Church Of Santa Pudenziana In Rome, Italy Editorial Image

Inside view church of Santa Pudenziana in Rome, Italy. The basilica was built in the 4th-century and is dedicated to Saint Pudentiana. The church of Santa Pudenziana is recognized as the oldest place of Christian worship in Rome. It was built over a 2nd-century house, probably during the pontificate of Pius I in 140–155 AD. In the 4th century, during the pontificate of Pope Siricius, the building was transformed into a three-naves church. Restorations by Francesco da Volterra dating 1588 transformed the three naves into one and a dome was added, also designed by Francesco da Volterra. The columns in the nave were part of the original basilica structure. The mosaics in the apse are late Roman art. They date from around the end of the 4th century; they are regarded by different groups of scholars as dating from either the reign of Pope Siricius 384–399 or the pontificate of Innocent I 401–417 They were heavily restored in the 16th century. They are among the oldest Christian mosaics in Rome.