Chapel of San Silvestro

The chapel in honor of St. Sylvester I, Pope of Rome , was built in 1247 by order of Cardinal Stefano Conti on the ground floor of his palace, adjacent to the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati . For the construction of the chapel, the eastern part of the northern (right) nave of the destroyed basilica of Leo IV and the northwest corner of the quadroportic were used . The builders preserved the quadroportic arch, turning it into an entrance arch into a presbytery .

The walls of the nave of the chapel were decorated with a series of frescoes illustrating the life of Sylvester I, popular in the Middle Ages, in which the pope was credited with the conversion to Christianity of Constantine the Great , the baptism of the latter in the Baptistery of the Lateran Basilica , the finding together with St. Helen of the Life-giving Cross in Jerusalem and receiving the Western gift from the emperor half of the Roman Empire (the so-called gift of Constantine ). The frescoes were of great political importance. During this period, the struggle of the papacy and empire reached its peak: Emperor Frederick II , twice excommunicated from the Church, dominated Italy and threatened Rome; Pope Innocent IV , whose governor in Rome was Stefano Conti, fled to France; at the Lyon Cathedral, the Church anathematized Frederick II. The history of Konstantinov’s gift demonstrated the relations of secular and spiritual power that are correct from the point of view of the papacy: popes possess secular power over Rome, emperors unconditionally recognize themselves as papal vassals and possess power as much as the pope is ready to transfer it to them. Presumably, the walls of the presbytery were also decorated with frescoes, but on less pressing topics: they illustrated the history of the earthly life of the Virgin (not preserved). The chapel floor was decorated in cosmati style.

In the apse, two plates were placed with a lengthy inscription about the consecration of the chapel:

AD LAUD (EM) D (E) IO (MN) IP (OTENT) IS ET HONOR (EM) B (EAT) I SILV (EST) RI P (A) P (E) ET CON (FESSORI) S. DEDICATA E (ST) HEC CAPELLA P (ER) D (OMI) N (U) M RAYNALD (UM) OSTIEN (SEM) EP (ISCOPU) M AD P (RE) CES D (OMI) NI STEPH (AN) IT ( I) T (ULI) S (AN) C (T) EM (ARI) ET (RA) NSTIB (ER) IM P (RES) B (YTE) RI CARD (INALIS) Q (UI) CAPELLAM ET DOMOS EDIFICARI FECIT. IN NO (MIN) ED (OMI) NI AM (EN). ANNO D (OMI) NI MCCXLVI INDICTIO (N) E IIII FERIA VI ANTE PALMAS. T (EM) P (OR) ED (OMI) NI INNOCE (N) TII QUARTI P (AP) E ANNO IIII.

Transfer

To the glory of God Almighty and in honor of blessed Sylvester, pope and confessor. This chapel is consecrated by Mr. Raynald, Bishop of Ostia. A chapel and this house have been arranged by Stephen, the titular presbyter of Santa Maria in Trastevere . In the name of the Lord. Amen. The Summer of the Lord 1246, the fourth indica , on the Friday before Palm Sunday, in the fourth year of Pope Innocent IV

Then the inscription lists the relics placed under the altar of the chapel, and the indulgence is guaranteed for one year and forty days to those faithful who visit the chapel on the day of its consecration (Friday before Palm Sunday ) or the next seven days. Since the calendar year change in Rome took place at that time for Easter , the year 1246 mentioned in the inscription is actually 1247 .

In 1562, the Santi-Quattro-Coronati complex was handed over to Pius IV by the Augustinian women to establish an orphanage for girls. In 1577, Gregory XIII allowed the Roman Guild of marble carvers to conduct services in San Silvestro, as the Four Crowned Martyrs were considered the patrons of the sculptors. As a result, since 1577, both the Augustinians and the guild members used the San Silvestro Chapel. At the expense of the latter, the artist Raffaelino Motta da Reggio (died in 1578 ) made new frescoes in the presbytery , telling about the martyrdom of the Four Saints. In 1624 - 1632, by order of the guild, the Florentine Giovanni Battista Vanni painted the arch in the presbytery. On June 27, 1728, Pope Benedict XIII consecrated the newly built altar in honor of St. Sylvester.

During the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, conflicts arose between the augustines and members of the guild of marble carvers on the use of the chapel by the two owners. One of the traces of this conflict is a door cut into the chapel from the first courtyard of the Santi Quattro Coronati complex and allowing guild members to visit the chapel without passing through the monastery. In 1794, the conflict was resolved by Pius VI : the chapel was physically divided between the two owners by a stone wall. The Augustinians got a small space in the western part of the chapel, where they organized a confessional . Most of the chapel with the altar went to the guild.

After the secularization of most of the complex in 1879, the San Silvestro chapel remained completely in the possession of the Augustinians. In 1913, Antonio Munoz carried out restoration work: he removed the partition separating the chapel and cleaned the frescoes of the nave, telling about the Constantine gift, from the later layers of plaster. In 2006, after the next restoration, access to the chapel was again opened for visitors.

The presbytery is arranged in the part of the former quadroportic of Leo IV Basilica, and the arch separating it from the main part of the chapel was in the past one of the arches of the quadroportic. The original appearance of the 13th century presbytery has not been preserved: it is assumed that it was decorated with frescoes that tell of the life of the Virgin .

After the transition of the chapel to the guild of marble carvers ( 1577 ), the presbytery was significantly rebuilt and re-painted. The frescoes were painted before 1588 (this year they are mentioned in written sources), and their author is traditionally considered Rafaelino Motta da Reggio (died in 1578 ). It is assumed that most of the murals were completed before the death of the main author, and then one of his assistants completed the work, which explains the difference in the technique of the upper and lower parts of the frescoes. On the north (left) wall of the presbytery is a scene of the martyrdom of Roman soldiers who refused to offer Asclepius a sacrifice (see Four Crowned Martyrs ). On the south (right) wall is the execution of Sirmian sculptors (they, imprisoned in lead boxes, are thrown into the river).

Murals of the eastern wall (above the altar) and the vault were made in 1624 - 1632 by the Florentine Giovanni Battista Vanni . Immediately after the altar, the Crucifix is depicted with the forthcoming Mother of God and John the Theologian , and above - the scene of the Annunciation . In the center of the vault, four angels support the image of the blessing Christ, and below are four evangelists and four Roman martyr soldiers holding the sculptors' working tools.

The nave of the chapel was arranged in the eastern part of the former northern (right) nave of the Basilica of Leo IV . To a large extent, the nave has retained its original appearance of the XIII century : the floor is made in cosmati style, the vault is covered with numerous red and green eight-pointed stars on a white background, which should remind of the sky. The frescoes of the lower register of the walls were not preserved; supposedly they imitated marble or curtains. The middle wall register was a series of twenty-seven medallions of prophets and Old Testament saints holding scrolls with biblical texts indicating the future coming of the Son of God into the world. Currently, only a part of the medallions can be seen, the names of the saints and the texts on the scrolls are not preserved, but in 1637 they were all painted by Antonio Eklisse.

The upper row of frescoes, illustrating the medieval life of Pope Sylvester I , is quite well preserved. They were made until 1247 by an unknown artist commissioned by Cardinal Stefano Conti and illustrate a burning topic about the superiority of popes over imperial power. Actually the history of the Konstantinov gift occupies the western (back) and northern (left) wall of the chapel; on the south (right) wall three scenes are depicted, included at that time in the life of Sylvester, but thematically not related to the gift.

• Western (back) wall.
  • Emperor Constantine is sick with leprosy and received instructions from the priests of the Capitoline Temple of Jupiter to take a bath from the blood of innocent babies for his healing. Numerous Christians with children beg the emperor to abandon such a terrible action.
  • In a dream, the emperor has two husbands with halo and tell him to find and ask for the healing of Papa Sylvester.
  • Three horsemen (envoys of Constantine) are sent to the pope.

• North (left) wall:
  • Leaving Rome during the persecution, Sylvester receives envoys on Mount Zorakt.
  • Sylvester arrives at Konstantin lying on his deathbed and shows him the images of the apostles Peter and Paul . Konstantin recognizes in them two participants of his night vision.
  • Constantine is baptized by immersion from Pope Sylvester.
  • The healed emperor, with his head naked and dressed in ceremonial clothes, leaves the city gates to meet the pope, leading a white stallion under the bridle. Sitting on the throne, Sylvester blesses the emperor and receives from the last tiara and umbraculum - a ceremonial umbrella with red and gold stripes.
  • Pope Sylvester in a tiara and under an umbrella drives to Rome on a white stallion. The emperor in a crown and formal clothes is walking in front of Sylvester, holding a papal horse under the bridle.

• South (right) wall:
  • Dispute of the pope and rabbi Zamvri. The rabbi in one word kills the wild bull, and the pope revives the beast with his prayer. Among the admirers of Zambria, Saint Helena , already a monotheist, but not yet a Christian, is depicted.
  • Helen finds the Life-Giving Cross in Jerusalem (the scene was included in the life of Sylvester, although the pope himself is not shown here).
  • Sylvester transfers the Cross to Rome (the fresco is very damaged)

In the lunette above the entrance (western wall, above the story of Konstantinov’s gift), the scene of the Second Coming is presented. Christ sits on a throne, in His left hand is a cross, under his right hand are the instruments of the Passion : a crown of thorns, nails and a sponge with vinegar. The Mother of God and the six apostles, led by Paul, are facing Christ on the right, John the Baptist and the other six apostles with Peter are on the left. Two angels soar in the dark sky: the left one blows, and the right one holds a scroll with the image of a darkened sun and stars.

Lia Barelli. The Monumental complex of Santi Quattro Coronati in Rome. - Rome: Viella, 2009 .-- 96 p. - ISBN 978-88-8334-426-8 .