Leaving the pleasant heights of the Colle Oppio, which in spring seems to boast of the pomp of its flowers, we take the Via di San Giovanni in Laterano. Now a very monotone and sad street, its past was animated with the magnificence of papal corteges when after the coronation at St. Peters in the Vatican, the new popes rode a white mule to San Giovanni to take possession of the Lateran, flanked by a prostrate crowd on both sides and surrounded by the most splendid and luxurious court one can imagine. Surely Sisto V would not have hesitated in sacrificing the Colosseum to extend this street all the way to the Campo Marzio! At nearly two hundred fifty metres down the street is one of the oldest churches of Rome, San Clemente. If it were possible, we would enter through the main entrance in Piazza San Clemente, which is preceded by an inspiring Byzantine quadri-portico. However, this entrance is almost always closed, so we have to content ourselves with entering a side door, which in any case graces us with a much appreciated surprise in momentarily giving us the illusion of being in the heart of Umbria, so Umbrian is the nature of the chapel we find in front of us when entering from Via San Giovanni in Laterano. This arched chapel is bounded by a gate and has admirable frescoes by Masolino da Panicale, filled with softness and mystery. But in spite of this chapel's Gothic appearance and golden ceiling from the 1700s, the church of San Clemente is one of the purest Christian basilicas from the 12th century, and is a church filled with inspiration built especially for praying, as its atmosphere deeply touches the heart and lifts the soul towards the Lord. It is formed of two basilicas one on top of the other. The upper one was built by Pope Pasquale II in 1108 and incorporates many of the elements from the lower basilica from the 4th century, harmoniously blended with other later elements as to form one of the best examples of the ancient Christian basilica. Standing out the most is the schola cantorum for its grace and incomparable lightness: its rich pavement, two pulpits, a column with the twisted candelabra crowned by a double row of fluted and smooth columns, the background of the tabernacle, chancel screens and panels which form the boundary of the sanctuary. Also eye-catching is the mosaic in the apse representing the triumph of the cross, from which an almost unreal light blue light radiates. The lower basilica was sacked in 1884 by the troops of Roberto il Guiscardo, and it was subsequently filled with pilasters which support the upper basilica. According to tradition it was the house of Pope Clement I (the third pope after St. Peter) and was ceded to the priests of the God Mithras in disgust with Christianity after the martyrdom of this pope in the Crimea, where he had gone to spread the word of God. In the lower basilica are some very old frescos including a very interesting one representing St. Clement, and another the tradition of Lisinnio. According to this legend, there is a chapel in the bottom of the Black Sea where the mortal remains of this saint rest. Once a year the waves recede to make way for the faithful, and one year a widow lost her child in the crowd. She returned the next year and found it safe and sound. Of Lisinnio, the prefect of Rome, the legend says that once he secretly followed his Christian wife to surprise and arrest Pope Clement, but he lost his sight as soon as he was in the pope's presence. From the lower basilica one can visit a few Roman areas which lie beneath, including a well preserved Mitreo in the middle of which is an altar for sacrifices and a sepulchre pillar bearing the effigy of the god with a red Frigio cap in the act of sacrificing a bull to the Sun.