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| San Nicola in Carcere, Rome |
December 6 was the Feast of Saint Nicholas which is celebrated around the world and honors the legend of the generous saint who is better known to many, of course, as Santa Claus. This sneaky saint was a secret gift giver and was known to leave coins in shoes left out for him. So if you participate in “secret Santa” activities, you are following a grand tradition. San Nicola (as he is called in Italian) lived in the fourth century and was a Bishop in a part of what is now Turkey. His many miracles have also led to him being called “Nicholas the Wonderworker.”
One of the oldest churches in Rome is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It’s called San Nicola in Carcere (St. Nicholas in Prison) as this was the site of a jail during the Roman empire.
The church was likely constructed in the 6th century and rebuilt a number of times thereafter. It is built using the “Spolia” from three different temples that stood here when the area was part of the Forum Holitorium in the early years of Ancient Rome. Spolia means architecture and architectural fragments repurposed for new buildings. Many of the buildings in Rome, both pagan and Christian, contain spolia of earlier structures. One can clearly see the columns and entablature of the temples which make up part of the exterior walls of the San Nicola.
When Paul and I visited this church we were amazed at the variety of columns, both their designs and materials, that were incorporated into the interior walls of the church as well. We paid a Euro to an attendant and he gave us a tour of the church's lower level. We were able to seehow the columns of two different temples were an integral part of the church walls and foundation.
San Nicola in Carcere is on a rather busy street in Rome. It is very close to the Bocca della Verita (the mouth of truth) best known through the film “Roman Holiday.” Almost every day a line of tourists wait to put a hand in the “Bocca.” If you don’t lose your hand, you can prove that you tell the truth.
We never took the time to test our honesty. But we had fun watching the tourists try their luck.
