A few of Rome's hidden treasures

It's raining this morning in Rome, so I've got time to post a few more photos. These are of three places in Rome that aren't high on the tourist radar, partly because there's so much competition.

This first one is a combination of kitsch and amazing: The church of San Crisogono, just a few blocks from where we're staying in Trastevere:

The view from the back of the church toward the altar.
Variations on a theme found among the 900 or so churches of Rome.
(That's a real number.)

Cool mosaic of a dragon on the church floor, down the center aisle.

Some sort of frightened chicken or something.  

Here's where the kitsch starts. There's a side chapel to the left of the main altar, with very recent art.
Here Jesus has very blond hair and is apparently wearing an orange caftan.

All the paintings, and I mean ALL the paintings have a recurring visual theme, often in the background.
See if you can figure out what it is. 

You can't spell "absolve" without "abs," right?

And you can't spell "Latin" without "LAT"

Are you figuring it out?

Let's see.. I count one woman.

I think I see a few women in the background here.
Must be warm where they are.

Is there a Gold's Gym in heaven?

And for a little arch support, we've got this guy...

And his friend.

 I have to say that this is one of the most unusual side chapels I've seen in a Roman Catholic church. Heck, in any church outside of West Hollywood.

But then you start downstairs and see this:

This was discovered in 1907 by the Ministry of National Heritage and culture.

These are the ruins of a church that may have been the first parish church in Rome,
dating back possibly to the late 4th century but no later than 499
when it is mentioned in some sources.
Up to this point, the early church communities had met in people's homes.
This could have been the first building built as a church in Rome.

The area resembles a semi-abandoned archaeological dig.
They're limited in what they can dig out because it risks undermining the church above.

Here in this 8th or 9th century fresco you can see some saints doing something saintly.

  

This incredibly well-preserved sarcophagus dates to the 2nd century.

It's an amazingly large area that has been dug out.

This is the oddest looking skull I've seen. Looks like a chimp with big ears.

 So that's it for San Crisogono.

Now let's look at another hidden treasure of Rome - hidden in plain sight along the banks of the Tiber.

This is the Villa Farnesina.

This is part of the ceiling of the porch. What does your porch look like?

And another part. This is all portraying the myth of Cupid/Eros and Psyche.
Venus was jealous of Psyche's beauty so decides to punish the mortal by sending her son Cupid to do her dirty work.
But Cupid falls in love with Psyche and hides her away. Hilarity ensues.

This is the Hall of Perspectives. (What does that mean to you?)
That's a completely flat wall at the far end, painted to look as if the room
continues out onto an open air deck. Painted around the year 1500.

In 1527, not long after this villa was finished came the infamous Sack of Rome,
when German Lutheran mercenaries swept through the streets, raiding, looting and worse.
One of those Germans took the time to scratch this graffiti into the walls.
Apparently it says something along the lines of
"Why shouldn't I laugh since I know that we made the Pope flee the city?"

Raphael oversaw the painting of this bedroom.

Check out the little angel playing with the sheets.

And that's it for now. Off to explore more Rome.