Basilica of Santa Maria in Arakoeli al Campidoglio - titular basilica in Rome, located on the top of Capitol Hill. Initially it was called Santa Maria in Capitolina, but in the 14th century it was renamed. The medieval legend says that the church was built on the spot where Tiburtinskaya Sibyl predicted Emperor Augustus soon coming of Christ. For this reason the figures of Augustus and the Sibyl shown on both sides of the arch over the main altar of the church. In a later legend, the prediction of the coming of Christ is replaced by the phenomenon of the Virgin Mary. In the Middle Ages criminals sentenced to death were executed right on the steps of the basilica: so here accepted death Cola di Rienzo, a self-proclaimed Tribune and political figure of the 14th century (not far from the place where now you can see his statue).

If you go back to the historical facts, it is certain that the foundation of the church was laid on the site of a Byzantine abbey, mentioned for the first time back in the year 574. Around the first temple was built many different buildings, the ruins of which, for example, the small church of San Biagio del Mercato, were discovered in the 1930s.

In the 9th century, the basilica was handed over to the Benedictine order, and four centuries later became the property of the Franciscans, under the control of which it has acquired and its Roman-Gothic style. The arches that separate the central nave from the aisles, supported by columns, among which you will not find two identical - they are taken from the ancient ruins.

In the Middle Ages Santa Maria in Arakoeli al Campidoglio was the center of religious life of Rome, especially in the 14th century, when Cola di Rienzo initiated the construction of the church in front of the monumental staircase of 124 steps (it was designed in 1348 by Simone Andreotstsi). And in 1571 the church celebrated Marcantonio Colonna, commander of the fleet in the victorious Battle of Lepanto. On this occasion, the arches of the basilica were covered with gilded and painted. But in 1797, the basilica was secularized, and for some time turned into stables!

Today, the Church of Santa Maria in Arakoeli al Campidoglio practically preserve the original mosaics and frescoes and a Gothic window, which tourists can see from the steps of the ladder - it's the only really Gothic element of the interior. From the sights of the temple can be called a fresco of the 15th century work of Pinturicchio (in the Chapel Bufalini), a tombstone by Donatello, grave Cecchini dei Bracci, made by his friend Michelangelo, a copy of the wooden statue of the Christ Child from the 15th century (the original was stolen in 1994) as well as the relics of Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, and the tomb of the poet Giulio Salvadori.