Santa Maria Via Lata in Rome Italy by Chris White

He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,  proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.   –Acts 28:30-31

Picture of Church Facade taken by Author

Just a few blocks away from the famed Coliseum of Rome stands a quiet and diminutive Abbey and Church called Santa Maria Via Lata.  The church itself is quite pretty and done in the baroque style but what it is famous for is its crypt.  In America, we think of a crypt strictly as a place of burial, but the term is much more flexible in Italy denoting an underground space such as a cave or basement.  Such spaces might include human graves but many times turn out to be ancient ruins of a home or worship space pagan or Christian.  In the case of Santa Maria Via Lata, the crypt is believed to be the site of the first-century apartment that housed St. Paul as he awaited his trial as described in Acts chapter 28.  The strong tradition is that Luke lived with Paul and that the Apostle Peter may have lodged there as well.  Apparently several centuries later, the home was converted into a chapel and relief center as the Catholic church assumed more and more leadership over the city of Rome in late antiquity.  There are some first century era remains such as a Roman column with a cross inscribed on it (sacred graffiti?) and you can see that there is a baptismal font and the remains of some frescoes on the walls which would at least indicate there was a reason this particular site was considered very important in ancient times.  Could this be the actual site where Paul worked and preached to all who came to visit?  There is no definitive proof, but it gives us a picture at the very least, of how Paul and Luke might have lived at the time which would have been a modest home on a heavily traveled road where there would have been a lot of access to people.

If you are in Rome and want to visit:

http://www.cryptavialata.it/visita_della_crypta.html

I would recommend having your hotel concierge call and confirm they will be open.  It is in close proximity to the Forum, Coliseum, and the Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument making it a nice addition to your itinerary.