# Basilica of Santa Sabina, Rome

> Santa Sabina is one of Rome's oldest and best-preserved churches, built in the 5th century on the Aventine beside the Orange Garden. Inside is a luminous nave of 24 marble columns, and at the entrance carved cypress doors of the 5th century bear one of the earliest images of the Crucifixion. Entry is free; 20–30 minutes is enough.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 45/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 20 min
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entry: Free
- Opening hours: Mornings and afternoons, closed midday
- Highlights: 5th-century cypress doors, the 24-column nave
- Nearby: The Orange Garden and the Knights of Malta keyhole
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes
- Location: Aventine; 15 minutes' climb from Circo Massimo metro
- Coordinates: 41.88444, 12.47972
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **c. 422–432** — built by the priest Peter of Illyria (source: English Wikipedia)
- **24 columns** — of Proconnesian marble with Corinthian capitals (source: English Wikipedia)
- **5th century** — carved cypress doors with Bible scenes (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Crucifixion** — one of the oldest known depictions, on the doors (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1222** — the basilica was given to the Dominican order (source: English Wikipedia)

## A short history

The priest **Peter of Illyria** built the basilica around **422–432**, on the site of a house traditionally said to belong to a Roman matron named **Sabina**. It's one of very few Roman churches almost unchanged in 1,500 years: 20th-century restorers stripped away later Baroque additions to reveal its **early Christian** form.

In **1222** the pope gave the basilica and convent to **St Dominic**, founder of the Order of Preachers, and Santa Sabina has been the Dominicans' mother house ever since. By tradition Lent begins here: on Ash Wednesday the pope comes to Santa Sabina for a procession.

## The nave

Inside is a bright, austere, spacious **nave**: two rows of **12 columns** of white **Proconnesian marble** with Corinthian capitals, possibly taken from a nearby temple of Juno. High under the roof, large windows with **selenite** grilles diffuse a soft light. Above the arches runs a 5th-century marble inlay frieze, and over the door a **mosaic inscription** of the same date — gold letters on blue, with two female figures symbolising the Church of the Jews and of the Gentiles.

## The cypress doors

The great treasure is the **5th-century cypress doors** in the portico, among the oldest carved wooden doors in the world. Their panels show Old and New Testament scenes, and the top-left one holds one of the **earliest known images of the Crucifixion**: Christ between two thieves against city walls, without a visible cross. Eighteen of the original 28 panels survive.

## What to see

- **Cypress doors** — 5th century, in the portico, left of the entrance.
- **The 24-column nave** — a luminous early Christian hall.
- **Mosaic inscription** over the door — 5th century.
- **Selenite windows** — soft light under the roof.
- **St Dominic's orange tree** — glimpsed through a hole in the portico wall.
- **The Orange Garden** — next door, with a view over Rome.

> **St Dominic's orange tree** In the portico, look for a small hole in the wall to the right of the doors: through it you can see the convent courtyard and an orange tree. Tradition says St Dominic planted Italy's first orange tree here around 1220, and today's tree grew from its shoot.

## How to get there

1. Metro line B to **Circo Massimo**, then 15 minutes uphill along Via di Valle Murcia.
2. Buses 23 and 280 to Lungotevere Aventino, then 10 minutes up the steps.
3. From the [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita), 10 minutes up Clivo di Rocca Savella.
4. The [Orange Garden and keyhole](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/aventine-keyhole) are 2–3 minutes away.

## Is Santa Sabina worth it?

Yes — especially if you're heading up the Aventine for the keyhole and the Orange Garden: Santa Sabina sits right between them, it's free, and its calm light is the opposite of the centre's Baroque churches. There's no better place in Rome to feel what the first Christians' churches looked like. Cover shoulders and knees; it closes at midday.

## Before you go

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

- [ ] Check the hours — closed at midday
- [ ] Cover shoulders and knees
- [ ] Find the Crucifixion on the cypress doors
- [ ] Peer through the hole at the orange tree
- [ ] Walk on to the Orange Garden and keyhole

## 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
- [Santa Sabina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Tempietto](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/tempietto) — 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

## Palatine to Aventine

The Palatine on your Colosseum ticket, then down to the Circus Maximus, the Mouth of Truth and up the Aventine to the keyhole.

1. [Palatine Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
2. [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
3. [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2
4. [Aventine Keyhole](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/aventine-keyhole) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free
5. [Santa Sabina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free

## Don't mix it up

Santa Sabina on the Aventine isn't Santa Susanna near Piazza della Repubblica, nor neighbouring Sant'Alessio. The basilica is named after St Sabina, a 2nd-century Roman saint.

## Tips

- The 5th-century doors are in the portico, on the left.
- The peephole to St Dominic's tree is by the entrance.
- Quiet and full of light inside.
- The Orange Garden is steps away.

## Questions

### Where is Santa Sabina?

On the Aventine next to the Orange Garden, 15 minutes from Circo Massimo metro.

### Is Santa Sabina free?

Yes.

### When was Santa Sabina built?

Around 422–432.

### What's special about its doors?

They're 5th-century carved cypress doors with Bible scenes, including one of the earliest Crucifixions.

### What is the orange tree at Santa Sabina?

By tradition a descendant of the tree St Dominic planted; you see it through a hole in the portico wall.

## How we checked

History, architecture and doors from English Wikipedia. Opening hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge.

## Sources

- English Wikipedia, Santa Sabina

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