Santa Pudenziana

Just a little way down the Esquiline Hill from Sta Maria Maggiore and around a corner (just) is the church of Santa Pudenziana, the significance of which came to my attention only recently. It is believed to have been built on the site of the house of the senator Pudens with whom Saint Peter is said to have lodged and to be therefore, in effect, the church with the claim to greatest antiquity in the city. A board from the altar used by St Peter is preserved in the altar- the rest having migrated to the Lateran basilica when it became the popes' cathedral church. Also of note is the apse mosaic which, although somewhat reduced from its original size is said to be the oldest apse mosaic in Rome. Once the titular church of Nicholas Cardinal (Full in the panting heart of Rome/From out the Flaminian Gate)Wiseman it is now home to the Philippino community in Rome. They were awaiting the start of mass so I was only able to grab these shots rather quickly from the back of the church.