San Silvestro in Capite

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Facade of San Silvestro in Capite on Piazza San Silvastro. After the gate, there is a courtyard, with the access to the church.

San Silvestro in Capite is a basilica church in Rome, in Piazza San Silvestro. The Latin words "in capite" refer to the head of St. John the Baptist, kept in the church as a relic, in a chapel to the left of the entrance.

The Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Silvestri in Capite is Desmond Cardinal Connell, former Archbishop of Dublin. He was appointed on February 21, 2001 in succession to Basil Cardinal Hume.

1 History
2 Convent
3 Relics
4 The church and English Catholics
5 External links

[edit] History

The original church was built in the 8th century by Pope Stephen III and Pope Paul I, on the ruins of a pagan temple dedicated to Apollo. The new church was built to house relics from the catacombs. The church was rebuilt in 1198 (during which the campanile was added), and in the 13th century was donated to the Poor Clares.

It was rebuilt by the architect Francesco da Volterra during the years 1591 to 1601, and subsequently restored in 1681.

The church has an atrium and narthex, which isolates the church from the busy square outside. There are fragments of early Christian sculpture, many with inscriptions, embedded in the walls of the atrium. It is believed that the high altar, which predates the present church, was influenced by the style of Michelangelo. The canopy, by Carlo Rainaldi, was added in 1667.

[edit] Convent

A convent, dedicated to Pope Sylvester I and Pope Stephen I, was built adjacent to the church. The nuns remained in that convent until 1876 when they were dispossessed. The convent has recently been renovated and continues to serve as the main Post Office of Rome.

[edit] Relics

The relics of Pope Sylvester I, Pope Stephen I and Pope Dionysius were exhumed and re-enshrined beneath the high altar when the new church was consecrated in 1601.

The church also contains the relics of Saint Tarcisius.

[edit] The church and English Catholics

The church of San Silvestro was granted to the English Catholics by Pope Leo XIII in 1890, and is now served by Irish Pallottine Fathers. Mass is thus regularly celebrated in the English language.