# Basilica of San Clemente, Rome

> The Basilica of San Clemente is a layer cake of Roman history five minutes from the Colosseum. On top is a 12th-century church with a golden mosaic; beneath it an early Christian basilica of the 4th century with frescoes; and below that a 1st-century Roman house and a temple of Mithras, where you can hear an underground stream. The upper church is free, the excavations about €10–12; allow an hour.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-clemente

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 39/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 1 h
- Entry: Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Upper basilica: Free
- Excavations: ≈ €10–12, tickets inside the basilica
- Opening hours: ≈ 9:00–12:30 and 15:00–18:00; Sunday from midday
- Below ground: Cool, ≈ 15 °C; photos usually not allowed
- Time needed: About an hour for all levels
- Location: Via Labicana 95; 5–7 minutes' walk from the Colosseum
- Coordinates: 41.88930, 12.49756
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **3 levels** — a 12th-century basilica, a 4th-century basilica and 1st-century Roman buildings (source: English Wikipedia)
- **12th century** — the Triumph of the Cross apse mosaic upstairs (source: English Wikipedia)
- **11th century** — frescoes below with one of the earliest inscriptions in Italian (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Mithraeum** — a 2nd–3rd-century temple of Mithras on the lowest level (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1857** — Irish prior Mullooly began excavating beneath the church (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1667** — the basilica passed to Irish Dominicans (source: English Wikipedia)

## San Clemente underground: tickets and hours

The **upper basilica is free**. The **excavations** below cost about **€10–12**, paid at the bookshop to the right of the altar. Hours are usually Monday to Saturday about **9:00–12:30 and 15:00–18:00**, Sunday from midday, with the underground closed over lunch. It's about 15 °C and damp below, stairs are steep, and photography is generally not allowed.

## Three levels of history

San Clemente lets you walk down through the centuries. The **top level** is a 12th-century church built directly on the ruins of an older one. The **middle level** is an **early Christian basilica of the 4th century**, filled in when the new church went up. The **lowest**, about 18 metres down, holds **1st-century Roman buildings** — a house and a warehouse — and later a **Mithraeum**, a temple of the Persian god Mithras.

The lower levels were forgotten for seven centuries until **1857**, when Irish prior Joseph Mullooly began digging and found the old basilica and then Roman streets. Irish Dominicans have looked after the basilica since **1667**.

## The upper basilica

Upstairs is a bright church with a **Cosmatesque** floor, a marble choir enclosure and one of Rome's loveliest apse mosaics, the 12th-century **Triumph of the Cross**: golden acanthus scrolls spread from the crucifix, full of birds, animals, shepherds and scholars — a whole world growing from the cross. The Chapel of St Catherine by the entrance has frescoes by **Masolino** (1428–1431), an early Renaissance master.

## The lower basilica and Mithraeum

Steps from the sacristy lead into the **4th-century basilica**: a dark nave with column stumps and **11th-century frescoes** of St Clement and St Alexis, one captioned in vernacular speech — among the **earliest written Italian**. Here too is the traditional burial place of **St Cyril**, creator of the Slavic alphabet, hung with plaques from Bulgarian, Russian and Slovak pilgrims.

Further down, narrow brick corridors lead to the **Mithraeum**, a vaulted cave-like room with stone benches and an altar showing Mithras and the bull. The **sound of rushing water** follows you — an underground stream still flows beneath the basilica into the ancient sewers.

## What to see

- **Triumph of the Cross mosaic** — upper basilica apse, 12th century.
- **Masolino's frescoes** — Chapel of St Catherine by the entrance.
- **Cosmatesque floor and choir** — upper basilica.
- **11th-century frescoes** — lower basilica, with St Clement.
- **St Cyril's burial place** — lower basilica, with Slavic pilgrims' plaques.
- **Mithraeum** — the 2nd–3rd-century temple of Mithras at the bottom.
- **The underground stream** — audible in the Roman house corridors.

> **What to bring below** Bring a light layer for the cool, damp air, and sensible shoes for steep stairs and narrow passages. Children usually love the descent — especially the sound of the hidden river.

## How to get there

1. From the [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum), 5–7 minutes east along Via Labicana.
2. Metro line B to **Colosseo**, then 7 minutes.
3. Tram 3 and buses 51, 85 and 87 stop on Via Labicana.
4. The [Lateran Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) is 10 minutes further on foot.

## Is San Clemente worth it?

Yes — one of Rome's most fascinating sites, where history is literally stacked, and blissfully uncrowded five minutes from the Colosseum. The mosaic upstairs is free, and the descent from the 12th century to the 1st in twenty minutes is well worth the ticket. Pair it with the Colosseum and the Lateran.

## Before you go

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Check the hours — closed at midday
- [ ] Bring a layer for the excavations
- [ ] Cover shoulders and knees
- [ ] Find the Triumph of the Cross mosaic
- [ ] Go down to the Mithraeum and listen for the stream

## Rome's churches: compare and choose

Churches and basilicas in Rome rated by YesGo.

- [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon) — YesGo score 82/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · ≈ €5
- [St Peter's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15
- [Sistine Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sistine-chapel) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25
- [Archbasilica of St John Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; cloister ≈ €5
- [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free
- [Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free
- [Church of the Gesù](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/church-of-the-gesu) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Sant'Ignazio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sant-ignazio) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Santa Maria sopra Minerva](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-sopra-minerva) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Santa Maria in Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-in-trastevere) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2
- [Catacombs of Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/rome-catacombs) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €10–12 with guide
- [San Pietro in Vincoli](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-pietro-in-vincoli) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [San Luigi dei Francesi](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-luigi-dei-francesi) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Santa Maria della Vittoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-della-vittoria) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-carlo-alle-quattro-fontane) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Tempietto](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/tempietto) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Santa Sabina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free
- [Baths of Diocletian](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/baths-of-diocletian) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12
- [Basilica of San Clemente](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-clemente) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12

## Colosseum to the Lateran

The Colosseum at opening, San Clemente and its excavations, then the Lateran Basilica and the Scala Santa.

1. [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ≈ €18
2. [Basilica of San Clemente](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-clemente) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12
3. [Archbasilica of St John Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; cloister ≈ €5

## Don't mix it up

St Clement was the third successor of St Peter; St Cyril, who rests here, brought his relics to Rome in the 9th century.

## Tips

- The upper basilica is free.
- It's 15 °C underground — bring a layer.
- Listen for the hidden river in the Mithraeum.
- 5–7 minutes from the Colosseum.

## Questions

### How much is San Clemente?

The upper church is free; the excavations cost about €10–12.

### What is under San Clemente?

A 4th-century basilica with frescoes, and below it a 1st-century Roman house and a temple of Mithras.

### What are the opening hours?

Usually Mon–Sat about 9:00–12:30 and 15:00–18:00, Sunday from midday.

### Where is San Clemente?

On Via Labicana, 5–7 minutes' walk from the Colosseum.

### Who is buried in San Clemente?

By tradition, St Cyril, creator of the Slavic alphabet.

### How long do you need?

About an hour for all levels.

## How we checked

History, levels, mosaics and frescoes from English Wikipedia. Excavation prices and hours weren't confirmed on the official site at the time of checking — hence the 'checking' badge.

## Sources

- Basilica di San Clemente official website (Irish Dominicans)
- English Wikipedia, San Clemente al Laterano

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