buried at the foot of the hill Palatine.
It was built in the mid-5th century and is a sample of church before the Iconoclasm.
Has unique aesthetics of byzantine icons, of the Virgin mary with Jesus, Popes, Saints, and Martyrs, and has one of the largest and most important collections of Roman and Byzantine Art in the world that are crafted with the fresco technique.
For a long time was the gate for the imperial palace.
The murals cut in the literally breathtaking and were created from the 6th to the late 8th century.
It was abandoned in the 9th century, after a powerful earthquake that buried literally under the ground, and remained buried until the early 20th century.
According to archaeologists the construction of the and the gradual drawing gives important clues about the cultural and urban development of Rome from Ancient times to the early Christian Years.
The Santa Maria Antiqua remained closed to the public until 2012. However, until today, excavations are being continued, a fact which means that it is not always open.
Source
A church in Rome with Byzantine frescoes
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