Lenten Station Church
2nd Saturday of Lent
Sts. Marcellinus and Peter
(Santi Marcellino e Pietro)

The Church of Sts Marcellinus and Peter is dedicated to the 4th-century Roman martyrs whose relics were brought here in 1256. (Peter should not be confused with St Peter the apostle) The first church on the site was built by Pope Siricius in the 4th century, close to the Via Labicana's catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter, with an adjoining hospice which became a center for pilgrims. This church was restored by Pope Gregory III in the 8th century. In the 9th century, the remains of Sts Marcellinus and Peter were transferred from the catacombs to a church in Seligenstadt, Germany. When the church was rebuilt in 1256 by Pope Alexander IV, the martyrs' relics were returned. The church has been restored several times over the years. The current structure dates to 1751 when Pope Benedict XIV had it completely rebuilt. The present cube-shaped exterior is divided by pilaster strips in a Neoclassical style, but with a late-Baroque elements, including a dome influenced by the architecture of Borromini. The façade was designed by Girolamo Theodoli and the main altarpiece by Gaetano Lapis depicts the dedicatees' martyrdom. A small chapel to Our Lady of Lourdes was dedicated at the southeast, next to a chapel of St Gregory the Great, with a new ceiling painting of her in 1903. Since 1911, it has been a parochial church served by diocesan clergy. Sts Marcellinus and Peter Exterior Views Sts Marcellinus and Peter Interior Views Little is known about the actual lives of Sts Marcellinus and Peter. Marcellinus was supposedly a priest and Peter was an exorcist. Both died in the year 304 during the Diocletian Persecution. Pope Damasus I claimed that he heard the story of these two martyrs from their executioner who went on to become a Christian. Damasus states that they were killed at an out-of-the-way spot so that other Christians would not have a chance to bury and venerate their bodies. The two saints happily cleared the spot chosen for their death: a thicket overgrown with thorns, brambles, and briers three miles from Rome. They were beheaded and buried in that spot. Two women, Lucilla and Firmina, found the bodies and had them properly buried. They buried their bodies on the Via Labicana in what became known as the Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter. Reference: 'Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano' on WikiPedia.org 'Marcellinus and Peter' on Wikipedia.org All Photographs are from Commons.WikiMedia.org Pope St Damasus I 1600 Anniversary of Death - Sepulchre Sts Marcellinus & Peter 749 (1984) Jubilee Popes 1750-2000 - Pope Benedict XIV 1141 (2000) Francesco Borromini 350th Anniversary of Death 1643 (2017)