A Roman Pilgrim at the Station Churches 2015 (Part 4)

Over the 16th century, this church became the titular church of four different Cardinals of the Medici family, the ruling family of Florence, including the future Popes Leo X (1513-21) and Clement VII (1523-34). To the former we owe the façade of the building, the work of the architect Andrea Sansovino.
The church is sometimes called in Italian as “Santa Maria della Navicella - Saint Mary of the Little Boat”, because of this fountain in front of it.
The extensive 16th-century modification of the interior left intact the early 9th century mosaic from the reign of Pope St Paschal I (818-22).


The Station at San Clemente traditionally begins with a procession which starts in the lower church, the remains of which were excavated over the mid-to-late 19th century. Although very much altered over the course of the excavations, the lower church dates back to the early decades of the 4th century.






The church of Saint Balbina on the Aventine Hill is very close to the Norbertine College, and each year, members of the latter participate in the stational procession, while the college’s choir sings the liturgy. The second photograph shows members of the clergy exiting the main door of the college, followed by the procession though the rather narrow streets on the way to Santa Balbina.