Ss. Quattro Coronati
Ss. Quattro Coronati
4.5
4:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
4:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
4:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
4:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
4:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
4:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
4:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Sunday
4:00 PM - 5:45 PM
Tours & experiences
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Plan your visit
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Celio
How to get there
- Colosseo • 6 min walk
- Fori Imperiali-Colosseo • 6 min walk
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Attractions
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
235 reviews
Excellent
149
Very good
73
Average
10
Poor
0
Terrible
3
Brad
Hong Kong, China1,78,291 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
The Basilica and Monastery of Santi Quattro Coronati is located around half way between the Colosseum and Basilica San Giovanni in Laterano and a couple minutes walk from Basilica di San Clemente.
What you will find is a 4th or 5th-century complex with a fortified palace, courtyards and basilica with frescoed walls, decorative apse and nice artworks. Unfortunately, the notable Chapel of St. Silvester found near the first courtyard entrance was not open on the day we passed by. This was disappointing but the rest of the basilica and monastery made for a nice brief visit. Worth 15-20 minutes of your time if sightseeing in the are and not in a rush.
What you will find is a 4th or 5th-century complex with a fortified palace, courtyards and basilica with frescoed walls, decorative apse and nice artworks. Unfortunately, the notable Chapel of St. Silvester found near the first courtyard entrance was not open on the day we passed by. This was disappointing but the rest of the basilica and monastery made for a nice brief visit. Worth 15-20 minutes of your time if sightseeing in the are and not in a rush.
Written 23 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Belgo96
Brisbane, Australia3,441 contributions
Sept 2014 • Friends
Just down the road from the monument to indiscriminate slaughter which is the Colosseum, there is something far more interesting for the discerning tourist. Within the church of Santi Quattro Coronati, the Chapel of San Silvester is an astounding historical document. Visitors must ring a bell for the nuns to grant entry upon payment of a donation (suggest 5 - 10 Euro, what you will see is certainly worth it). Inside on the walls of this remarkable chapel is a vivid 13th century fresco cycle portraying the conversion of Constantine to Christianity. The scenes displaying Constantine's plague-stricken body and wailing Roman mothers still have an emotional impact and the final scene depicting Emperor kneeling before Pope is an immensely significant moment in European history. If you are fortunate you may be in the chapel alone because most visitors to this city prefer its more obvious attractions.
Written 15 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pier Carlo G
Latte, Italy244 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
If you would like to experience the feel of the real ROME, try this walk and visit.
This is also sold as a guided tour, and of course that is the best approach to this attraction. Yet, if your money is really tight, or you are a terrible cheapskate, you can do this on your own ande enjoy anyway.
I recommend to start from the Colosseo square, walking up Via dei Santi Quattro Coronati, take the rising steps and turn right to the cathedral small square.
This ancient complex of buildings in the form of fortress includes a main church, a monastery, a chapel, and several cloisters. Besides the architectural aspects, that range from Romanic to medieval to gothic, the monastery still is nowadays home to Augustinian nuns. This alone would be worth a visit, I do not mean to tell you more because I would like it to be a surprise, just rely on the nuns to let you discover the whole thing. Pay extreme attentions to the opening hourse. when I visited it only was after 5 PM due to the fact that nuns are busy before.
A last all-important detail, those who are catholic and would like to join in the prays, can be hosted for small money in clean, basic rooms, an experience that I really recommend.
This is also sold as a guided tour, and of course that is the best approach to this attraction. Yet, if your money is really tight, or you are a terrible cheapskate, you can do this on your own ande enjoy anyway.
I recommend to start from the Colosseo square, walking up Via dei Santi Quattro Coronati, take the rising steps and turn right to the cathedral small square.
This ancient complex of buildings in the form of fortress includes a main church, a monastery, a chapel, and several cloisters. Besides the architectural aspects, that range from Romanic to medieval to gothic, the monastery still is nowadays home to Augustinian nuns. This alone would be worth a visit, I do not mean to tell you more because I would like it to be a surprise, just rely on the nuns to let you discover the whole thing. Pay extreme attentions to the opening hourse. when I visited it only was after 5 PM due to the fact that nuns are busy before.
A last all-important detail, those who are catholic and would like to join in the prays, can be hosted for small money in clean, basic rooms, an experience that I really recommend.
Written 11 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
m c
Rome, Italy13 contributions
Jun 2016 • Friends
An incredible guided tour (obligatory and only available on limited days per month as it is STILL a Convent!) Do Not Miss the Gothic Hall! A recently revealed addition to the city's rich Art History but unique in its genre for Rome. A Visit to the whole complex is highly recommended as it also embodies various eras of Rome's history. It is very well preserved as it has been continually in use and the most recent discoveries have been painstakingly restored. Each Gothic Hall visit is thankfully guided in both English and Italian (request which language required) and some guides were even part of the actual restoration team but all are able to also respond to questions about the site on behalf of the Nuns who still live in the convent and have only recently given their approval for such tours! Both truly peaceful and informative, unusual mix for a Rome tourist attraction
Written 13 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cipsontheroad
Rome, Italy71 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
If you wish to elevate the soul attend a Sunday service of the agostinian cloister nuns in an incredible roman basilica that displays an amazing overlapping of architectural modifications that go from the VI century to XVII. A total delight to a lover of architectural style and design.
Written 14 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
234worldtraveler567
Boston, MA152 contributions
Nov 2018 • Couples
The church itself is very dark inside, making it hard to see the frescoes. The cloisters are also worth seeing. But the real reason for coming here is to see San Silvestro Chapel, which is separate from the church, but it is not always open during its advertised hours. In the courtyard, look for a door marked Monache Agostinio. If the door is open, go in and ring the buzzer in the far left corner by the wooden drum. A nun will open the window. Pass her at least 1 Euro per person, and she will let you into the chapel, which has excellent frescoes from 1246 and a great Cosmatesque floor.
Written 26 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brun066
Florence, Italy13,748 contributions
Jun 2017 • Business
... as this actually is part of the sloppiness that often is found in Rome. But Rome is also a place of a cultural accumulation with few equals in the world, whose this church-convent is one of the most illustrious and hidden places.
Everyone today associates the Pope's residence with St. Peter church and the Vatican Palaces. But this is true only after the return of the Popes from their residence in Avignon, France (1309-1377). Previously, and almost continuously since 313 A. D., the Pope's residence was the Palazzo del Laterano, near the homonymous basilica.
And since the premises of the "Santi Quattro Coronati", not far from the Laterano, were located in a more defensible position, and since the 9th century they were even fortified, during the frequent periods of insecurity they were the actual Pope's residence.
This explains, inter alia, because the wonderful, vivid frescoes into the Oratory of San Silvestro, on the right side of the church (mid-thirteenth century; the Oratory is accessed by an offer to the nuns which since the sixteenth century occupy the church-monastery) are largely devoted to illustrate the story at the origin of the so-called "Donation of Constantine".
The "Donation" is a fake document attested for the first time in the 9th century. According to it, in 315 A. D. Emperor Constantine attributed to the Church of Rome the power over the western half of the Roman Empire, and many other privileges.
This way, the lords and representatives of the Christian world who visited the Pope, if they were introduced in the Oratory of San Silvestro, received a striking message about the leadership of the Pope, even over the Emperor of the Holy Roman (Western) Empire.
But other parts of the monastery are unforgettable: I mention, for example, the Oratory of Santa Barbara, which is accessed from the cloister, mentioned since the 9th century but probably older, whose vault is supported by shelves shaped like capitals, which remember those into the Byzantine church of San Vitale in Ravenna (6th century).
Much more in this monastery is remarkable. But let's conclude that this monument tells us of an era among the least-known ones (the high Middle Ages in Europe) when it was in fact, and for long periods, the headquarters of the leader of Western Christianity.
Everyone today associates the Pope's residence with St. Peter church and the Vatican Palaces. But this is true only after the return of the Popes from their residence in Avignon, France (1309-1377). Previously, and almost continuously since 313 A. D., the Pope's residence was the Palazzo del Laterano, near the homonymous basilica.
And since the premises of the "Santi Quattro Coronati", not far from the Laterano, were located in a more defensible position, and since the 9th century they were even fortified, during the frequent periods of insecurity they were the actual Pope's residence.
This explains, inter alia, because the wonderful, vivid frescoes into the Oratory of San Silvestro, on the right side of the church (mid-thirteenth century; the Oratory is accessed by an offer to the nuns which since the sixteenth century occupy the church-monastery) are largely devoted to illustrate the story at the origin of the so-called "Donation of Constantine".
The "Donation" is a fake document attested for the first time in the 9th century. According to it, in 315 A. D. Emperor Constantine attributed to the Church of Rome the power over the western half of the Roman Empire, and many other privileges.
This way, the lords and representatives of the Christian world who visited the Pope, if they were introduced in the Oratory of San Silvestro, received a striking message about the leadership of the Pope, even over the Emperor of the Holy Roman (Western) Empire.
But other parts of the monastery are unforgettable: I mention, for example, the Oratory of Santa Barbara, which is accessed from the cloister, mentioned since the 9th century but probably older, whose vault is supported by shelves shaped like capitals, which remember those into the Byzantine church of San Vitale in Ravenna (6th century).
Much more in this monastery is remarkable. But let's conclude that this monument tells us of an era among the least-known ones (the high Middle Ages in Europe) when it was in fact, and for long periods, the headquarters of the leader of Western Christianity.
Written 16 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MaureenRiga_Latvia
Riga, Latvia62 contributions
Sept 2016 • Friends
This medieval church- monastery is located on the top of the hill and not easy to reach. However it is worth visiting... But you have to take into consideration opening hrs. It was closed in the afternoon...
Written 20 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Spanish Steps Apartment
Rome, Italy35,526 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
The church of the Four Holy Crowned Ones (martyrs) is an ancient building, part fortress, part monastery, with a main church, the smaller jewel of the Saint Silvester chapel, and a beautiful cloister. This is also home to the Gothic Hall, which is only open on limited days. The complex is home to a number of Augustinian nuns. The nuns installed a rotating drum for people to leave unwanted babies which you see in the anteroom to the small chapel (you may need to ring to have a nun let you in, and similarly a nun lets you into the gorgeous little cloister). The main church is dark and ancient, instantly taking you back to the middle ages. The small chapel is extremely beautiful, as is the little cloister. This is one "must see" to give you an idea of Rome in the middle ages. No photos are allowed inside.
Written 4 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dapper777
Monaco67,196 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
This minor Roman basilica is located on the Caelian Hill in Rome, half way from the Colosseum and the San Giovanni Basilica.
Originally built in C. IV, the church owes its name (“Four Crowned Martyrs") to the tradition of the martyrdom of four converted Roman soldiers, who refused to worship a statue of Aesculapius and for this reason they were martyred under Diocletian.
With its high defensive walls, this bulky, thick-walled structure emerges on the way to the Lateran and looks more like a fortress than a church.
This basilica is, indeed, a very rare example in Rome of “church-fortress”: inside the historical complex, in fact, there is a bell tower of the 9th century, (the oldest of medieval Rome), the cloistered monastery, a medieval cloister, three churches and two classrooms frescoed in Gothic style.
It is is a architectonical complex not very well known to the majority of tourists and very rarely you will see people inside the church.
And maybe this is not a bad thing. The basilica does, after all, include a convent, and it’s nice to see it all undisturbed by hordes of visitors. The church is a gem, and a must-see for anyone interested in Rome’s off-the-beaten-path sites.
This compound holds some of the most secret and impressive medieval treasures imiraculously preserved in Rome: the Saint Sylvester’s Chapel, the Gothic Hall, and a meditative, secret cloister.
The third-century cloister, probably defined the most evocative one marble-carvers ever left in Rome, and the Oratorio di San Silvestro that, famous for the decorations with frescoes dated C.XIII, show, among the rest, episodes from the legend of Costantine.
The ensemble of buildings still shows the severe character it had during the Middle Ages, when it was used as a defensive bastion for the nearby San Giovanni Basilica and Constantine's Patriarchy.
The interior is the typical one of a medieval basilica, with three naves divided up by antique granite columns, with Corinthian composite capitals. The wide apse comes from the primitive church, whose middle nave was as large as the entire actual church. From the nave one moves into the gracious cloister that hosts a garden, built in 1120.
This Romanesque eden with its portico, its painted arches, the chapel of Saint Barbara with its medieval frescoes, the greenery and the central fountain make this one of the most secluded and quiet spots in the city.
The cosmatesque floor of the church is truly splendid.
It is worth a visit: especially for the cloister, an oasis of silence and beauty just 500 meters from the Colosseum.
You perceive a wonderful sense of meditation and peace that envelops these walls and makes it a real special corner of Rome.
You would never think you were in the hustle and bustle of Rome.
To visit the cloister, ring the little bell on the left after you’ve walked in.
A €2 donation is requested, though not required, for the upkeep of the convent and the basilica.
Originally built in C. IV, the church owes its name (“Four Crowned Martyrs") to the tradition of the martyrdom of four converted Roman soldiers, who refused to worship a statue of Aesculapius and for this reason they were martyred under Diocletian.
With its high defensive walls, this bulky, thick-walled structure emerges on the way to the Lateran and looks more like a fortress than a church.
This basilica is, indeed, a very rare example in Rome of “church-fortress”: inside the historical complex, in fact, there is a bell tower of the 9th century, (the oldest of medieval Rome), the cloistered monastery, a medieval cloister, three churches and two classrooms frescoed in Gothic style.
It is is a architectonical complex not very well known to the majority of tourists and very rarely you will see people inside the church.
And maybe this is not a bad thing. The basilica does, after all, include a convent, and it’s nice to see it all undisturbed by hordes of visitors. The church is a gem, and a must-see for anyone interested in Rome’s off-the-beaten-path sites.
This compound holds some of the most secret and impressive medieval treasures imiraculously preserved in Rome: the Saint Sylvester’s Chapel, the Gothic Hall, and a meditative, secret cloister.
The third-century cloister, probably defined the most evocative one marble-carvers ever left in Rome, and the Oratorio di San Silvestro that, famous for the decorations with frescoes dated C.XIII, show, among the rest, episodes from the legend of Costantine.
The ensemble of buildings still shows the severe character it had during the Middle Ages, when it was used as a defensive bastion for the nearby San Giovanni Basilica and Constantine's Patriarchy.
The interior is the typical one of a medieval basilica, with three naves divided up by antique granite columns, with Corinthian composite capitals. The wide apse comes from the primitive church, whose middle nave was as large as the entire actual church. From the nave one moves into the gracious cloister that hosts a garden, built in 1120.
This Romanesque eden with its portico, its painted arches, the chapel of Saint Barbara with its medieval frescoes, the greenery and the central fountain make this one of the most secluded and quiet spots in the city.
The cosmatesque floor of the church is truly splendid.
It is worth a visit: especially for the cloister, an oasis of silence and beauty just 500 meters from the Colosseum.
You perceive a wonderful sense of meditation and peace that envelops these walls and makes it a real special corner of Rome.
You would never think you were in the hustle and bustle of Rome.
To visit the cloister, ring the little bell on the left after you’ve walked in.
A €2 donation is requested, though not required, for the upkeep of the convent and the basilica.
Written 9 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
¿Puedes tomar fotos?
Sai fare delle foto?
Can you take photos?
Written 3 November 2020
Sí, no pusieron ningún impedimento, aunque el flash está prohibido
Written 5 November 2020
In che modo si può visitare anche la cappella di San Silvestro e il chiostro?
Written 13 January 2020
Quando ci sono andato io ho varcato la porta che c'è al centro della parete di sinistra della chiesa e una signora molto gentile ci ha fornito informazioni e ci ha fatto visitare sia cappella che chiostro. Se la porta fosse chiusa, affisso alla stessa ci sono scritti orari e informazioni...
Written 13 January 2020
Hola. He leído que para visitar lo que llaman Aula Gotica es necesario reservar con antelación y solo esta abierta un par de días al mes. Yo en principio solo estoy interesado en ver el Oratorio de San Silvestro. Tengo dudas sobre si este ultimo se puede visitar con solo entrar a SS Quattro Coronati, o por el contrario forma parte de Aula Gotica y tendría que reservar. Por favor, me podría indicar. Gracias.
Written 6 April 2018
is Ss.Quattro Coronati partially wheelchair accessible? thx rob
Written 3 June 2018
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