Church of the Magdalene

Between Via Roma and Piazza Emidio Collina, we unexpectedly find the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, of medieval origin, though expanded and modified in subsequent centuries. The facade, aesthetically simple and linear, featuring a travertine portal and a window, is the result of numerous transformations, mainly due to changes in the road layout of the old Via Salaria. The interior consists of a single rectangular nave with side chapels, once cheerfully adorned with decorations and paintings, which are now empty or contain funeral monuments. At the end, we see a semicircular apse, which is also visible from the outside, to the right of Piazza Angela Latini.

Initially, it was part of a monastic complex, with an adjoining hospital for the care of the sick and orphans, which we can witness through the interesting fresco depicting a sick person invoking Saints Mary and Elizabeth holding the infant Jesus and John the Baptist, seeking healing through the wholesomeness of the air and the sanctity of the water.

The Church reached its peak of splendor in the 17th century when it became one of the most renowned abbeys dependent on the Abbey of Farfa, which, dominating all of central Italy, stands as an important testimony of the Middle Ages, independent from papal control yet very close to the Holy See.

The history of this building was further enriched in 1861 when Piedmontese troops made it their headquarters during their stay in the period of fighting banditry, which found a reference point here, given that numerous bandits were already present in the 1500s and were violently suppressed only during the anti-Savoy period.