Santo Stefano degli Abissini

Coordinates: 41°54′06.47″N 012°27′06.74″E / 41.9017972°N 12.4518722°E / 41.9017972; 12.4518722
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Saint Stephen of the Abyssinians
Santo Stefano degli Abissini
Alexandrian (Coptic) Rite
History
Statusnational church of Ethiopia
Architecture
Architectural typeChurch
Groundbreaking5th century[1] or 8th century
Completed9th century
Specifications
Length35 metres (115 ft)
Width20 metres (66 ft)
Nave width10 metres (33 ft)

Saint Stephen of the Abyssinians (

Alexandrian rite of the Ethiopian Catholic Church. It is one of the only standing structures in the Vatican to survive the destruction of Old St. Peter's Basilica (c. 1505), and thus it is the oldest surviving church (in terms of architectural history) in Vatican City.[1]

History

The church was, by tradition, built by Pope Leo I (ca. 400–461), and named Santo Stefano Maggiore.[2]

In 1479,

Latin: monasterium S. Stephani cata Barbara patricia situm ad S. Petrum apostolum 'monastery of Saint Stephen associated with the noblewoman Barbara located next to <the church of> Saint Peter the apostle.' The last location mentioned is the Old Saint Peter's Basilica.[3] Other names through history attested in papal documents include "Monastery of Saint Stephen...which is called 'associated with the noblewoman Galla', "oratory of Saint Stephen by Saint Peter<'s Basilica> which is called 'The Greater'", and "Saint Stephen the Greater next to Saint Peter, of the Indians."[4] By the 1530s, it was the most famous community of free Africans in Europe and Leo Africanus referred to it in his Descrittione dell'Africa (1550), describing "certain religious who are friars and have their faces branded; they can be seen throughout Europe but especially in Rome."[5] The most notable Abyssinian monk at St. Stephens was Abba Täsfa Ṣeyon, also known as Pietro Abissino, a monk of Shewan origin who had served in the royal court of Dawit II. "The peak of Santo Stefano's intellectual influence was the mid-16th century, for it was in this period that Täsfa Ṣǝyon, who'd arrived in Rome by 1536 and died there in 1552, tirelessly disseminated knowledge of Ethiopian language and culture."[6]

It was altered under Pope Clement XI (1700–1721), and again in 1928.

Exterior

The façade is in the style of the early 18th century. The 12th century doorway, decorated with the Lamb and the Cross, has been preserved.

Interior

The church has a single nave with ancient columns along the sides. The most important work of art is a fresco of the Madonna with Child in the Roman style from the 15th century.

Liturgy

The

Feast of St. Stephen
is celebrated on 26 December.

See also

  • Index of Vatican City-related articles

Notes

  1. ^ a b Metropolitan Museum of Art 1983, p. 151
  2. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Rome" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  3. ^ a b Hülsen, p. 477.
  4. ^ Hülser, pp. 477–478.
  5. doi:10.1017/S0165115320000157
  6. ^ Kelly, S. and D. Nosnitsin 2017. "The Two Yoḥannəses of Santo Stefano degli Abissini, Rome. Reconstructing Biography and Cross-Cultural Encounter Through Manuscript Evidence," Manuscript Studies. A Journal of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, 2/2 (2017), 392–426, 2017

References

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