06/03/2026
The Basilica of Basilica dei Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti is one of the oldest churches in Rome, with origins dating to the early fourth century. Known originally as the Titulus Equitii, it served as one of the city’s earliest Christian gathering places after the end of the Roman persecutions. Tradition connects the site to Pope Sylvester I, and a synod was held here around the time of the Council of Nicaea, making it an important witness to the Church’s earliest years of public worship.
Over the centuries, the church was rebuilt and expanded, eventually being dedicated to both St. Martin of Tours and Pope Sylvester. Beneath the present basilica are ancient Roman structures and remnants of the original Christian worship space, allowing visitors to walk through layers of history that span nearly 1,700 years. The church later came under the care of the Carmelite Order, which continues its presence there today.
The basilica is also the resting place of Blessed Angelo Paoli, a Carmelite priest known throughout Rome as the “Father of the Poor.” Living in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, he dedicated his life to serving the sick, imprisoned, and forgotten, often carrying food and aid to those in need throughout the city. His tomb remains a place of prayer within the basilica, and his witness serves as a reminder that holiness is found not only in great deeds but in faithful acts of charity offered day after day.
