In the southeastern area of the city of Rome, archaeologists excavating inside the Triton Baths, built in the 2nd century A.D. within the monumental complex of the Villa di Sette Bassi, discovered that during Late Antiquity the baths were converted into a Christian church.

This change in use, documented directly in the course of the ongoing archaeological investigation, is primarily evidenced by the discovery of an element of particular liturgical and symbolic significance: a vasca (pool or tub) lined with marble, which archaeologists interpret as an ancient baptistery, that is, a place intended for baptism by immersion.

The discovery of this vasca would provide a key piece in the puzzle of the Christianization of the suburban territory of Rome. The structure underwent at least two phases of remodeling: a first phase in which the vasca had a deeper bottom suitable for the rite of full immersion, and a later one in which the bottom was partially filled in, thus reducing the depth of the structure.

baths church rome
Archaeologists continue to excavate the structure. Credit: Parco Archeologico dell’Appia Antica

This type of change is consistent with the liturgical transformations that affected the sacrament of baptism in Late Antiquity, a rite that was initially celebrated with the complete immersion of the neophyte—a tangible expression of the transition to a “new life” in the Christian faith—and later began to be performed in more symbolic and less physically demanding forms.

The dimensions of the baptistery found in the Villa di Sette Bassi allow researchers to affirm that during an initial period of its use, the Christian initiation rite was carried out here in its oldest and most solemn form.

These signs of reuse of the space, together with the layout of the vasca and other structural elements in the surroundings, reinforce the hypothesis that we are dealing with a proper baptismal church, that is, a place with the authority to confer the sacrament of baptism and with burial rights, the archaeologists affirm.

baths church rome
Detail of the two levels of the structure. Credit: Parco Archeologico dell’Appia Antica

The presence of various identified burials in the nearby area of the vasca also indicates that the site was not a mere marginal-use chapel, but a center of some importance in the ecclesiastical network of the region.

The possibility that there was a bishopric there during Late Antiquity, located in the heart of the Roman countryside, cannot be ruled out, and would help explain the notable concentration of tombs near the ecclesiastical building, they indicate.

The coexistence in the same building of elements typical of imperial-era bath architecture and Christian liturgical components highlights the gradual transition in the uses of space, a direct reflection of the profound social and religious changes that marked the end of classical Antiquity and the rise of Christianity.

The discovery could reshape the historical understanding of the Christian presence in Latium during the post-imperial period.

SOURCES

Parco Archeologico dell’Appia Antica

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