Near the Colosseum is the Basilica of Santa Francesca Romana
Santa Francesca Romana was assigned to Frances of Rome in the 16th century, as consecrated in the relics of 1608.
Visit the Flavian Amphitheatre (the largest in its day), made from tuff, travertine limestone, and brick-faced concrete, if you’re in Rome, Italy. It seats up to 80,000 spectators. Along your path to the enormous amphitheatre – the Basilica of St. Francesca Romana will greet you. This Roman Catholic Church, formerly known as Santa Maria Nova, was pitched in the eighth century by Pope Paul I within the colonnade of the former Temple of Venus and Roma. In the 10th century, the church was named Santa Maria Nova to distinguish it from Santa Maria Antiqua, another church that had fallen into disrepair at the time.
Following that, Pope Leo relocated the relics from the old church to this one. In the late 10th century, Pope Honorius III expanded the church and further refurbished it in the 13th century. In addition, he built the campanile, a free-standing Italian bell tower, and the apse, a huge polygonal recess, both of which are still standing today. The Maestà tile, portraying Madonna enthroned by saints, was then placed to Santa Maria Nova by the pope. Since 1352, the Olivetans have looked after this church.
Carlo Lambardi designed what is now the travertine porch (façade) in 1615. Before the 15th-century canonization, Lombardi restored the core with side chapels. The old inscriptions found inside the church are a valuable source of information about the church’s selected history. As you approach the church’s centre, you’ll find a right-angled schola cantorum covered in Cosmatesque mosaics. The 16th-century enclosed stall, created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is another notable feature. It is made of several coloured marbles and four jasper-coated columns.
Padre Pozzi, Pietro Tedeschi, and Subleyras composed the altarpieces. Legend has it that both Saints Paul and Peter prayed to the Gods at this location, daring Simon Magus, a pagan who wanted to prove his might was more powerful. The missionaries’ knee imprints are ingrained in the basalt stone of the south transept wall. Saint Maria Nova was restored by Pope Leo XIII in 1887 as the “Titulus of a Cardinal Priest,” although the church’s labels remain Sancta Mariae Novae.
A Cardinal-Priest, currently known as the Cardinal Protector, has no power over his church or ministry. Locals believe that an angel guided her way with a lamp when she roamed around this place at night, and she is now known as Saint Francesca Romana, the champion of car drivers. Every year, on March 9th, wheels line up as far as the Colosseum to receive the benediction.
