Chiesa medioevale di San Nicola (Castrum Caetani)
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Opening times
The building is part of the visiting circuit of the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella with a single ticket and the same opening hours.
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Description
The monument, located opposite the mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, is the only example of Cistercian Gothic architecture in Rome. Commissioned by Boniface VIII, it was consecrated in 1303 as the parish of the Caetani Castle. Characterized by its original façade with a "sail" bell tower, it fell into neglect in the 16th century. At the end of the 19th century, the state of deterioration of the building was so advanced that it was decided to wall up the entrance door to give stability to the entire façade.
The recent restoration has consolidated the wall structure of the nave, with its large semicircular apse and a parade of six windows on each side, embellished with white marble trefoil cornices, and secured the refined system of peperino corbels in the shape of a chalice decorated with leaves on which the pointed arches that supported the roof once rested.