Continuing with an article of the past, in which I spoke about the Oratory of San Giovanni in Oleo (see here), here there are the photos of the basilica dedicated to the evangelist and honored with the name of San Giovanni at Porta Latina. Trust me, try to visit this small church if you have the opportunity, because it is one of the best places in Rome where you can breath a medieval atmosphere.

So as the ancient Romans used to build their tombs along the consular roads, even the christian communities, following the Edict of Milan, and, above all, that one of Thessalonica of the 380 a.D. (that turn the Christianity to the only allowed religion in the Roman Empire), began to erect churches along the important communication routes. This church was built, for the first time, even at the end of the V century a.D,. So, imagine, around 1500 years ago... In that period Rome and the entire Italy, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, was under the rule of the gothic king Theodoric. He was an important historical character who, initially, had a very good relationship with the christian community, so as to give a new impulse to the construction of churches such as this. There is also an archeological document that is very interested because it attests the dating of the building: I'm talking about the small tile, now on display in the ambo, which reports the details of its production, completely analogous to the production of such objects in the Rome of the end of V century.

Upon entering we can see how the basilica exudes history. The columns that flank the central nave, coming from who-knows-such as the temples or the roman domus, with polychrome marble and cosmati on the floor (what is left of the restoration of the Middle Ages), and traces of wall-paintings of the epoch of the foundation. Moreover I can tell that the Basilica of San Giovanni at Porta Latina is one of the best places in Rome where yoou can see well preserved frescos from the XI - XII century, that Middle Ages that was able to leave us amazing artistic beauties. Entering here and looking at the fragments of those frescos, with their vivid colors, we have the opportunity to feel the medieval atmosphere when the paintings inside churches used to display biblical episodes and figures in order to talk, in some degree, to the believers. And still today we have pieces of religion on the triumphal arch or the counter facade of this church, even along the nave we have some remains of the religious message send through frescos.

But it is not the end because the Basilica of San Giovanni at Porta Latina became the location of a great scandal in the papal Rome of the Renaissance. It would have been here, and documents attest that, that an association of gay men used to have their meetings. Moreover it seems that in this basilica it was possible, for homosexuals, to be bound with a true and sacred marriage. In anticipation of the modern times, then, it seems that already in Rome, five hundreds of years ago, in a complete secret way, homosexuals tried to get married. For the Eternal City and the Church at the time, however, it was a great scandal, so much so that the club was dissolved, even in the blood. In short, if you walk along the Via Latina, I will dwell a little to admire this little gem!