Santa Maria in Cosmedin

The Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a medieval church well known for hosting in its portico the Boca of Truth. The church was built in the 6th century on the remains of the Temple of Hercules at the Forum Boarium. The church was named after the Greek adjective kosmidion (beautiful), thanks to its abundant decoration. Although today the church has virtually no ornaments, it still retains some beautiful decorative elements such as the mosaics of the ground, the bishop's throne, the choir and the baldaquino. One of the main treasures that are preserved in the church is the glass relic that keeps the Valentine's skull, pattern of the lovers. The façade, restored with an early medieval look, has a portico with seven arches in which tourists are agitated to enter their hand into the mythical Boca de la Verdad. Next to the porch is a small Roman bell tower that was added to the temple in the 12th century. Under the altar is a crypt that was built in the eighth century to cover the relics that Pope Adriano I had extracted from the catacombs. The crypt has the form of a small basilica in which several niches are located with marble shelves on which the relics of the pilgrims are shown. .

Phone:+39 06 678 7759

Latitude:41.888075·Longitude:12.481633