Who was this loving mother? None other than St. Silvia, the mother of Pope Gregory I the Great, who at that time stayed in a nearby by monastery of San Andreas. It is here, that according to legend, Silvia’s house was located, the wife of Gordianus Anicius, one of the wealthiest Roman officials and land owners. Both of them, praised by the Church for the Christian virtues, found themselves among the saints. After the death of her husband Silvia lived a lonely life, devoted to asceticism and prayer, interrupted by those walks to see her son in order to keep him in good health. Reportedly, she was the one who, prior to her death (592), funded an oratory (Cella Nova) here, which was the beginning of the first, erected in the VI or VII century church. Next to it, a monastery sprung up in time, designated for the Sabaites, meaning a convent of monks who had St. Sabbas as their patron. In 645 fleeing from Muslims in Palestine, these Greek monks, mainly from the Monastery of Mar Saba, brought the cult of the hermit Sabbas to Rome. The monastery rapidly began to play a significant role in the then religious life of the city, becoming a bastion of the Eastern Church, while its priors participated in all the legations to Constantinople, presenting the stance of the bishop of Rome there. As we know the religious-political arguments between Rome and Constantinople ended with a schism. In time the importance of the Sabaites lessened, while the monastery and church fell into ruin and so they stayed until 1054, when they were taken over by the Order of the Benedictines from Monte Casino. In 1205, during the pontificate of Pope Innocent III, the church was reconstructed and adorned with magnificent paintings and decorations out of incrusted marble. In the second half of the XV century, a ciborium (today partially reconstructed) supported on four columns was created in the apse, whose walls were decorated with frescoes. The main façade was also thoroughly changed, building a splendid loggia, so as the campanile and the triangular top are barely visible from behind its broad shoulders. However, this did not help the church, which was gradually forgotten, and which in the meantime came into the possession of the Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum, meaning the Jesuits. It is still under their care to this day.

A Cosmatesque portal leads us into the interior. The wonderful floor completed by this workshop (XII century) reminds us of the greatness of this church. The work of the Cosmatis can also be admired in the right side nave (the remains of the schola cantorum), as well as in the simple cathedra, located immediately next to the wall. It is these remains that merit attention, since they are the work of the Vassalletti family, the most outstanding experts of their craft, the very same, who worked on the most beautiful, medieval, Roman cloisters, the ones in two basilicas, St. Paul Outside the Walls (San Paolo fuori e mura) and St. John on the Lateran (San Giovanni in Laterano).

The church is a basilica with a transept and two side naves, to which – on the left side from the enterance – a fourth nave was added in the XIII century. The ancient columns support arcade spans, while light reaches the interior through rather small, high-set windows. Today the walls of the main nave are empty, in the past they were decorated with paintings. A rare for Rome, open roof truss is imposing indeed, transporting us to the times of the early Middle Ages.

An element which attracts attention of anyone, who finds himself inside this ascetic interior, is the decoration of the apse. Its principal scene depicts the crucified Christ and – at his feet –  the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist filled with grief. The painting is compelling with its silent melancholy. Christ on the cross, does not seem to suffer, despite a bleeding wound, he watches us intently with his narrow almond eyes. His gaze is filled with almost a curiosity. John notices this expression, carefully watching   his teacher, the Virgin Mary on the other hand – a young and beautiful woman with equally almond eyes – is not watching her son, lost in her own thoughts. The way the hands of Our Lady were captured, raised as if in a gesture of complaint, while John, seems to be wringing his, are schematic, their faces do not express any feelings, however Christ’s perceptive gaze, leaves the onlooker with an unforgettable feeling. This painting is part series of scenes which fully fill the apse. They create wider and narrower rows. In them, we will see a number of the disciples with attributes of their martyrdom, evenly placed lambs, with the one in the middle surrounded by a  halo on a throne and finally Christ himself in the highest row, accompanied by St. Sabbas and St. Andrew. At the base of the wall there is another interesting scene, this time The Visitation.

However, that is not all, that the church has to offer to an experienced treasure seeker. When we direct our steps to the added, fourth nave on the left side, we will notice remains of XIII-century Roman frescoes. One of these, rather well-preserved, depicts the noblest deed of St. Nicholas of Myra – meaning saving three virgin daughters from prostitution. These half-naked, sleeping girls, are visited by a bearded old man, who hands them, a mysterious, rather small, we can even say meagre-looking sack. However, they, lost in sleep, do not see this gesture. The father of the girls, seems to be equally fast asleep. This is how, a medieval painter, tells us the apocryphal tale of St. Nicholas and three daughters, from an honest, pious, but a poor family. The fate of daughters without a dowry, no matter how beautiful – seems sealed – either they will remain unmarried, or what is worse, in a shameful way they will lose their virginity. As can be seen, the status of an unmarried woman, which in the times of early Christianity was one of the highest virtues, in time becomes less so and is seen as a sort of disability. However, prayers to St. Nicholas bring miracles – the sack contains gold for a dowry, meaning help for the whole family. The painter created the group of girls in a schematic way, without finesse, yet despite the fact that nudity at that time was not en vogue in painting, he could not stop himself from painting their nude torsos, as if it would be obvious that pious virgins sleep nude in a common bed, and on top of that together with their father.

Another fresco depicts the Madonna with Child in the company of St. Sabbas and, a partially preserved St. Andrew. The remaining ones, probably represent Gregory I the Great, in the company of unidentified saints.

The church was thoroughly reconstructed in the XX century. In its vestibule artifacts from ancient times (sarcophagus from the IV century, architectural elements) and from the Middle Ages (remains of reliefs and stone decorations) were exposed. The aforementioned Oratory of St. Silvia was also uncovered, with frescoes from the VII-X centuries. Some of these findings are located in the corridor next to the sacristy. On its walls there is a beautiful scene of The Healing of the Paralytic from the VIII century, a group portrait of seven monks, a work from the IX century.