Need help trimming down my list of churches in Rome

San Clemente
Santa Maria in Trastevere also San Cecilia two of Rome’s oldest churches
San Ignacio
The Pantheon
Sta. Maria degli. Angeli near Termini, incorporates some of the massive Baths of Diocletian ruins.
Santa Maria Maggiore home of Bernini’s St. Theresa in Ecstesy

Thanks, lanlubber!

Hi Sharon -
I'm editing my previous post given your additional info. :O)

Two other very interesting churches in the general vicinity of San Giovanni in Laterano: Santo Stefano Rotondo and San Clemente.

Santa Sabina
Santa Maria in Trastevere
Santsa Maria del Popolo

Someone mentioned Santa Prassede, which I've not done yet but is HIGH on my own list, and I'll throw in Santa Pudenziana as well; a couple of venerable ladies.

Santa Maria Maggiore home of Bernini’s St. Theresa in Ecstasy

Nope, I'm afraid it's in Santa Maria della Vittoria. :O)

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, Santa Maria Antiqua, Santa Prassede, San Clemente, Santa Sabina, Santa Maria in Cosmedian, there are dozens more. I like the old ones

Hi Kathy,

A little clarification. My list is very long and includes the churches I listed above (which are non-negotiable). I'm hoping folks here can tell me their favorites so I can trim my very long list. Thanks for your input!

Thanks, Brad. That's my problem, too. Well, I'll just have to go back again! :)

Ah, now I understand!
I can also sympathize as my OWN yet-to-do list is lengthy. 😵‍💫
Edited my previous post. So many churches; so little time!

I've been to Santa Prassede twice on my current trip to Rome and may stop in again. It's small but has stunning mosaics in the apse and in one of the chapels. Be sure you have a couple of 1-euro coins to illuminated the mosaics.

Santa Prassede is very near Santa Maria Maggiore. I believe its hours are 10 AM to noon and 4 to 6 PM.

• St. Luigi dei Francesi -- The Caravaggios are magnificent
• Santi Quattro Coronati -- Outstanding medieval frescoes
• Basilica of Saint Praxedes -- Go specifically for the mosaics in the Chapel of Saint Zeno
• Mausoleo di Santa Costanza -- An unparalleled snapshot of early Christian iconography

So, those would be my choices from what we've already seen. However, we're visiting Rome this fall, and I have many more churches on my list. And I have no intention of cutting them down!! But I'll give you my notes to help you spot interests and reasons for including any on your list...

• Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva – Rome’s only Gothic church. Outside is a Bernini elephant and inside is a Michelangelo statue
• Bessarion Chapel inside Santi XII Apostoli Basilica – 1400s frescoes rediscovered in the 1960s under whitewash. Despite some damage over time, the surviving frescoes remain remarkably colorful and impressively detailed. Access to the chapel is limited to certain days so research ahead of time
• Basilica di San Bartolomeo all'Isola – On Tiber Island, it contains a beautiful Medieval well-head as well as original Roman columns from Baths of Caracalla. It is the shrine of St. Bartholomew, one of the original 12 apostles.
• San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (St Lawrence Outside the Walls) – 5th century mosaics
• Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura – 600s mosaics
• San Paolo dentro le Mura – Completed in the 1880s, it is known as the American Church in Rome. More importantly, it was decorated in mosaics (inspired by Ravenna) by Pre-Raphaelite master Edward Burne-Jones
• Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere – mosaics and 1200s art
• San Crisogno, Trastevere – early medieval church underneath the main one, including frescoes and repurposed Roman ruins
• The wooden doors of the Basilica di Santa Sabina—dating from the early 400s and considered the first public depiction of the crucifixion. 2nd century columns run down the interior along with one remaining mosaic contemporaneous with Ravenna (early 400s)
• Santi Nereo e Achilleo – 800s mosaics
• Basilica of San Giovanni a Porta Latina – A cycle of 1100s frescoes running down the nave was found in the 1940s – 46 scenes in all. One of the best examples of early medieval painting in Rome
• Chiesa di Santa Maria Antiqua –incredible cycle of 700s frescoes, reopened in 2016 after massive restorative work. This is part of the Roman Forum and is connected to that ticket
• Basilica of Santa Maria in Domnica – early 800s mosaics
• Santo Stefano Rotondo --one of the world's oldest and largest circular churches. Very gory Renaissance frescoes dominate but in one chapel remains a rare 600s mosaic
• Santa Maria del Popolo – Caravaggio, Raphael, Bernini, as well as the oldest stained glass in Rome from the early 1500s (nothing older survives!)
• Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura—A huge church (second only to the Vatican’s St. Peter’s) with a mashup of styles. But important medieval portions remain including the mosaic in the apse (1216), gothic canopy (1285), and Rome’s most beautiful cloister, finished 1228

+1 for San Clemente, if you’ve never been. Fascinating to see the two churches below the surface!.

Also St Peter in Chains. I think it was reasonably close to the Colosseum and Forum, if you’re visiting either of those anyway.

My gripe with Basilica di San Clemente is that no photography is allowed. Not just no flash / no tripod, but no photography at all. I never quite got why it is an outlier.

San Clemente now requires a ticket purchased in advance. If you show up without a ticket, they'll point you to a smartcode you can use to book online--assuming you're able to get online. You may encounter a bit of delay getting inside. The person checking the online tickets was the same person selling posters and postcards. Showing up early may get you in before the staffer turns her attention to selling stuff.

Some of my favorites (and advocating for some that have already been mentioned):
Sant’ Ignazio—love the ceiling—one of the best in Rome (near the Pantheon)
Santo Stefano Rotondo—frescoes of martyred saints (well, being martyred; near the Colosseum)
Santa Maria della Vittoria—for “St. Teresa”
St. Paul’s Within the Walls—first Protestant church built within the walls of Rome; mosaics by Edward Burne-Jones (worth popping in if you’re walking along Via Nazionale)
San Clemente
Sant’Agnese fuori le Mura

San Clemente and Sopra Minerva

Passing through Piazza Navona, I stopped a few minutes at S. Andrea della Valle, famous among opera lovers as the place where the first act of Puccini's Tosca is set.

A huge thank you to everyone who has commented. Of course, you've mentioned a few that weren't on my list!

My sister is a big fan of churches and I like your idea of making a list. We walk everywhere and when we see a church, we stop. Generally, these hit-and-run visits are more satisfying than the big churches. No matter how small or hidden, we always pause for a few moments to take in the peace, light candles at the altars that call us and send good thoughts home. Last year, after our mandatory testing for COVID, we visited St Cecilia in Trastevere and were blessed with negative results! Glad we lit the big candles. We love how every church is so different. I look forward to your report.

Try, if you can, to avoid church overload. We went to so many churches in Rome, that now I can hardly stand the sight of another church. Trust me, it's a thing.

I also loved San Andrea della Valle.
It’s blue and gold inside.
St. Andrew was crucified upside down, and there is a depiction of this.
I believe that’s where the Scots flag design came from, as St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Santa Maria Della Vittoria - love the Bernini sculpture! S. Maria degli Angeli and Santa Susanna are close by there, I think. As is the National Museum and Diocletian Baths. You can hit a lot of things in that area.

I've been to Santa Prassede twice on my current trip to Rome and may stop in again. It's small but has stunning mosaics in the apse and in one of the chapels.

How true - but a visit to Santa Prassede must definitely be complemented by the nearby church of Santa Pudenziana, one of the oldest churches in Rome anywhere, which houses one of the oldest Christian mosaics (dated ca. 410 AD). It (a council of the Apostles) still shows the vitality of ancient art before the Byzantine rigidity enters, of which S. Prassede is already marked.

yeah, go easy on the churches. Museums too. Rick really likes both of them so he tends to over-feature them.

As noted, just pop into any church you happen to see, it will be lovely.

Santa Pudenziana is currently (apparently) open Mon-Sat from 9 till 11:30 AM. There are no afternoon hours. I think the hours posted on the door may be different.

Thanks again for all the help with my list. It's taking shape. I'll share the list when it's done!