THE COLOSSEUM, A THOUSAND-YEARS-OLD SECRET
A thousands-years-old secret in the heart of the Colosseum!
“A church… inside the Amphitheatre?” The surprise is great when visitors discover this unexpected presence among the majestic ruins of the Colosseum. Well yes, there is a small church, a silent witness to the changes that this iconic place has undergone over the centuries.
Today we find it tucked away in the north-eastern area, once used as warehouses and storerooms, a hidden corner compared to the bustling tourist route. But its history begins elsewhere, back in 1517. Imagine: near the arch facing the Lateran, some ancient walls took on new life, transforming into a chapel with an altar.
This sacred space was entrusted by the Confraternity of San Salvatore to the Compagnia del Gonfalone, a group that had been animating the Colosseum with moving representations of the Passion of Christ since 1490. A significant moment was 1622, when, after a restoration, the chapel was dedicated to the Madonna della Santissima Pietà, an event immortalized in a marble inscription that can still be admired inside today. Only after 1827 did the chapel find its current location.
Thanks to precious artistic testimonies, we can still imagine the original appearance of this chapel. Among these stands out the evocative view by the Danish painter Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, created between 1813 and 1816. A true journey through time!
Source: Parco Archeologico del Colosseo