My Journey

Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura

Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura is the basilica raised over the catacomb where Saint Agnes was buried on the Via Nomentana. Her body relics rest beneath the high altar, under a seventh-century apse mosaic, in a church sunk below the modern city beside the mausoleum of Santa Costanza.

ITALY · ROME 41.9229° N · 12.5189° E
Location
Rome, Italy 41.9229° N · 12.5189° E
Type
Minor basilica Seventh-century basilica with women's galleries (matroneum), sunk below modern ground level, over an early Christian catacomb
Dedication
Saint Agnes Tomb and body relics of Saint Agnes, over her catacomb
Time Needed
1 hour to a full day The catacomb is shown by guided visit only
Why Go

Where Agnes Was Buried

Come here to pray at the grave itself. Of all the places in Rome that remember Agnes, this is the one built over her tomb, in the catacomb where her devotion began. The basilica is quieter than the great churches of the centre and keeps the atmosphere of early Christian Rome.

A Basilica Over a Catacomb

Agnes was buried in a cemetery along the Via Nomentana, beyond the walls, after her martyrdom in the early fourth century. Her grave drew Christians almost at once: Constantina, the daughter of Constantine, raised a great covered cemetery basilica beside it, and was herself buried in the round mausoleum that survives next door as Santa Costanza. The present church was rebuilt by Pope Honorius I in the seventh century, directly over the martyr's grave, and given the apse mosaic that still stands. The body relics of Agnes are venerated beneath its high altar; her skull is venerated across the city at Sant'Agnese in Agone.

The basilica sits below the modern street, reached by a long marble staircase set with early Christian inscriptions. Inside, the seventh-century plan keeps its upper women's galleries, the matroneum, above the nave, and the gold apse mosaic of Agnes between two popes above the altar. The effect is of descending into the ancient city to reach the grave.

Above the Altar The Apse Mosaic Agnes stands in imperial gold between Popes Honorius I and Symmachus, a sword and flames at her feet. Set above her tomb in the seventh century, it is one of the earliest images of the saint to survive in Rome.

The primary pilgrimage church of Saint Agnes, over her tomb and catacomb

A seventh-century apse mosaic among the oldest images of the saint

The annual blessing of lambs for the pallia of new archbishops

A quieter destination than the basilicas of the centre, in the atmosphere of early Christian Rome

Spiritual Significance

A church built to mark a grave, sunk to the level of the ancient road that still holds it.

This is a place of burial and prayer before it is a monument. It is best approached slowly: the descent, the tomb, the mosaic, and the catacomb below, where the cult of Agnes first took root.

Do Not Miss · 5 stops

Five things, not fifty.

  1. The Tomb of Saint Agnes

    Beneath the high altar, the body relics traditionally venerated as those of Saint Agnes, with the relics of Saint Emerentiana, her foster-sister in the tradition. This is the reason the basilica stands where it does.

  2. The Seventh-Century Apse Mosaic

    Above the altar, Agnes stands in the gold of a Byzantine empress between Popes Honorius I, who holds a model of the church he rebuilt, and Symmachus. It is one of the oldest surviving images of the saint in Rome.

  3. The Sunken Nave and Ancient Inscriptions

    The marble staircase down to the church is set with early Christian epitaphs gathered from the catacomb. The basilica itself sits well below the modern street, at the level of the ancient burial road.

  4. The Catacomb of Sant'Agnese

    The underground cemetery where Christians first venerated Agnes, within decades of her death. The basilica above was built precisely to mark and shelter this grave.

  5. The Blessing of the Lambs (January 21)

    On her feast, two lambs are blessed here; their wool is later woven into the pallia worn by new archbishops. The name Agnes echoes the Latin agnus, lamb.

What to notice
  • That you are praying at the burial place itself, not a later memorial. Devotion to Agnes began in this catacomb and has never moved from it.
  • That the basilica sits below the modern city. The descent measures how far the ancient burial road has been buried by seventeen centuries of Rome.
  • That two churches in Rome carry Agnes between them: her body and tomb here, beyond the walls, and her public witness at Sant'Agnese in Agone on Piazza Navona. The two are meant to be read together.
Visit Plans · 3 plans · add to a journey

How much time, and what to do with it.

  • Duration 1 hr Best for First visit to the tomb

    The grave and the mosaic

    4 ordered stops

    Descend the marble staircase into the sunken basilica, pray at the high altar over the tomb of Saint Agnes, and read the seventh-century apse mosaic above it. Step next door to Santa Costanza before leaving.

    1. Descend the staircase into the sunken nave
    2. Pray at the high altar over the tomb of Saint Agnes
    3. The seventh-century apse mosaic
    4. Santa Costanza next door
  • Duration Half day Best for Early Christian Rome

    The whole complex

    4 ordered stops

    Add the guided catacomb of Sant'Agnese beneath the basilica and the open ruins of the Constantinian cemetery basilica beside it. Together they show how a martyr's grave grew into a sacred complex on the Via Nomentana.

    1. The basilica and tomb of Saint Agnes
    2. The catacomb of Sant'Agnese, by guided visit
    3. Ruins of the Constantinian basilica
    4. Santa Costanza
  • Duration Full day Best for The two churches of Agnes

    Tomb and witness

    Pair this church, over her tomb and catacomb beyond the walls, with Sant'Agnese in Agone on Piazza Navona, which marks her public witness and keeps the reliquary venerated as her skull. Take them in either order.

Do not rush the descent. The staircase, the sunken nave, and the catacomb below are not obstacles before the tomb; they are how the church teaches you that you are arriving at a grave.

How to Visit

Entering as a pilgrim, not a tourist.

Go down the staircase into the sunken nave and walk to the high altar, where the body relics of Saint Agnes are venerated beneath the seventh-century apse mosaic. If the catacomb is open, join a guided visit to the burial galleries below. Step next door to Santa Costanza for its early Christian mosaics, and to the ruins of the Constantinian basilica beside the church. Confirm current hours for the basilica and the catacomb before planning around them.

  • Getting There The basilica stands on the Via Nomentana, north-east of the centre and well beyond the old walls. It is a short bus ride or taxi from the historic core, and rewards a deliberate visit rather than a passing one.
  • The Descent From the street you go down a long marble staircase, lined with early Christian inscriptions, into a church that sits below the modern ground. Take the descent slowly; it is part of the experience of arriving at an ancient martyr shrine.
  • At the Tomb Walk to the high altar, where the body relics of Saint Agnes are venerated, and look up to the apse mosaic above. This is the devotional centre of the visit.
  • The Catacomb The catacomb of Sant'Agnese is entered from the basilica complex and is usually shown by guided visit. Hours are limited and separate from the church, so confirm times before planning around it.
  • Dress and Quiet Shoulders and knees covered, as in any Roman basilica. The sunken nave keeps an unusual stillness; keep it.
Current Practical Information · reviewed July 9, 2026

Plan around the basilica, the catacomb, and the parish day.

Basilica
Mon-Sat 9:00 AM-12:00 PM, 3:00-7:00 PM
Sunday
Visits 3:00-7:00 PM
Catacomb
Guided visit, booked ahead
Entry
Basilica free; catacomb ticketed
Liturgy
Sant'Agnese is a living parish; Sunday morning belongs to the liturgy, and visits resume in the afternoon. The parish posts Mass times and feast-day schedules on its site.
Basilica
Monday to Saturday 9:00 AM-12:00 PM and 3:00-7:00 PM; Sunday visits 3:00-7:00 PM. The basilica is listed as under restoration; some areas may be affected.
Catacomb
Guided visits Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM and 3:00-6:00 PM; closed Sunday. Booked by email or through the Omnia portal; groups are limited to twenty.
Additional schedule notes

Tickets and accessibility

  • Catacomb entry is ticketed, with a reduced rate for ages seven to sixteen, students, and clergy; children under six enter free.
  • The catacomb galleries are not accessible to wheelchair users; the basilica above is reached down a long historic staircase.
Relics, Tombs, Sacred Objects

What pilgrims come to venerate here.

Body relics of Saint Agnes

Tomb and body relic

Yes, beneath the high altar

Basilica of Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura
Traditional

Venerated beneath the high altar according to long-standing Roman tradition; her skull is venerated separately at Sant'Agnese in Agone.

Catacomb of Sant'Agnese

Early Christian cemetery

By guided visit, hours permitting

Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology
Documented

The underground burial complex on the Via Nomentana where devotion to Agnes began; the basilica above was built to mark her grave.

Relics of Saint Emerentiana

Associated relic

Associated with the basilica

Basilica tradition
Traditional

Venerated in tradition as Agnes's foster-sister and associated with the basilica.

Source note Traditional attributions are presented as tradition, with documentation named where it exists.

Connected Saints

How this place gathers the saints.

This is the church of Saint Agnes above all, raised over her grave. The saints gathered here belong to her story and to the early Roman world of catacomb and martyr that surrounds it.

Saint Agnes Tomb and body relics The basilica and catacomb complex most directly connected to Agnes's burial memory, body relic tradition, and long Roman veneration.
Saint Emerentiana Agnes's foster-sister in tradition, venerated with her here Venerated in tradition as the foster-sister of Agnes, stoned near the cemetery while praying at her grave. Her relics are associated with the basilica.
Continue Your Pilgrimage · In the same complex

An ancient sacred complex on the Via Nomentana.

  • Mausoleum and church

    Santa Costanza

    A few steps away, the round fourth-century mausoleum of Constantina, daughter of Constantine, ringed by some of the earliest Christian mosaics in Rome.

  • Archaeological site

    Basilica of Constantina (ruins)

    Beside the present church, the open ruins of the great fourth-century covered cemetery basilica first raised over the martyr's grave.

Sacred Connections

Two churches, one Roman story

Place and path

This basilica keeps Agnes's tomb. Continue to Piazza Navona, where another church preserves the tradition of her martyrdom.

Connections are curated from Eternal Roam's saint, place, relic, route, and Rome records. Traditional attributions are identified in context.

Map · Rome, Italy

Plan around this place.

Editorial sources

Edited from the basilica's own source, the Wikimedia image provenance listed in the credits, and Eternal Roam destination records. Relic and tomb language follows long-standing Roman tradition: the body relics venerated here, the skull venerated at Sant'Agnese in Agone.

Official

santagnese.org

Image credits
All photography credits
Last reviewed

July 9, 2026