There is a small church on the Aventine hill, which has some interesting surprises. I'm talking about the Church of Santa Prisca whose titulus, according to the sources,  that dates back to V century a.D., certifying the building as one of most ancient christian places of Rome!

We know that the church was restored and rebuilt several times, mainly at the VIII and the XI century a.D. Moreover we can read something about Prisca, this young teenager who, according to the traditions, was imprisoned because she refused to pray in front of a statue depicting Apollo. Claudio, the emperor of that time, decided to brought her at the Circus Maximus in order to be killed by lions. But it seems that the wild predators didn't touch her who, at the end, was beheaded. The sad story of this martyr is one of the reasons why you should visit this church, but there is something more. There is a fact which indissolubly links the church and its name to Christianity.

According to the tradition here lived a family that housed St. Peter when he arrived in Rome. We do not know very much about the first of the Apostles and the sources are conflicting and incomplete. Certainly it seems that fled from Judea, arrived in the Eternal City to be hosted by some of the christian families (we are between 52 and 67 AD). One of these lived here on the Aventine hill: a women and a men who had a beautiful daughter named Prisca, a christian like her parents. The poor girl was to suffer his martyrdom, but there is still a tangible trace of her, and of St. Peter, within the church. If you head over to the right aisle you will find this capital resting on the ground, topped today by a "Baptism of Christ" in bronze of the early XX century. As you can see this capital is still used as a baptismal font. Below the bronze work of art, there is actually a small basin from which it collects the holy water to wet the forehead of the newborn (and not only). And legend says that this same act, this same capital, and this same basin were used by St. Peter to baptize Santa Prisca!

In Rome there are many places related to the life of the saint, and this is one of those. It is always interesting to attempt, in spite of the inadequacy and vagueness of the literary sources, to follow in the footsteps and movements of a man who, in one way or another, has made history. After all, even today, millions of tourists and pilgrims flock to Rome to visit the basilica above the tomb of the First of the Apostles. And who knows if one day someone will find some other document or testimony that may throw light on the life of St. Peter. What is certain is that, according to tradition, the church of Santa Prisca is a stage in the journey undertaken by Peter here in Rome. An old church with many surprises, even in the underground vaults, where you can see one of the mitrei the best preserved of ancient Rome. When the old and the profane meet themselves...