Underground of Rome Santa Maria Maggiore Church

The archaeological area is located under the Basilica, displaying interesting findings (I – IV century AD), as well as some evidence of the early Paleo Christian basilica, founded by Pope Sixtus III (432-444).

At the end of the nineteenth century were carried out further renovations, when 14,000 terracotta roof tiles were documented and cataloged by Filippo Magi.

Less well known, on the other hand, but equally important, are the amazing underground structures from the Roman era, consisting of the remains of a bath facility where frescoes, aediculae and typical suspensurae (i.e., floor elevations that allowed heat to pass through) are visible.
The complex is made up of rooms arranged around a vast hall dating to the Imperial period. Along the itinerary, one can see a thermal bath with mosaics and cavities for heating, ancient roof tiles, decorative frescoes with geometric patterns.

The highlight of the site is an important Roman agricultural calendar in fresco (a total of 35 linear meters, only a part of which is visible). It’s a unique example, it originally had depicted scenes of monthly work, for all seasons, and served the regulation of peasant life.