Saint Alexis
written by Sergio Caggìa with Paul Gwynne for © Nerone the Insider's Guide to Rome

 

Alexis (Sant' Alessio) is one of the patron saints of pilgrims and travellers. Although feast day falls 17 July I would like to tell you his story now. Many people came to Rome for the Easter celebrations which give the city its magical atmosphere. It's a good occasion to visit Rome, even though this year the weather was miserable! In the Pantheon the night before Easter Sunday the rain made the moment even more special. Through the Oculus (the hole in the roof) a pink and cloudy sky could be seen while the rain poured through onto the ancient monument's floor.    The interior was dark lit only by the hundreds of candels held by the faithful. Just one spot was illuminated- the beautiful golden mosaic over the main altar which has just been restored. In May the weather should change and the spring will finally arrive in all its glory... though I pity all the hayfever sufferers- myself included- who will be sneezing all the time! As spring passes the main tourist season gets underway, the period in which many people from all around the world will be here, so let's welcome you modern travellers and pilgrims with the story of your patron-saint and offer an idea for an itinerary inspired by his story. Alexis, son of a wealthy citizen of the ancient Rome, on the night of his wedding told his wife, rather unromantically, that he wished to live as a begger. He immediately left the poor woman and decided to board on a boat bound for the eastern city of Edessa. The fame of his sanctity quibkly spread among the population and so the modest youth decided to move and take refuge in Tarsus. A storm at sea brought the boat in which he was travelling to Rome. Once back in his native city he returned to his father's palace where, hiding his real identity, he lived under a flight of stairs for seventeen years working as servant. As the saint lay dying the Pope guided by a voice from the sky rushed to his bedside to hear Alexis reveal his true identity to those assembled around the bed. The most ancient version of this story is Syrian text from the fifth century, difficult to read for most of us! However the most ancient pictorial representation of Saint Alexis's legend can be found here in Rome in the Lower Basilica of San Clemente. The entrance to the Basilica of S. Clemente (open 9am-12.30pm and 3.30pm-6.30pm Sunday open 10am) is in Via di S. Giovanni in Laterano (near the Colosseum).    The visit to the Lower Basilica costs 2.000 lire. You can find the fresco on the left wall of the central nave of the Lower Basilica (now well below street level). It is possible to see Alexis's father, the Roman senator Eufemianus, on his horse while Alexis dressed in a threadbare tunic walks towards him begging. Alexis's estranged wife can be seen at a window watching the scene. The Pope, together with the priests holding crosses, watch Alexis on his deathbed, unable to console his wife who's embracing his husband. This is how an artist imagined the story in this fresco executed between 1084 and 1099. Well worth a visit even if the story seems a little incredible. The church is full of other interesting things to see, for example a Roman house, street and warehouses, an ancient Mithreum (built in the garden of the ancient house -the portico with its columns is still there with beautiful stucchi as decoration of the volta a botte), and underground springs running beneath the church.    In the Upper Basilica you can admire the fine Cosmati works and now the glorious mosaic over the high altar, just recently restored. I'm sure your guide-book will supply more details. A church dedicated to Saint Alexis can be found on the Aventine hill. There you will find the well which, according to tradition, was in the garden of Alexis's father's palace. Over an altar to the left of the main door encased in marble clouds and supported by angels is the supposed remains of the staircase under which Alexis lived for so many years- a baroque masterpiece of Andrea Bergondi. To travel by bus to the Aventine hill you take the number 94 from Piazza Venezia. You can also walk up the hill from the Circus Maximus.