr because their ritual meal was seen as a mockery of the Eucharist. Later, people were more tolerant of it because it’s ideals aligned with Christian Virtues like courage, truth, authenticity and strength – so it was very popular within the military.
What challenges have archaeologists faced in preserving and studying San Clemente’s different layers?
Water is the big challenge which flooded everything. In 1914 huge works were done to re-route the water around the site to make it accessible as it is today.
Also, one of the big challenges with archaeology is that people come with pre-conceived ideas – often if you are looking for something the problem is that you’ll find it. (i.e. You’ll attribute what you find to what you wanted to find).
Have there been any recent discoveries or ongoing excavations that are particularly exciting?
In order to save some of the frescos, we done some excavation works recently which uncovered a corridor behind. We went further and discovered it led to a great 6th Century Baptistry and within it we discovered 11th century frescos! This obviously tells us that the baptistry was used all the way through the 6th to 11th centuries. That hasn’t been fully published yet and is not yet open to the tourists. We hope to find someway of making it accessible for people in the future.
How did the Irish Dominicans come to own San Clemente and what are the visible contributions of the Irish to the site today?
The Irish Dominicans are here because of the Cromwellian persecutions, priests we being executed back home and they began to flee to Rome. In 1677 this site and San Sisto Vecchio (also still under our care) was given to the Irish province. To give you an idea of the impact of persecution, in the 1500’s we had 44 Dominican houses in Ireland, in the 1600’s we had 3 houses in total and none in Ireland – one in Lisbon, one in Leuven and one in Rome.
There’s nothing directly visibly Irish in the Basilica today but if it wasn’t for the continuous restoration and excavations work by the Irish, the Church wouldn’t be there. In our libraries we have collections of works in Irish also, when the friars were here first, they would have prayed and read through the Irish language.