Saturday, March 20, 2010

Stational Churches of Lent: Saturday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent

Station: S. Nicola in Carcere (Originally S. Lorenzo)
(Collecta: S. Angelo in Pescheria)








From the Churches of Rome wiki:
The first church here was probably built in the 6th century, but the first certain dedication is from 1128, attested by a plaque on the church. It was constructed in the ruins of two temples and the ancient Forum Olitorium, and you can see fragments from them reused in the church. The most important of the temples was the Temple of Piety, built by Acilius Glabrius, consul in 191 B.C. The dedication to St Nicholas was made by the Greek population in the area.

'In carcere' probably refers to a tradition, supported by Pliny's history of Rome, that there was once a prison here, built in the ruins of the temples.

In the 11th century, it was known as the "Church of Petrus Leonis", referring to the converted Jewish family who rebuilt the nearby Theatre of Marcellus as a fortress.

It was rebuilt in 1599, and restored in the 19th century.

The façade incorporates three columns from the Temple of Juno Sospita, built in the 3rd century BC. It was designed by Giacomo della Porta in 1599, reusing the columns from the earlier façade.

More recent articles:

For more articles, see the NLM archives: