12 Sep

Thousands of buildings in Rome are not seen by its inhabitants, their sites hidden within the ground. They are buried in the detritus of time, but they are still alive in a way. Many of the buildings in the ancient city are built on top of ancient buildings, their old walls have been uncovered and used as foundations for new buildings. Some underground buildings are even visitable today, and have been re-purposed. The Basilica di San Clemente is one such building. It is a complex of three buildings: a 12th century basilica, built upon a 4th century nobleman’s home, built upon a 1st century mithraeum. The true nature of its meeting with the ground is not visible from the outside, and may not even affect the exterior context in a significant way; but, these layers of connections are what allow the current Rome to exist. The ancient and medieval provide the foundation of the new Rome.