The Church of San Nicola in Carcere in Rome is one of the most beautiful architectonic and historical realities in which it could be possible to understand how special is the Eternal City. Special even for an unusual curiosity that I'm going to describe. Keep in mind the suggestion of a local tour guide of Rome: visit this church!

In fact the church stands on the ruins of three roman temples, built between the beginning of the III century b.C. and the beginning of the II century b.C., The temples were dedicated to the following deities: Spes (Hope), Juno (the one on which, principally, is the church), and Janus. I highly recommend you to visit the underground area below the place of christian worship, because you can actually touch the remains of those temples that are the foundation of the church above.

Now I would like to focus on the peculiarities and curiosities of the Church of San Nicola in Carcere. The second column to the right, grooved and marble made, has carved a very clear inscription. Here it is: DE DONIS OF ETSCE OF  PARENT MARIESCE ANNE SCS SIMEON ET SCELVCIE EDGO ANASTASIVS MAIOR DOMV OFERO KG PRO NATALICIES BEST . BINEA TABVL . VIQ . P . IT PORTV SEVBOBES PARIA II IVMENTA S . V . PECORAXXX PIGS X FVRMA DE COPPER LIBRASXXVI LECTVS ITRAT V VTILITATE PBR SEVALEO LECTO IS EXPERIENCING AT MANSIONARIS EQVISEQVENTIBVS. What does it mean? Well, let me say that the membership has a lot to do with the turbulent period in which the church was built. According to documents in our possession, in fact, the place of christian worship was officially created in 1088, a year after the arrival of the mortal remains of San Nicola in Italy (in Bari, to be precise). But in this case we should not think about the saint but about the pontiff of that time, Urban II. The death of Gregory VII, who had left the Catholic Church with an antipope (Clement III), and with a city partially sacked by the Normans of Robert the Guiscard, provoked several troubles which ended with a small Conclave, consisting of only 40 cardinals, that elected Urban II as a new and official pope.

He followed the reformist and moralist path of the predecessor, so much so that he managed to be particularly loved by a part of the clergy, and some intellectuals of that era. Often, therefore, who could have helped the Catholic Church and pope Urban II could, so as to replace the things, restoring order in Rome and in the roman Curia. Here, on this column in "cipollino", are carved with the aid of a rector, named Anastasius, gave to the church and to the Pope. Everything was useful in a Rome that, at the time, had about 30,000 and it was certainly a modern city. For this is not so strange to read of how Anastasius donated 2 mares (II IUMENTA), 5 sheep (V SHEEP), but also 30 pigs (XXX PIGS). Gratuities strange to our modern eyes, but always useful in Rome in the Middle Ages.