One of the unknown secrets of Trastevere has a really small size...
Where: in the ancient hamlet of Trastevere, in Piazza in Piscinula (in front of the Tiberina island). Turn your back side to the Tiber river and look just in front of you on the left side of the square, what you see is the church of Saint Benedict in Piscinula.
The church, whose name “in piscinula” comes from the presence of some thermal swimming pools rose on the public square during the roman age, rises on the rests of the Aniciorum Domus, the ancient dwelling of the Anicii’s family, to whom belonged Saint Benedict, father of “monachesimo”.
According to the tradition, Saint Benedict lived here during his stay in Rome in order to undertake the studies that, as all of us know, were interrupted by his decision to withdraw itself to Subiaco to lead life as a hermit.What is sure is that the church, which shows ancient paintings of 1300, rose between the end of 1000 and the beginning of 1100, but nowdays it shows a different facade because it was changed in 1800 (look the first and the last image). The most interesting feature of the church are the bell tower and its bell. Both realized in pure “Romanico” style they are the smallest and the most ancient in all Rome, so lot that, set between the roofs, they seem nearly like toys !!!
The bell has a diameter of just 45 centimeters (like a pc’s keyboard!) and is also very ancient, much more than the bell tower itself ! Infact the date engraved on the bell tells: Anno Domini Millesimo Sexagesimo IX (1069).
This is, probably, the only one bell escaped from the pillage of the 1085 when the great part of the city bells desappeared. Probably the small dimension of the bell saved it from the greed of the plunderers, attracted by the bigger ones and by their powerful sound!!If you want to take a look on the church it is opened only on Sunday morning and during the religious festivity.
