Church of Santi Michele e Magno
Encyclopedia
The Church of Saints Michael and Magnus is a Roman Catholic church in Rome
, Italy
, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel and the Bishop Saint Magnus of Anagni. It lies in Rione
Borgo
, and is the national church
dedicated to The Netherlands. It is also known as the "Church of the Frisians
" . Since 1989 the church was granted to the Dutch community in Rome.
" in the modern Netherlands
. The Northumbria
n missionary crossed with eleven companions the North Sea to bring the Gospel. From that time Frisian pilgrims visited Rome regularly. The old name for the people from the Low Countries
that came to Rome remained.
Since the 8th century, a Frisian colony lived in Rome. The Schola of the Frisians is first mentioned during the return to Rome of Pope Leo III
in 799, by the greetings of Charles the Great in 800 and Louis II of Italy in 844. In 845 the Frisians defended with the inhabitants of the other scholae St. Peter's basilica and its neighborhood against the invasion of the Saracens. The schola was nonetheless plundered. Shortly after, the neighborhood was surrounded by a wall, of which still remains can be seen. Any pilgrim from the Frisian territory who came to Rome would stay in the Frisian hospice, the closest to the St Peter's.
No remains are left from the old church that belonged to the small settlement. All we know is that it existed and that it had a patron: St Michael the Archangel that liberated Rome from the plague. Later a second saint patron was added to the church: Saint Magnus of Anagni, whose remains ended up in the church five hundred years after his death. Enthusiastic Frisians tried to bring the relics back to Frisia, but that initiative was stopped by Pope Leo IV
and since then the relics remained in Rome. Pope Eugene IV
deprived in 1446 the perpetual right of the Frisians to the church Santi Michele e Magno in Rome.
The church is built against the slope of the Gianicolo hill. Thanks to its location it was preserved in the 16th century when all the buildings at the bottom of the hill were demolished for the construction of St. Peter's basilica
. The Church of the Frisians is the only existing building that reminds us directly from the scholae, build around the tomb of St. Peter.
There are two fragments of a tombstone of a Frisian knight called Hebus that died in 1004 in Rome at a nonagenarian age.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel and the Bishop Saint Magnus of Anagni. It lies in Rione
Rioni of Rome
A rione is an Italian term used since the Middle Ages to name the districts of Rome, according to the administrative divisions of that time. The word originates from the Latin word regio A rione (pl. rioni) is an Italian term used since the Middle Ages to name the districts of Rome, according to...
Borgo
Borgo (rione of Rome)
Borgo , is the 14th historic district of Rome, Italy. It lies on the west bank of the Tiber, and has a trapezoidal shape. Its coat of arms shows a lion , lying in front of three mounts and a star...
, and is the national church
National churches in Rome
Charitable institutions attached to churches in Rome were founded right through the medieval period and included hospitals, hostels and others providing assistance to pilgrims to Rome from a certain "nation", which thus became these nations' national churches in Rome...
dedicated to The Netherlands. It is also known as the "Church of the Frisians
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
" . Since 1989 the church was granted to the Dutch community in Rome.
History
The Frisians were converted to Christianism in the 8th century by Saint Willibrord, known as the "Apostle to the FrisiansFrisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
" in the modern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
n missionary crossed with eleven companions the North Sea to bring the Gospel. From that time Frisian pilgrims visited Rome regularly. The old name for the people from the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
that came to Rome remained.
Since the 8th century, a Frisian colony lived in Rome. The Schola of the Frisians is first mentioned during the return to Rome of Pope Leo III
Pope Leo III
Pope Saint Leo III was Pope from 795 to his death in 816. Protected by Charlemagne from his enemies in Rome, he subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position by crowning him as Roman Emperor....
in 799, by the greetings of Charles the Great in 800 and Louis II of Italy in 844. In 845 the Frisians defended with the inhabitants of the other scholae St. Peter's basilica and its neighborhood against the invasion of the Saracens. The schola was nonetheless plundered. Shortly after, the neighborhood was surrounded by a wall, of which still remains can be seen. Any pilgrim from the Frisian territory who came to Rome would stay in the Frisian hospice, the closest to the St Peter's.
No remains are left from the old church that belonged to the small settlement. All we know is that it existed and that it had a patron: St Michael the Archangel that liberated Rome from the plague. Later a second saint patron was added to the church: Saint Magnus of Anagni, whose remains ended up in the church five hundred years after his death. Enthusiastic Frisians tried to bring the relics back to Frisia, but that initiative was stopped by Pope Leo IV
Pope Leo IV
Pope Saint Leo IV was pope from 10 April 847 to 17 July 855.A Roman by birth, he was unanimously chosen to succeed Sergius II. When he was elected, on 10 April 847, he was cardinal of Santi Quattro Coronati, and had been subdeacon of Gregory IV and archpriest under his predecessor...
and since then the relics remained in Rome. Pope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV , born Gabriele Condulmer, was pope from March 3, 1431, to his death.-Biography:He was born in Venice to a rich merchant family, a Correr on his mother's side. Condulmer entered the Order of Saint Augustine at the monastery of St. George in his native city...
deprived in 1446 the perpetual right of the Frisians to the church Santi Michele e Magno in Rome.
Description
In 1141 the new and bigger church was built. It was a Romanesque building, with old columns, and a beautiful bell tower. This bell tower is still admirable, but the church looks very different than when it was built. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the interior was transformed to the extent that only small Romanesque details remain visible.The church is built against the slope of the Gianicolo hill. Thanks to its location it was preserved in the 16th century when all the buildings at the bottom of the hill were demolished for the construction of St. Peter's basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
. The Church of the Frisians is the only existing building that reminds us directly from the scholae, build around the tomb of St. Peter.
There are two fragments of a tombstone of a Frisian knight called Hebus that died in 1004 in Rome at a nonagenarian age.