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Santa Prassede

Basilica of Saint Praxedes
Basilica di Santa Prassede all’Esquilino (Italian)
Basilica Sanctae Praxedis (Latin)
Mosaic of the vault of the chapel of San Zeno (IX century).jpg
Ceiling of the San Zeno chapel.
Basic information
Location Rome, Italy
Geographic coordinates 41°53′46″N 12°29′55″E / 41.89611°N 12.49861°E / 41.89611; 12.49861Coordinates: 41°53′46″N 12°29′55″E / 41.89611°N 12.49861°E / 41.89611; 12.49861
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Minor basilica
Leadership Paul Poupard
Website Chiesa Rettoria Santa Prassede
Architectural description
Architectural type Church
Groundbreaking 780
Completed 822
Specifications
Direction of façade SSE
Length 45 metres (148 ft)
Width 30 metres (98 ft)
Width (nave) 17 metres (56 ft)
External video
Apsis mosaic S Prassede Rome W1.JPG
Santa Prassede (Praxedes), Smarthistory

The Basilica of Saint Praxedes (Latin: Basilica Sanctae Praxedis, Italian: Basilica di Santa Prassede all’Esquillino), commonly known in Italian as Santa Prassede, is an ancient titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, located near the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major. The current Cardinal Priest of Titulus Sancta Praxedis is Paul Poupard.

The church in its current form was commissioned by Pope Hadrian I around the year 780, and built on top of the remains of a 5th-century structure and was designed to house the bones of Saint Praxedes (Italian: S. Prassede) and Saint Pudentiana (Italian: S. Pudenziana), the daughters of Saint Pudens, traditionally St. Peter's first Christian convert in Rome. The two female saints were murdered for providing Christian burial for early martyrs in defiance of Roman law. The basilica was enlarged and decorated by Pope Paschal I in c. 822.

Pope Paschal, who reigned 817-824, was at the forefront of the Carolingian Renaissance started and advocated by the emperor Charlemagne. They desired to get back to the foundations of Christianity theologically and artistically. Paschal, thus, began two, linked, ambitious programs: the recovery of martyrs' bones from the catacombs of Rome and an almost unprecedented church building campaign. Paschal dug up numerous skeletons and transplanted them to this church. The Titulus S. Praxedis was established by Pope Evaristus, around 112.


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