- Santa Balbina
Santa Balbina is a
basilica church inRome , devoted toSt. Balbina . It was built in the 4th century over the house ofconsul Lucius Fabius Cilo on theAventine Hill , behind theBaths of Caracalla . Possibly the ancient "Titulus Tigridae", the basilica was consecrated byPope Gregory I .The adjoining monastery has a commanding medieval defence tower. Inside the basilica there is a very fine episcopal chair with a
Cosmatesque decoration from the 13th century. The church was heavily restored in the 1930s when frescoes were discovered on the side walls from the 9-14th centuries. The Baroque frescoes in the apse and the triumphal arch were painted byAnastasio Fontebuoni in 1599. The triumphal arch is decorated with the figures of Ss Paul and Peter while in the apse we can see St Balbina between other martyrs.An ancient sarcophagus was also discovered during the restoration. It is now used as a font.
In 1270 the first known Hungarian cardinal,
István Váncsa was buried in the basilica. Another 13th century Hungarian clergyman, Pál, Bishop ofPaphos , erected an altar in the church forSaint Nicolas . Both the altar and the grave disappeared during later centuries but a plaque commemorates the offerings of Pál.The
Cardinal Priest of the "Titulus S. Balbinae" isPéter Erdő ,Archbishop of Esztergom . According to Péter Erdő the Hungarian connections of the church played part in the Pope's decision when he chose Santa Balbina for his titular church. The Cardinal also recommended Hungarian pilgrims to visit the basilica and said he feels a special responsibility for the building. Among the previous titulars,Alfonso de la Cueva, marqués de Bedmar andFrancisco Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros .References
* [http://roma.katolsk.no/balbina.htm "Santa Balbina"] , by Chris Nyborg.
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