Returning to the discussion made last time regarding the fantastic underground area beneath the Church of Santa Maria in via Lata in Rome, let's now see what its historical and religious peculiarities are. In the first part we talked about the archaeological evolution, and how many different buildings had arisen in a single point, the one where the church stands today. Now, however, let's find out better why devotion led us to believe that here, among many, Saint Paul was even imprisoned.

There are numerous literary sources that speak of these rooms which, since medieval times, were transformed into a place of worship, deaconry or even monastery. But, moreover, traditions are really wasted here! Some sources state that Saint Luke lived here and that it was here that the saint created his acheropite images (the tradition was strengthened with the discovery of a painting depicting the Madonna, which however dates back to the 13th century). According to other versions, Saint Paul came here, living for some time and inspired by the Angels to write some of his famous Letters. Or else Saint Paul would have lived here, but under the strict custody of a Roman soldier. A sort of imprisonment represented by the column in the photo, on which the saint would have been tied with chains, with letters carved along the shaft that say Verbum Dei non est alligatum ("The Word of God cannot be chained"). Or, according to other stories, even Saint Peter would have hidden here, also hosting other prominent personalities of the Roman clergy, and using these rooms as his official headquarters. Peter's three successors, other pontiffs, also appear to have lived here, making this area the first official seat of the papacy in Rome. Obviously, following this tradition, the place would have been very frequented, by pilgrims and others. Numerous people were baptized, also thanks to divine intervention when an Angel came down from heaven to show St. Peter where to find a well from which to draw water.

As you can understand, the underground area of the Church of Santa Maria in Via Lata presents numerous surprises. Obviously everything I have written here comes from medieval or late medieval sources, which as often happens have contributed to making a place more or less important, from a religious point of view. We will not know, perhaps we will never know, if men like Saint Paul really had anything to do with this corner of Rome, but there is no doubt that, to this day, the charm that these traditions transmit to us is unchanged. There is still more to see, and I will write about it in the last part of this in-depth analysis. In fact, there is no shortage of numerous pictorial testimonies, found in fragments during archaeological excavations. Today all the frescoes are preserved in the Crypta Balbi Museum in Rome but their different dating attests to how the area was alive, and remained so, for a long time. Let's discover them together in the next part.