Basilica di Santo Stefano Rotondo, Rome

Santo Stefano Rotondo is the ancient circular basilica you see here, dedicated to Saint Stephen and also to Stephen I, Hungary’s canonized king. Its unusual form began in the fifth century, when Pope Simplicius consecrated the church between 468 and 483; it was Rome’s earliest church built on a circular plan. The building originally held 22 columns around its central space, with rings of passageways extending outward.

The surviving interior preserves the memory of that vast design, even though later rebuilding removed the outer ring and most of the surrounding chapels. Look at the entrance portico: its five arches rest on tall granite columns with Corinthian capitals, added during a twelfth-century restoration. Inside, the walls carry 34 painted martyrdom scenes commissioned by Gregory XIII.

Each scene identifies the emperor connected with the execution and includes a biblical passage. The chapel of Saints Primus and Felicianus contains a remarkable mosaic from the seventh century, with the martyrs beside a jewelled cross. Beneath the church lies a second-century sanctuary of Mithras, associated with Roman soldiers, though its remains are closed to visitors.

Bernardo Rossellino restored the basilica in the fifteenth century and also made its altar. This is a church whose circular space preserves layers of Christian worship, Hungarian identity, and Roman military history.