BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA IN COSMEDIN
Church with an elegant seven-level bell tower and a large porch in Rome.
Santa Maria in Cosmedin has an elegant seven-storey bell tower and a large porch. It was built in the 6th century AD, but the present church was rebuilt at the beginning of the 12th century.
The interior of Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a typical example of medieval Roman churches; it has a basilica layout and consists of three naves. The pavement, the ciborium, the ambons are the work of the Cosmats, mosaicists and marble workers of the 12th and 13th centuries. The mosaics in the sacristy come from the former Basilica of St. Peter.
La Bocca della Verità. But this church is best known for the Bocca della Verità, the mouth of truth that is supposed to bite liars who would present their hands! This will allow you to test the good faith of your loved ones; legend has it that if they lie, their hand will be cut off with a sharp blow. However, you will have to wait a little while: the Bocca della Verità attracts many curious people every day! Another legend tells that an adulterous woman, before undergoing this terrible ordeal, was kissed by her lover in front of everyone. The man explained himself by saying that he had felt sorry for the innocent young woman. She was therefore invited to put her hand in her mouth and, just before that, she swore that she had never kissed any men other than her husband and the young man who had just done so. The beautiful Roman woman came out of the ordeal unscathed, having just kissed her lover in front of the whole city!
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Curiosité : voir le crâne de Saint Valentin.