★★★★★ 5.0
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Church of Saint Eusebius 'all'Esquilino'
1,551 years! That's how long people have been coming to this spot, making it one of Rome's oldest churches—imagine living your whole life 155 times and you'd still be catching up! But here's the creepy part: you're standing right above where a brave priest named Eusebius was locked in his own house by an angry emperor and starved to death way back in the 300s. See that tall tower with the three windows? That's 800 years old—the only piece left from when they rebuilt everything! And guess what's hiding inside? A ceiling painted by one of Europe's most famous artists for his very first big job, plus a secret cloister that now belongs to the police! Oh, and monks here ran one of Rome's first printing presses, making books before books were cool. Can you spot where the church peeks out between all the modern buildings around Piazza Vittorio?
Did You Know?
- One of Rome’s oldest churches, Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino has a history that stretches back to at least the 5th century, with its first historical mention found in a graffito from 474 in the catacombs of St. Marcellinus and Peter—legend says it was built over the house of Eusebius, a 4th-century Roman presbyter who died under house arrest for defying the Arian emperor Constantius II.
- The church is famous for its annual 'Blessing of the Animals' held every January 17th, a tradition dating back to 1437 that was moved here in the early 20th century for safety reasons—families and children can still bring their pets to receive a special blessing, making it a unique and lively local event.
- Hidden behind its elegant 18th-century façade by Carlo Stefano Fontana, the church preserves a rare 13th-century bell tower with three-mullioned windows—the only surviving element from Pope Gregory IX’s medieval rebuilding—while inside, the stunning ceiling fresco 'St. Eusebius in Glory' by famed neoclassical artist Anton Raphael Mengs dazzles visitors with its angelic figures and vibrant colors.