The Basilica of Santa Francesca Romana is located next to the Roman Forum in Rome. In the church you can admire the confessional designed and made in colorful marble by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the 17th century. A valuable work of art is the icon of the Madonna of Glycophilous from the 5th century and the 12th-century Madonna with the Child. The church has the magnificent tomb of Pope Gregory XI.
The church was built in the tenth century using the pre-existing eighth-century Santa Maria Nova chapel. The building was rebuilt in the 13th century. Then the belfry was added and decorative elements were added, e.g. mosaics in the apse. In the 16th century, the church was dedicated to Saint Francis, whose relics are in the underground crypt. The interior of the temple was rebuilt in the 16th century according to the design of Carlo Lombardi.
According to legend, the basilica oratory is built in the place where Simon Mag died, when he tried to show his apostles his power by presenting the ability of levitation.
The Holy Cross College in Clonliffe in Dublin, Ireland was modeled on the Basilica of Santa Francesca Romana.
Attractions inside
