Off the beaten track in the leafy slopes of the Celian Hill, an ancient circular church can be found. Within its walls it showcases some of the most violent, gruesome and disturbing frescoes ever painted in a religious setting.

Dating back to the 5th century A.D the church was constructed from a circular plan and is a fascinating display of early Christian architecture. It consists of 22 marble columns which divide the space, creating a ring-shaped walkway around its perimeter.

As you enter you will be in awe of the beautifully decorated interior that includes a series of 34 frescos forming a circle around the peripheral walls of the church. As you get closer though, you will begin to register that these are not your typical religious paintings and instead depict graphic and dramatic scenes of martyrdom with brutal and unnerving images of torture and punishment.

The paintings represent the life of Saint Stephen who was the first martyr of Christianity and were painted by the artist Niccolò Circignani in the 1500’s. The paintings were put in place as a warning for the Jesuit missionaries who were about to leave their homes in Italy, that in more hostile lands persecution, torture and death were an ever-present possibility due to their work and beliefs. The message was to encourage them to follow in the footsteps of heroic Christians which had come before them and go and preach their faith no matter the consequences.

The wash of soft light which pours in from the huge windows, produces a wonderful juxtaposition between light and dark, making this in my opinion one of the most spectacular churches in Rome. Within the various paintings you can see scenes of men being boiled, flayed, grilled, hanged, roasted and even eaten by wild animals, along with women being melted, skinned, disembodied and having their tongues cut out. Even the smaller details of the paintings showcase trees with hanging limbs, brawls and beatings.

As you walk around in a clockwise direction the scenes seem to intensify until you reach a particularly thought-provoking image of a man stretched out on a butcher’s block whilst another man carves him into slices with a machete.

The violent scenes certainly make one feel uneasy but are an invaluable piece of history and an insight into a period when protection of the faith and martyrdom in its cause were the key narrative during the brutal religious wars of the 16th century.

It is noted that when Charles Dickens visited during the 1840’s he described the paintings as hideous, as he documented ‘Such a panorama of horror and butchery no man could imagine in his sleep’. Interestingly the church is now one of the most requested wedding locations in Rome!