The Temple of Vesta in Rome has been one of the most important and revered buildings in the city since ancient times. The temple was built in honor of the goddess Vesta - the patroness of the hearth. A fire was constantly burning inside the temple, personifying the immortality of Rome and considered sacred for every resident of the city.

The sacred flame was supported by six Vestal priestesses who came from very noble families. The young priestesses lived in a separate house next to the temple and led an ascetic lifestyle, maintaining a vow of celibacy for thirty years. After the end of their service to the Temple, the Vestals became one of the richest residents of Rome and could start a family. Every year, the Romans came to the Temple on July 9 to ask the goddess Vesta for blessings and protection for Rome and their homes.

The rounded building of the Temple of Vesta is made in the shape of a tholos. It is surrounded by twenty columns, the upper part of which has managed to darken from the flame of the sacred fire. In 394, Emperor Theodosius ordered the closure of the Temple, after which it became fairly dilapidated, but still survives to this day.

Church of St. Catherine

The history of the construction of a Russian Orthodox church in Rome dates back to the 19th century, when the rector of the Russian embassy church, Archimandrite Clement, managed to convince the highest church leadership of the need for this campaign. Fundraising was supported already under Emperor Nicholas II.

Revolutionary events cooled the ardor; it seemed that the construction of the temple was not destined to be carried out. But His Holiness Patriarch of All Rus' Alexy II again turned to the authorities. Already in 2001, on Christmas, on Easter and on the day of remembrance of St. Great Martyr Catherine, services were held at the site of the future church. Soon the first stone was solemnly consecrated, and then it was the turn of the domes. Since October 2006, regular services have been held in the temple.

Temple of Saturn

In general, the ancient Romans very often erected all kinds of structures in honor of the gods, who, as a sign of gratitude, protected the city from wars and other disasters. Therefore, it is not surprising that after such an important victory, the city authorities decided to pay tribute to Saturn, so that he would continue to protect Rome from cataclysms.

The temple, built in the form of a pseudoperipterus, had two podiums separated from each other by a staircase, and they were decorated with impressively sized columns in the Ionic style. Inside the Temple, the city treasury was once kept, along with the accompanying papers about profits and losses. There was also a statue of the god of agriculture and gardening, Saturn, which was solemnly carried through the streets of Rome during festive processions. For example, on December 17, a large-scale Saturnalia festival was held near the Temple. Unfortunately, during its existence, Tempio di Saturno survived several fires, and even despite restoration work, only the podium with the colonnade has survived to this day.

Pantheon (Temple of all gods)

The Pantheon, also known as the "Temple of All Gods" is one of the main attractions of Rome and the entire ancient culture. The inscription on the pediment reads: “M. AGRIPPA L F COS TERTIUM FECIT”, which translated sounds like: “Marcus Agrippa, elected consul for the third time, erected this.” The main advantage of the Pantheon is its huge dome, made of monolithic concrete. In the center of the dome there is a round hole framed in bronze. Through it, at midday, the greatest amount of light penetrates into the temple, which is not cut through, but remains in the form of a giant sunbeam. It seems that the light is tangible, and that the Gods themselves descend from Olympus to illuminate this majestic building.

Since 609, the Pantheon was turned into the Christian temple of Santa Maria ad Martires - this is partly why the temple has been so well preserved to this day.

The idea of ​​building a Russian Orthodox church in Rome was first expressed at the end of the 19th century. Archimandrite Kliment (Vernikovsky), who from 1897 to 1902 served as rector of the Russian Embassy Church. Archimandrite Clement managed to convince the highest church leadership and secular authorities of the “need to have an Orthodox church that corresponds to the dignity of Orthodoxy and the greatness of the Fatherland” in the city of the Supreme Apostles.

Already in 1898, on the initiative of Archimandrite Clement, fundraising began, which in 1900 was officially supported by Nicholas II, who made a “royal contribution” of 10 thousand rubles. Grand Dukes Sergei Alexandrovich and Mikhail Nikolaevich, Moscow factory owners and Siberian gold miners donated money to the temple.

The first composition of the Construction Committee was formed and headed by Archimandrite Kliment (Vernikovsky) and A.I. Nelidov, Russian Ambassador to Italy. A large number of projects for the future temple were submitted for consideration by the Construction Committee, including those completed by the famous Russian architect V.A. Pokrovsky and the master of Italian origin Moraldi.

In the fall of 1913, Emperor Nicholas II allowed the collection of donations to begin throughout Russia. During the same period, the Construction Committee issued an appeal that began with the words: “The Throne of God is placed in a rented apartment.” After its publication, fundraising accelerated significantly. In the summer of 1914, the State Bank of the Russian Empire opened a special account in the name of the temple under construction in the St. Petersburg office.

In 1915, the new Construction Committee headed by Prince S.S. Abamelek-Lazarev acquired a plot of the Tiber embankment near Ponte Margherita (Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia) in the name of the Russian embassy. By 1916, about 265 thousand lire had been collected - these funds could well be enough to carry out the necessary work. But the outbreak of revolutionary events in Russia prevented the implementation of the project.

In the early 1990s, the idea of ​​​​the need to build a Russian Orthodox church in Rome was again expressed. This initiative was blessed.

In 2001, on the territory of the Russian embassy villa Abamelek, which before the revolution belonged to the head of the Construction Committee, Prince S.S. Abamelek-Lazarev, a plot of land was allocated for future construction.

In May of the same year, bells cast at the ZIL plant were installed on the church belfry.

On December 7, 2007, during his visit to Italy, DECR Chairman Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad visited the territory of Villa Abamelek, where he consecrated the Church of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helena, located on the ground floor of the church of St. Catherine.

The idea of ​​​​building an Orthodox church in the center of Rome at first seemed completely unrealistic.

In a rented apartment

A Russian Orthodox parish appeared in the Eternal City at the beginning of the 19th century - for the needs of the Russian diplomatic mission. Over time, more and more people from Russia come to Rome and stay here to live. By the end of the century, it becomes clear that the small house church of the embassy is no longer able to accommodate everyone.

“The Throne of God is placed in a rented apartment” - these words began the manifesto of the construction committee, addressed to future patrons of the temple, and in 1913, a collection of money was announced throughout Russia for the construction of a Russian church in Rome.

The construction committee was headed by one of the richest people of his time - Prince Abamelek-Lazarev. But when all the preparatory stages are left behind and the construction itself begins, the prince suddenly dies. This was in the autumn of 1916. Soon a revolution breaks out in Russia, and there is no time to build a temple. Moreover, the house church at the embassy of now Soviet Russia ceases to exist.

The parish becomes part of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Divine services are now held at believers’ homes – sometimes in one apartment, sometimes in another. Finally, in 1931, the community took possession of the Chernyshev Palazzo, the home of the Chernyshev princes, located on Via Palestro in the Castro Pretorio area.

The first floor of the house is being rebuilt as a temple and consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas. True, only the inscription on the facade indicates that there is a church inside the building.

The best of both ways

In 2000, the Orthodox community in Rome, which since the thirties of the last century belonged to the foreign church and then to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, returned under the wing of the Moscow Patriarchate. By this time, the Church of St. Nicholas becomes too crowded for believers. On Sundays it was impossible to enter it - it was so crowded. Rome, like all of Italy, was then flooded with migrants from the former Soviet republics: Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan...

A century later, the Russian Orthodox Church faced the same problem: it needed a more spacious church that could accommodate everyone.

“There were two ways to resolve this issue,” says Bishop Anthony (Sevryuk), rector of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine. – The first seemed the most realistic - to take the temple for use from the Catholic Church, the city administration or private owners.

The second way is to build your own temple. At first it seemed completely unreal. The city of Rome is entirely recognized as an architectural monument, and every piece of land is strictly registered. But then something happens that non-believers would call just an accident. But we know that the Lord does not have accidents.

A gift from the archive

Prince Semyon Abamelek-Lazarev, who headed the Construction Committee a century earlier, owned a villa in Rome, not far from the Vatican - a plot of land and several houses. Later, this villa was transferred to the Italian government, which in turn transferred it to the USSR for the needs of the embassy.

Prince Semyon Davydovich Abamelek-Lazaev was passionate about archeology. In 1882, during a trip to Syria, at the excavations in Palmyra, the prince found a marble slab with an inscription in Greek and Aramaic. This find played a big role in the study of the Aramaic language spoken by Jesus Christ.

Today Villa Abamelek serves as the residence of the Russian ambassador. Embassy employees live here with their families, and there is a school. And when working with archival documents, it suddenly turns out that the territory of the villa is much larger than is commonly believed. It goes beyond the fence and covers a vacant lot where a vegetable garden spontaneously arose - local residents laid out vegetable beds here. An ideal place to build a temple.

And the legal work began to boil. First of all, it was necessary to obtain permission from local authorities to erect (albeit on the territory of an embassy, ​​that is, another state) a religious building. The authorities, fortunately, are accommodating. The Parliament of the Lazio Metropolitan Region passes the necessary laws.

A piece of homeland

In 2001, the foundation stone of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine was laid on the territory of the Russian embassy. Five years later, the future Patriarch Kirill (then Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad) performs a minor consecration. From this time on, services in the temple became regular. And in 2009, the great consecration of the temple took place, which was conducted by Metropolitan Valentin of Orenburg and Buzuluk.

The parishioners are very glad that their new temple turned out to be so elegant and Russian in all respects - the familiar tented architecture, traditional decor in the form of kokoshniks, golden onion domes... Far from their homeland, they perceive this temple as a piece of Russia.

The unusual structure for Rome also attracts casual people. Out of curiosity, both residents of Rome and the ubiquitous tourists often come here. Bishop Anthony welcomes everyone equally cordially, answers questions and shows the main shrines of the temple.

Recently, a new icon “The Council of Roman Saints” appeared here, which was painted at the Moscow Theological Academy. It is noteworthy that not all the saints depicted on it have signatures. With this technique, icon painters want to say: in the first years of Christianity in Rome there were so many devotees of the faith that we don’t even know their exact number, not to mention their names.

However, the internal work in the temple has not yet been completed. In the summer the tent had not yet been painted. This work is planned to be completed here by the feast day of St. Catherine - December 7.

At the most significant shrines

You can feel the uniqueness of Rome everywhere. It’s as if you find yourself inside a history textbook, the text of the Acts of the Apostles or the Lives of the Saints. This is a special city for any Christian, and it places special demands on interfaith communication.

Bishop Anthony calls the relations that our clergy has developed with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church very good.

– We, as an Orthodox parish, are allowed to perform services at the most significant shrines. Let's say, on the day of remembrance of Cyril and Methodius, we serve in the Basilica of St. Clement, where the relics of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril rest. We serve in the Roman catacombs, in St. Paul's Cathedral, and even in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on special days we celebrate the Liturgy.

Without dividing into strangers and our own

Today there are two Orthodox churches in Rome - St. Nicholas in a residential building on Via Palestro and St. Catherine in Villa Abamelek. But in essence there are three churches - there is also a lower church on the ground floor of the Church of Catherine, consecrated in honor of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen. Every week the Liturgy is celebrated here in Moldavian.

Bishop Anthony does not separate these parishes, believing that the community of the Russian Orthodox Church in Rome is one. It’s just that parishioners can come to one church today, and a week later to another. By the way, some services are performed in the church with the participation of both parishes, and they also go on pilgrimage trips around Italy together.

About 500 people gather for the Liturgy in three churches in Rome. This is on ordinary days. And on fasting days, over 300 people come to the lower church alone for the Moldavian service. There are many parishioners from Ukraine and Serbia - the only Serbian church in Italy is located in the very north of the country. In the Russian church, the Serbian community celebrates its holidays, and on special days it performs services with its priest and choir.

Salvation Island

Among the Roman parishioners there are almost no descendants of white emigration, who can still be found in Orthodox churches in France and Germany. The core of the community are people who came to Italy from the former Soviet republics in the 1990s in the hope of finding decent work here to support their families back home. But these hopes are not always realized. It's hard to find work here. Most often they offer care for elderly or seriously ill people, and this is not easy both mentally and physically. And when these people come to the temple on their day off, they seek understanding and support here. Often this is the only place where they can speak their native language and meet like-minded people.

“It requires special pastoral sensitivity towards these people in order to find the right word, to encourage, to simply pay attention, which they sometimes lack,” says Bishop Anthony. – Since the composition of our parishioners is constant, we can talk about a real close-knit Christian community. We know well what difficulties there are in this or that family, and we think about how to help each other. This is the real pastoral work that every priest dreams of.

Last year, almost 200 people were baptized in St. Catherine’s Church. A quarter of them are adults. One day they came to the temple to find out where they could find work or get help. Now they are all zealous parishioners.

High bar

The strong community of the temple is the merit of the rector himself. It is difficult to remain indifferent after hearing the sermons of Bishop Anthony.

There are two ways to correct a person. The first is to tell a person how bad (sinful) he is. The second is to remind him what heights he can achieve with some effort. Bishop Anthony himself follows the second path, explaining to parishioners what high service they are assigned to as Christians. And how important it is to live up to this calling.

Last year alone, about two hundred people were baptized in St. Catherine’s Church.

The words and deeds of the apostles, all the saints, the rector says in his sermons, are addressed to all of us now standing in the church. The words of Christ “Go and be witnesses to Me” are about the real calling of every Christian. How will we testify about Christ to those around us? First of all - by your own deeds.

...In noisy and chaotic Rome, the new Russian Church of St. Catherine becomes the place where the Eternal City is still perceived as the city of the apostles.

The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine is a functioning Orthodox shrine of modern times in Rome, subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate. Located on the territory of the residence of the Embassy of the Russian Federation.

The Church of Catherine is interesting by the very fact of its existence - the center of the Russian Orthodox faith in the heart of the papal Catholic diocese. Confessional tensions are softened by the personality of the great martyr herself, because she was revered by Christians in an era when Catholics and Orthodox Christians were united.

During her lifetime, Catherine was a noble resident of Alexandria, received a decent education, and at the beginning of the 4th century. accepted Christ.

Wanting to open the eyes of her contemporary to paganism, Catherine entered the imperial palace and participated in a theological debate with the court sages, as a result of which they all believed in Christ.

Such a daring act led to the girl’s imprisonment and quick execution, but before that, with her passionate speeches and unshakable faith, she converted the emperor’s wife and part of his army to Christianity - all of them were also executed.

Three centuries after these bloody events, Catherine’s followers found her incorrupt remains on Mount Sinai and transferred them to a new temple.

Story The idea of ​​founding an Orthodox church in Italy appeared at the end of the 19th century.

The first step was taken at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Russian embassy bought a plot of land on the embankment for the construction of a church, but the revolution turned the entire structure of society upside down and such a factor as religion disappeared for a long time from the life of Soviet people. The Diaspora at that time also could not provide significant assistance.

Dear reader, to find an answer to any question about holidays in Italy, use. I answer all questions in the comments under the relevant articles at least once a day. Your guide in Italy Artur Yakutsevich.

In the 90s of the last century, many immigrants from those countries that constitute the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate arrived in Italy.

In May 2009, the world Christian community observed the solemn Great Consecration of the Shrine, a great celebration of faith and unity of the Russian Orthodox people, who dared to take a desperate step and did not stop at any difficulties.

Architecture and interior decoration

The chief architect was Andrei Obolensky, whose team was able to create an ideal harmony between the Orthodox tradition and Roman architectonics. The territory is located on a hill, which predetermined the architectural composition of the temple, starting from the foot of the Janiculum hill (Gianicolo) and ending at its top. In order not to be dissonant with Roman architecture, the main church is built in the form of a tent, and all the walls are lined with travertine, traditional for the original Roman architecture.

The lower aisle of the church complex is marked with a faience iconostasis in honor of Constantine and Helena. And the main part, the so-called upper church, has a main marble iconostasis.

The latter’s project was created and mostly implemented by Alexander Soldatov, a teacher at the Moscow Icon Painting School. Being unconventional for the Russian church, the iconostasis consists of only two rows. The lower one is made in a modest manner without frills and inappropriate shine using fresco technique. The top row is already made in the usual medallion technique with gilding and rich decoration, paying tribute to Russian Orthodox traditionalism.

• In 2012, painting began on the inside of the temple, which represents pictures of the path of the Great Martyr Catherine from birth to ascension. Within the walls of the temple there are a number of Orthodox relics that attract hundreds of parishioners here every day, both on their own initiative and as part of pilgrimage tours of Orthodox Christians from Russia and all over the world. To obtain a license to build a temple, had to make changes to some laws in the Lazio region
• , which previously prohibited any development in this corner of Rome.

At the height of construction, local architectural authorities limited the height of the church, since no building in Rome could be taller (Basilica di San Pietro). The architect did not abandon his plan and solved the problem by “sinking” the building into the hill.

• How to get there? Address
• : Via del Lago Terrione 77 Bus
• : No. 64, go to the San Pietro stop.
• : Line A, Ottaviano-San Pietro station. Working hours
• : services are held at 9:00 and 17:00 according to the schedule indicated on the website. Official site

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The idea of ​​building a Russian Orthodox church in Rome was first expressed at the end of the 19th century. Archimandrite Kliment (Vernikovsky), who at that time was the rector of the Russian Embassy Church (1897-1902). A true patriot of Russia, Archimandrite Clement managed to convince the highest church leadership and secular authorities of the “need to have an Orthodox church that corresponds to the dignity of Orthodoxy and the greatness of the Fatherland” in the city of the Holy Apostles.

Already in 1898, on the initiative of Archimandrite Clement, fundraising began, which in 1900 was officially authorized by Nicholas II, who made a “royal contribution” of 10 thousand rubles. Grand Dukes Sergei Alexandrovich and Mikhail Nikolaevich, Moscow factory owners and Siberian gold miners donated money to the temple.

The first composition of the Construction Committee was formed and headed by Archimandrite Kliment (Vernikovsky) and Mr. A.I. Nelidov, the Russian Ambassador to Italy. A large number of projects for the future temple were submitted for consideration by the Construction Committee, including projects by the famous Russian architect V.A. Pokrovsky and the architect of Italian origin Moraldi.

In the fall of 1913, Emperor Nicholas II allowed the collection of donations to begin throughout Russia. During the same period, the Construction Committee issued an appeal that began with the words: “The Throne of God is placed in a rented apartment.” After its publication, fundraising accelerated significantly. In the summer of 1914, the State Bank of the Russian Empire opened a special account in the name of the temple under construction in the St. Petersburg office.

In 1915, the new Construction Committee, headed by Prince Abamelek-Lazarev, acquired a plot of land on the Tiber embankment, near Ponte Margherita (Lungotevere Arnaldo da Brescia) in the name of the Russian embassy. By 1916, about 265 thousand lire had been collected - this would be enough for construction. To this day, in the Church of St. Nicholas in Rome, a book of donations for the construction of the temple is kept, signed and sealed by the Russian ambassador, Mr. A.I. Nelidov. But the outbreak of revolutionary events in Russia prevented the implementation of the project.

In the early 1990s, the idea of ​​​​the need to build a Russian Orthodox church in Rome was again expressed. This initiative was blessed by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II.

In 2001, on the territory of the Russian embassy villa Abamelek, which before the revolution belonged to the head of the Construction Committee, Prince S.S. Abamelek-Lazarev, a plot was allocated for future construction.

On January 14, 2001, Archbishop Innokenty of Korsun, in the presence of Russian Foreign Minister I.S. Ivanov, consecrated the foundation stone at the site of the future construction of the temple in the name of the Great Martyr Catherine, a saint equally revered by both Orthodox and Catholics.

Since 2001, during the Christmas and Easter periods, as well as on the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, services were held at the site of the future church.

In June 2002, through the efforts of the leadership of the Russian embassy in Italy, a license to build a temple was obtained. The construction itself began in the summer of 2003.

On May 19, 2004, with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', a Fund to support the construction of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, the prototype of which was the pre-revolutionary Construction Committee, was registered in Rome.

On March 31, 2006, the consecration of the domes and crosses of the church under construction took place, which was performed by Bishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

In May of the same year, bells cast at the ZIL plant were installed on the church belfry.

On May 19, 2006, a minor consecration of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine took place. The rite of consecration was performed by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.

On December 7, 2006, the church community celebrated its patronal feast day for the first time. A festive Divine Liturgy took place in the church. The festive service was attended by the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Holy See N.I. Sadchikov, the Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Archpriest Vladimir Silovyov, an employee of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity priest Milan Just, as well as employees of Russian institutions in Rome, parishioners of the new temple.

In the spring of 2007, the first Easter service was held in the Russian church under construction in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine in Rome. On April 7, 2007, on Holy Saturday and the coinciding feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the President of the Great Martyr Catherine Foundation, Abbot Philip (Vasiltsev), performed the Divine Liturgy, after which he blessed the Easter cakes.

On May 24, 2007, on the day of remembrance of Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine in Rome. The service was led by Archbishop Innocent of Korsun. On this day, when the Russian Orthodox community in Rome celebrated the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture for the first time in its history, the head of the V. Ivanov Center, Professor A. B. Shishkin, donated books from the collections of the Russian library in Lausanne (Switzerland) to the library of the Catherine Church.

On December 7, 2007, during his visit to Italy, DECR Chairman Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad visited the territory of Villa Abamelek, where he consecrated the Church of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen, located on the ground floor of the Church of Saint Catherine under construction.

On May 24, 2009, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', the great consecration of the temple took place. The rite of consecration and the first Divine Liturgy were led by Metropolitan Valentin of Orenburg and Buzuluk.