Although a bit of a hike, it’s well worth searching out this intriguing medieval church complex, comprising the Basilica di Sant'Agnese Fuori le Mura and the 4th-century Mausoleo di Santa Costanza, home to some of Christendom's earliest mosaics.
The current basilica, whose origins date to the 7th century BC, was built over the catacombs where St Agnes was buried. It has been much modified over the centuries but its golden apse mosaic , one of the best examples of Byzantine art in Rome, has survived intact. It shows St Agnes, flanked by popes Honorius and Symmachus, standing over the signs of her martyrhood – a sword and a flame. According to tradition, the 13-year-old Agnes was sentenced to be burnt at the stake, but when the flames failed to kill her she was beheaded on Piazza Navona and buried beneath this church.
Up from the main basilica is the Mausoleo di Santa Costanza. This squat circular building has a dome supported by 12 pairs of granite columns and a vaulted ambulatory decorated with beautiful 4th-century mosaics.
