San Silvestro in Capite

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Map

San Silvestro in Capite

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Founded in the 8th century, the church of San Silvestro in Capite is dedicated to Pope St Silvester I (r. 314-35). The bell tower was added in 1198. The campanile is capped with a bronze cockerel. The original, dating from the time the bell tower was built, has been removed to safety.

The present church was built by Francesco Capriani da Volterra and Carlo Maderno between 1591 and 1601.

Nave

The entrance to the atrium of the church is surmounted by an image of the Mandylion (also known as the Image of Edessa), held up by two putti. The Mandylion was allegedly an imprint on a cloth that Christ made of his face and had sent to King Abgar of Edessa (now Urfa in Turkey). The Holy Face of San Silvestro, as the Mandylion is also known, is no longer housed in the church but in the Vatican. 

Apse

San Silvestro in Capite is still home to the putative relic of the head of St John the Baptist, which is displayed in a chapel to the left of the entrance. It is this relic that gives the church its name. 

​To be continued...

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