Majesty and beauty

"The Basilica of San Clemente stands a short walk from the Colosseum in Rome, and over the centuries it has drawn countless pilgrims and visitors. But in the middle of the nineteenth century, it captured the astonished attention of the whole world when a forgotten fourth-century basilica was unearthed beneath itand, under that, even lower down, a pagan temple dedicated to the god Mithras. In Majesty and Beauty, Paul Murray, OP, uncovers for us, layer by layer, the story of this basilica, one of Romes most beautiful and important churches. It is a story constructed in stone and art, from pagan temple to early Christian basilica to the present living place of worshipa place universally celebrated for its magnificent twelfth-century mosaic. Throughout these pages, the author invites his readers to set out with him on a journey of discovery into the lost and found worlds of San Clementes pagan and Christian past. Majesty and Beauty is a work of artistic and spiritual adventure, distinguished throughout by a fine grasp of the latest scholarship and by truly stunning images of the works of art in the basilica, presented in full and splendid color"-- Provided by publisher.