Italian
The column “Art, Culture, History and Archaeology” curated by Carlo Franchini continues. A journey to discover the beauties, curiosities, and charm of Italy and the world, from yesterday and today.
Traveling along the provincial road Cassia, just south of the wonderful village of Ronciglione, we take a dirt road and cross stretches that seem endless of hazelnut groves. We are on the ancient Via Francigena.
Originally, the route taken by travelers heading to Rome wound its way up the Cimini mountains. The path, quite dangerous even in late antiquity, was abandoned in the early medieval period in favor of a more accessible valley route that, passing through Viterbo, Vetralla, and Sutri, reached the city in a safer manner. From the original route, known as the “Cimina variant”, branched off “diverticoli” where small shrines, pagan burials, and memorials dedicated to local cults were located; among these was also the “Shrine of Saint Eusebius”.
After a few kilometers, we reach the site we want to visit: the sanctuary of Saint Eusebius, indeed “…first a Roman burial site, then a place of Christian worship in the Early Middle Ages, and finally a Romanesque church, still consecrated and officiated today. But on the site, there are also traces of an archaic temple probably dedicated to the Etruscan solar deity Soranus. In other words, a multi-millennial palimpsest, and a treasure trove of civil, religious, and artistic history, recently restored, but little known. It was famous among travelers and pilgrims who visited it for centuries or stayed there to rest from their long journey before facing the final stretch towards the destination: Rome.” [1]
It’s a beautiful sunny day and sitting on a low wall is my friend Pietro Paolo Lateano, who will be our guide. [2]
The branches of two large oaks, swayed by the wind, seem to want to caress the small church at the center of a clearing bordered by lush green hazel trees.
Pietro, an architect and restoration teacher, a great expert of these places, with his enthusiasm invites us to begin our journey into the ancient world of this site that we will discover to be of great interest from a historical and archaeological perspective, but also of great charm and emotion: a precious indelible mark of a distant time.
It is he who, driven by great passion and enthusiasm, restored the church, making it a true gem. We are in the presence of one of the most important paleochristian sites in Tuscia and almost certainly the oldest church on the famous Via Francigena; of Romanesque style, it features a very complex architectural palimpsest. The sanctuary was indeed built over an ancient pagan burial ground from the 4th century AD. During the excavations and restoration activities of the site, a precious inscription was found, now preserved at the church of S. Maria della Pace, which is like a page of history… “Memoriam FL Eusebius ia res sua sibi et suis incolumis fecit quique urbanis cohortibus inculpatae in campaniae usque uc consularis exornans principatum stipendiis ratione decursis inpleuit militam”.
The story tells that in 476 A.D. the repeated barbarian invasions were the cause of the fall of the Roman Empire. However, this fall occurred slowly. It is certain that the territories were no longer as safe as they once were. Therefore, it was customary for the generals of the Roman army who had received land as compensation for their military service to build farms and villas (domuscultae) where they could retreat to live, but fortified with walls, watchtowers, and even a small garrison to protect their families. And that is what Flavius Eusebius, the deputy governor of Campania, did; he owned these lands where, in addition to the walls and watchtower, still visible, he had built, “while alive” (incolumis), within his property, a burial site containing 7 sarcophagi, one of which was for a child.
But what does Flavius Eusebius have to do with S. Eusebius? Nothing, at least on the surface. S. Eusebius, after his installation, was the first bishop of the diocese of Sutri (a village about four kilometers away in a straight line from the church) mentioned in the synod of Pope Hilary [3] in 465, thus an important figure both because the diocese of Sutri was very large and especially because, even during his lifetime, he was considered “saint” by the people and was venerated as the protector of priestly vocations.
And so, misunderstanding the name Flavius Eusebius, pilgrimages began to the place believed to be dedicated to S. Eusebius to seek grace. A place that was very frequented for centuries, as demonstrated by the treasure of florins from the jubilee of Pope Boniface VIII in 1300, found by Pietro Paolo during excavation and restoration activities. Gradually, part of the pagan tomb was transformed into a church.
Finally, Pietro Paolo takes a large key, a copy of the ancient hand-forged one, and opens the door.
The light bursts in and illuminates the small three-nave church.
“Wait to enter” says Pietro Paolo. “Here the sun does something very particular! By dividing the church in half with an imaginary line and extending it infinitely, you have the east-west axis. A similar orientation to almost all Romanesque churches. But in this case, the apse is not to the east, as it should be, but the opposite. Thus, the sun, during the winter solstice, entering the round eye of the church’s facade, illuminates the fresco of Christ made even with tiny flakes of silver, making it sparkle. A phenomenon known since ancient times. And indeed in this site the remains of a temple dedicated to Soranus, the sun god of the Etruscans, have also been found.”
This place has a truly endless story!
It’s time to enter.
At the back, behind the altar, above the presbytery, a ray of sunlight brightens the colors of a beautiful fresco: Madonna with Child believed to be from the 15th century, flanked by depictions of St. Eusebius and St. Stephen. The silence is broken only by the rustling of the wind in the branches of the oaks surrounding the church. Then Pietro Paolo resumes his story.
In the vault of the presbytery, here are the 53 graffiti that make up the largest body of graffiti in uncial script studied to date. They are of great importance because they testify to the very first pilgrimages of faithful who sought grace from what was already a Saint for them: “Eusebius“. At that time in Italy, various dialects were spoken. For this reason, it was difficult for people to understand each other from one area to another. There was a need to speak a language recognized by all. Thus, the monks, who were particularly learned, invented uncial, a language that bridges Latin terms with the first terms of the vernacular already in use, also known for its original writing with flourishes similar to Gothic style.
But these graffiti are also a testimony to the transition from the tomb of Flavius Eusebius to a place of worship dedicated to
The light bursts through the small windows near the roof and illuminates the Lombard columns and the beautiful tri-facial capitals rich in symbolism. They tell how pilgrims likely moved during their visits. On the front side, the soft lanceolate acanthus leaves are depicted, to the right the peacock and the partridge, to the left the inverted serpents that spit flames. The peacock and the partridge are pagan symbols adopted into Christianity. The Romans ate peacock meat because it aged for a long time without spoiling. Consequently, Christians saw it as a symbol of eternity and immortality. The partridge, on the other hand, due to its monogamous nature, is a symbol of fidelity. The pilgrim thus undertook two paths. The first around the capitals: on the right, immortality and fidelity, on the left, demons, the inverted serpents. The second path, most likely, involved proceeding on knees along the floor that rises from the entrance to the altar.
Even more interesting are the frescoes still preserved on the walls, created between the 11th and 17th centuries. We focus on the most significant ones.
The first one that Pietro Paolo illustrates to us is a sinopia, a preparatory drawing. Illuminated by a handheld torch, two heart-shaped halos can be seen, two heads touching with their lips and kissing, one arm around the other’s shoulder, and the other figure embracing the first around the waist: it is the oldest known fresco representation of the Visitatio Virginis, the visit of the Madonna to Saint Elizabeth.
On the left side is represented the Last Supper, which also has very particular characteristics.
The semicircular table does not appear in other Western paintings of the same period. For the first time, the apostles are positioned in groups of two and three. Judas, smaller than the others, is placed on this side of the table without a halo because he is the traitor, and finally, the cups with the fish on the table, a symbol of Christ, but the unique aspect is the gesture of the apostles. The fresco depicts Christ, who, on Holy Thursday, confers the priestly mandate to the apostles, who, with outstretched hands, receive it and simultaneously re-consecrate the divine bread.
Of great interest is the fresco of the Jesse tree, the genealogy of Jesus. It is the oldest existing fresco representation of this size to date. Unfortunately, several parts are missing, such as the depiction of Jesse, the patriarch of the royal lineage that leads from King David to Jesus, usually represented as sleeping, from which the tree originates based on the prophecy of Isaiah… “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1-2). [4]
Very refined is the fresco of the Blessing Christ among four Saints: on the left, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Paul, on the right, Saint Peter and a holy monk.
I observe these beautiful Byzantine-style representations, unable to help but think of those so familiar to me that adorn the rock churches of the Gheralta region in Ethiopia. Besides the pictorial style conveyed by the many missionaries who traveled in Christian Ethiopia, they share an atmosphere of isolation, silence, and the strong spirituality they convey.
But this site has many other stories to tell since the Neolithic period… it is a great book of ancient history of cultures, traditions, and fascinating painting art where there is still much to uncover.
First of all the tomb of Saint Eusebius, who is believed to be buried here. Indeed, Roman burial sites after the Edict of Constantine gradually became Christian necropolises. But it’s time to go.
I greet Pietro Paolo who, in addition to giving us a wonderful history lesson, with his stories and engaging enthusiasm made the visit particularly exciting and unique, helping us discover one of the many “wonders” of our marvelous country.
[1] Source: https://www.ultimacena.afom.it/ronciglione-vt-chiesa-di-santeusebio-con-ultima-cena/
[2] Graduated with honors cum laude in architecture and restoration from the University of Rome La Sapienza, PhD and lecturer, Pietro Paolo Lateano divides his time between private practice in the field of conservation and teaching restoration and consolidation of monuments. He is also the director of the museum and archaeological center of the ancient city of Sutri.
[3] (Sardinia, … – Rome, February 29, 468) was the 46th bishop of Rome and pope of the Catholic Church, who is venerated as a saint. He was pope from 461 until his death.
[4] “What is the tree of Jesse? It represents a schematic representation of the genealogy of Jesus starting from Jesse, the father of King David, who is of particular importance in the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. A model from which subsequent representations of genealogical trees will derive. Used in Christian art between the 11th and 15th centuries.”
