Trastevere: the Basement of the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

Descend to the underground areas of the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere and let yourself be guided on a journey through almost 2,000 years of history, including archaeology, art, and Christian tradition.

According to tradition, the basilica stands on the site where the house of the Roman noblewoman Cecilia was located. She was martyred around 230 AD for her faith. Hagiographic sources tell us that, after converting her husband Valerian and her brother-in-law Tiburtius to Christianity, Cecilia was sentenced to die in the caldarium of her home. Having survived the scorching steam for three days, she was finally beheaded. It is said that Pope Urban I, a witness to the martyrdom, buried her body and transformed the house into a place of worship, giving rise to the first church dedicated to the saint.

The basement of the basilica preserves one of the most fascinating archaeological complexes in Trastevere. During the guided visit, you can explore:

• the remains of a Roman domus from the Republican and Imperial periods;
• the rooms of an ancient insula, a typical residential building of ancient Rome;
• the structures that tradition identifies with the house of Saint Cecilia;
• an evocative antiquarium displaying the artifacts found during the archaeological excavations.

An exclusive route that allows you to discover one of the most evocative and least known places in Rome, where the history of the city, archaeology, and the memory of the saint are intertwined in a route full of charm.