Chiesa Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti

This basilica is one of the oldest churches in Rome. Its title dates back to the 4th century. Entrusted by Boniface VIII to the Order of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel - in 1229 - it is now counted among the most important and devotional Basilicas of Rome where, for over 750 years, the Mother of God has been invoked and venerated under the name of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.On the Oppio slope of the Esquiline Hill, the basilica of Saints Sylvester and Martin ai Monti has stood majestically for centuries. In the 3rd century, a cero Equizio, perhaps a Roman priest, built a first church, initially dedicated to Maria santissima Gaudiam Christianorum, because it was within those walls that Pope Sylvester, meeting the Emperor Constantine in his activity through the intercession of Mary, obtained peace for the Christian world. The church, first entrusted to the Benedictines and later to the Canons Regular, was given by Boniface VIII to the Carmelites in 1299 with the adjoining convent, on condition that they erect a house of study there. The convent suffered numerous devastations over the centuries, due to wars and various suppressions in the past. Seat of various general chapters of the Carmelite Order, the convent was also the residence of the Prior General and his curia. In 1759, it was incorporated into the Roman Province, which established its provincial curia in it.The convent was restored several times over the centuries (we recall the renovation and enlargement carried out by Generals Audet and Filippini and the one more in 1958, in which the convent was completely renovated from the foundations). The Basilica has also undergone various changes over the centuries. In 509 Pope Symmachus built the Basilica above the title of Equizio, dedicating it to St Martin of Tours. Restored in 772 by Hadrian I, today something of the original Basilica is preserved, demolished in 844-847 by Sergius II who built the present one, completed by Leo IV. The major works, however, took place in the second half of the 17th century, by General Giovanni Antonio Filippini, who worthily restored it together with the convent (the present Baroque church dates back to this period). Great artists worked at S.Martino ai Monti called upon by Filippini, including Filippi Gagliardi author of the crypt, Gaspare Dughet author of the S.Elia frescoes, Paolo Naldini and others. The chapel venerates the 16th-century image of the Madonna del Carmine by Girolamo Massei, venerated by popes and saints such as St. Joseph Benedict Labre. The equatorial title under the Basilica is one of the most beautiful in Rome, for the testimonies of art and faith found there. S.Martino ai Monti, seat of cardinals, has had illustrious cardinals as titulars, especially those from Milan, and the Theatine S.Giovanni Tomasi di Lampedusa. Many illustrious men have lived at San Martino, and we would like to mention the Venerable Angelo Paoli, Father of the Poor. St. Gaspare del Bufalo was baptised in St. Martin's Basilica. Today, St Martin ai Monti is the most important Carmelite friary in the Province, as it is the seat of the Provincial Curia, the Studentate, the Carmelite Press and Missions Centre, the Provincial TOC and the local parish community. St Martin's is therefore the propelling centre at which the Carmelite provincial realities move. The studentate named after St. Peter Thomas of Aquitaine is made up of clerics from all over the world. For some time after the Second World War, St. Martin's was the home of philosophical studies for numerous Carmelite clerics and also clerics of other Orders. The parish carries out its activities in one of the most central areas of Rome, and mainly distinguishes itself in the social field in favour of the most needy, especially foreigners, due to its proximity to the Caritas of Monte Oppio. The devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is very much felt, attracting many believers to St. Martin's during the feast day of 16 July, when a solemn procession takes place through the neighbourhoods of the parish. The Carmelite Press Centre edits the magazine La Madonna del Carmine, which is distributed in all Italian Carmelite realities.