Lenten Station Church
Thursday Within the Octave of Easter
Twelve Holy Apostles
(Santi Dodici Apostoli)

The Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles, commonly known simply as Santi Apostoli, is a 6th-century Roman Catholic parish and titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated originally to St James and St Philip, whose remains are kept here, and later to all Apostles. Today, the basilica is under the care of the Conventual Franciscans. It was built by Pope Pelagius I and dedicated by Pope John III. Santi Apostoli was ruined by the earthquake of 1348 and left abandoned. In 1417, Pope Martin V restored the church, while the facade was built at the end of the same century. Pope Clement XI instigated dramatic renovations of the church. Frescoes were either destroyed or moved partly to the Vatican Museums. Melozzo da Forlì painted the "Ascension of Our Lord" on the ceiling. According to Giorgio Vasari, "the figure of Christ admirably appears to pierce the vault; and in the same manner the angels are seen sweeping through the field of air in two opposite directions." The altarpiece in the sanctuary depicts the Martyrdom of St Philip and St James in 1704. A new Baroque interior was designed and completed in 1714. The church was later restored again, with the facade completed in 1827. There are twelve chapels built in the interior of the basilica. The highlights include the ceiling frescoes by Baciccia and Antonio Canova’s grandiose tomb of Pope Clement XIV. Twelve Holy Apostles Exterior Views Twelve Holy Apostles - Interior Views (Last 2 Photos: Entrance to the crypt under the altar; The tomb of Raffaele della Rovere) The primary reason to visit the Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles is to descend a few steps down into the Crypt under the alter and to see the tomb of St James and St Philip, two of the apostles who accompanied Jesus. Descend into the Crypt and you can gaze on the tomb of people who really did walk with Jesus. In that box within the crypt are their bones. How do we know? The rare accident is that the tomb of the two apostles was buried by debris 1400 years ago when the church fell into disrepair. Their tomb remained buried, forgotten and undisturbed until 1873, when the original crypt and high alter were rediscovered during a renovation. The crypt is also the location of the beautiful tomb of Raffaele della Rovere (brother of Pope Sixtus IV and father of Pope Julius II), who died in 1477. The tomb has been attributed to the sculptor Andrea Bregno (1418-1506). The Pope Clement XIV is buried in the grandiose tomb constructed by Antonio Canova around 1785. Reference: 'Santi Apostoli, Rome' on WikiPedia.org 'Santi Apostoli' on TripAdvisor.co.nz All Photographs are from Commons.WikiMedia.org Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy 300th Anniversary - Pope Clement XI 1214a (2002) Jubilee Popes 1300-1525 - Pope Martin V 1068 (1998) Vatican Apostolic Library 500th Anniversary - Pope Sixtus IV 583 (1975) Jubilee Popes 1300-1525 - Pope Sixtus IV 1070 (1998) Pontifical Academy 4th Century - Antonio Canova 90 (1944) Antonio Canova 2nd Centenary of Birth - Pope Clement XIV 244 (1958) Popes & Basilicas - Pope Julius II 162 (1953) The Renaissance Pope - Pope Julius II 1539 (2013)