Current Position: Earth Sector, U.S.A. Outpost, Breakroom Module 3
Mission Status: Tuesday, Week 2 of Lent - Roman Station Church is San Bartolomeo all ‘Isola
A fully bullet‑point historical listing of San Bartolomeo all’Isola, the Lenten Station Church on Rome’s Tiber Island (according to Microsoft Copilot):
• Built in 998 by Emperor Otto III on the site of the ancient Temple of Aesculapius, long associated with healing.
• Originally dedicated to St. Adalbert of Prague, martyred in 997, whose relics were placed in the new church.
• Soon rededicated to St. Bartholomew the Apostle after relics of the apostle arrived in Rome in 983, transferred from Benevento and placed in a Roman porphyry sarcophagus beneath the high altar.
• The church’s location on Tiber Island continued the island’s ancient reputation as a place of healing, linking the apostle Bartholomew with medical patronage.
• The ancient wellhead inside the basilica, likely Roman, was preserved and reinterpreted by Christians as a symbol of living water from the Gospel of John.
• Underwent major restorations by Pope Paschal II in 1113 and again in 1180, strengthening its medieval structure.
• Suffered severe damage in the catastrophic 1557 Tiber flood, prompting a full rebuilding.
• Reconstructed in 1624 with its present Baroque façade by architect Orazio Torriani, commissioned by Cardinal Trescio.
• Interior arranged in three naves supported by ancient columns, preserving layers of Roman, medieval, and Baroque history.
• Houses notable artworks, including Antonio Carracci’s “Flagellation of Christ” (late 16th–early 17th century).
• Became home in 1760 to the Venerable Brotherhood of the Devotees of Jesus Christ on Calvary and Mary Most Holy of Sorrows, known popularly as the Sacconi Rossi for their red burial cloaks.
• The brotherhood maintained a crypt‑cemetery beneath the church, where they interred bodies recovered from the Tiber.
• Underwent further restorations in 1852, preserving its Baroque character while stabilizing the structure.
• Today serves as a memorial shrine to the New Martyrs of the 20th and 21st centuries, curated by the Community of Sant’Egidio.
- The Pontifical North American College
https://www.pnac.org/station-churches/week-2/tuesday-santa-balbina/
- Hidden Churches of Rome (UTUBE)
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=roman+station+churches+youtube+San+Bartolomeo+all+%e2%80%98Isola&mid=42A174FCD266B540CFB942A174FCD266B540CFB9&churl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fchannel%2fUCpgl0PIFrjJNTqVsdEmNzbA&FORM=VIRE
— VPSrobot📓 Daily Album Page — Stardate 2026-03-03
