The Basilica of Santa Sabina is set at the Aventine Hill, one of the famous seven hills of Rome. Going inside you can breath an historical atmosphere, looking at the medieval decorations and the renaissance frescos. Try to imagine how old is the church: it was founded at the V century AD and restored several times over the centuries. But today I would like to describe a strange piece hosting here...after the main and original wooden door (more than 1500 years old) go to the left.
On a corner you will find a nice marble column with a black stone at the top. Good, you are looking at the so called Lapis Diaboli, the Satan’s Stone. Why? Let me tell you the traditions behind this black stone. We are at the 1219 when the Pope Onorio III donated the Basilica of Santa Sabina to the Dominicans, who started to live in the oratory that still today exists. If you go out you can see the nice medieval cloister, and from a hole of the wall that is between the church and the cloister you will also see an orange tree: according to the traditions it was directly brought by San Dominic from Spain to Italy. But there’s something more about St Dominic, the founder of this religious order.
When he came in Rome he stood for a long time here, in the monastery. Day by day he used to pray in front of a marble slab that was used to bury some bones of Christian martyrs. It was a holy corner and St Dominic really loved to come here, praying fot the memory of those people. Satan, the other main character of this story, was not happy to see the saint in the act of praying so much, and so he tried to bother him. But the St Dominic’s faith was so strong the Satan could not do nothing. That’s the reason why he got angry! He took a stone, for some traditions from the roof of the basilica, and he hurl it to hit St Dominic. But the saint was not hit by the heavy stone, that stroke the marble slab, breaking that. Then the fragments were put all together again in order to move them inside the basilica, creating this black stone.
It is the tradition, but let me tell you how the marble slab was really broken, but in this case by Domenico Fontana, the main architect of the Pope Sixtus V at the end of the XVI century. Why? Simply to move the bones of the martyrs in other churches or basilicas. You can understand how many legends are in Rome, but it is also true that the Lapis Diaboli has really something strange. Going closer you will see on the black surface three holes and some scars. They could be compatible with demoniac fingers and claws. So, do you see how many surprises could be found in the Basilica of Santa Sabina at the Aventine Hill? Many are the reasons to come here...