Santa Balbina is a Roman Catholic basilica church in a quiet area on the side of the Aventine Hill, in Rome. It is next to the Baths of Caracalla.
History
This had been the site of the large home of Lucius Fabius Cilo, a wealthy Roman of the late second century. It had been a gift to him from Septimius Severus, and is marked on the Forma Urbis Romae. Christian ownership resulted in substantial renovation in around 370: walls were heightened and the internal layout was modified along the lines of today's church. The original title of this church is uncertain. It has been suggested it was known as titulus Tigridae, referring perhaps to an early sponsor or founder. It has been handed down that when the Emperor Constantine departed to found the city that became Constantinople, he bade farewell to Pope Sylvester I at this church.
In the eighth century, the basilica was consecrated by Pope Gregory III to the entirely mythical St Balbina, whose legend has her dying around 130 CE.
The building underwent many revisions, including under Pope Paul II in 1464, and under Cardinal Pompeo Arrigoni in 1600. Initially affiliated with the Augustinians, the church came into the charge of secular priests of Naples during Pope Innocent XII's time.
The adjoining monastery has a commanding medieval defence tower. Inside the basilica there is a very fine episcopal chair with Cosmatesque decoration from the 13th century. The church was heavily restored in the 1930s. An ancient sarcophagus was discovered during the restoration. It is now used as a font. Frescoes were discovered on the side walls from the 9th to 14th centuries. The Baroque frescoes in the apse and the triumphal arch were painted by Anastasio Fontebuoni in 1599. The triumphal arch is decorated with the figures of Sts Paul and Peter. In the apse the mythical St Balbina is depicted between martyrs.
Previous titulars include Alfonso de la Cueva, marqués de Bedmar and Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros.
It was at this church in 1875 that the Franciscan priest Simpliciano of the Nativity founded the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
Hungarian connection
In 1270 the first known Hungarian cardinal, Stephen Báncsa was buried in the basilica. Another 13th-century Hungarian clergyman, Pál, Bishop of Paphos, erected an altar in the church for Saint Nicolas. Both the altar and the grave disappeared during later centuries, but a plaque commemorates the offerings of Pál. Until 2023, the cardinal priest of this church was Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary. He suggested the Hungarian links to the church played a part in the pope's decision to assign him Santa Balbina. Erdő recommended Hungarian pilgrims visit the basilica. The cardinal said he feels a special responsibility for the building. Because the church's physical state had deteriorated, Cardinal Erdő was appointed cardinal priest of Santa Maria Nuova in March 2023.
List of Cardinal-Priests
- Guido (attested 1099)
- Vitalis (1111—1116)
- Guido (1116-1119/1120)
- Odalis (1120—1122)
- Gregorio (1125—1139)
- Simon d'Armentières (1294–1297)