The church is dedicated to two saints – twin brothers – Cosmas and Damian, army doctors of the Eastern Empire, who according to legend treated patients free of charge and converted the populace to Christianity during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. They died, first chained and thrown into prison, later into the sea, then burnt, crucified, stoned, and finally shot with arrows. All of these tortures, which – according to hagiographists – the brothers were subject to, were to show the unlimited cruelty of their oppressors. Most likely these were not historical figures, however their vitae in an exceptional way illustrates the ideals of the Church struggling with pagans during the period of early Christianity. And just as the latter invented unbelievable stories about Christians, accusing them of cannibalism, drinking human blood and eating bodies, so too the Christians attempted to satisfy the imagination of the populace, during a period of numerous natural disasters, especially sensitive to the miracles of the saint doctors. The city on the Tiber was seemingly besieged by floods with plagues and sicknesses immediately following. Referencing the venerable doctors was then something natural: in a church dedicated to them people sought grace of healing or at least alleviation of pain. The legend, which soon came to be, claimed that a night spent in the church grants miraculous power of healing. In later times a diaconate was established here, which was tasked with aiding the poor.

It can be assumed that selecting a pair of saintly doctors as patrons of this church, was connected with the desire to drive out and neutralize the previous significance of this place as a pagan cult of Castor and Pollux, who had their temples nearby and drew the faithful of the old beliefs with their healing powers. It must not be forgotten that Christianity in the IV century (and this is the time of the beginnings of this church), despite the fact that it had been the state religion for many years, was not accepted by all Romans – the old cults and beliefs still spread, although in secret.

The church itself was an adaptation of two separate antique structures belonging to a complex erected during the Flavian dynasty, Temple of Peace. In one of them, with a rectangular plan and rich wall decorations composed of multi-colored tiles, during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius anatomy lectures took place and medical books were stored. This was also the residence of the Roman public health care – today we would have said primary care clinic, in which doctors helped those in need. The second part was the so-called, Temple of Romulus – commemorating the son of Emperor Maxentius, or as others claim the Temple of Jupiter Stator. And it was this structure that initially served as the enterance to the Christian church created here.

The daughter of Theodoric the Great, Amalasuntha, gifted the aforementioned building to Pope Felix IV and, more interestingly it became the first Christian church in the area of the old Forum Romanum. The structure consecrated around 530 A.D., fell under the protectorate of Justinian I – the emperor of the East, who felt entitled to rule Rome as well. The cult of the little-known in Rome saints Cosmas and Damian spread around the city thanks to the Byzantine culture and was simply forced onto the Romans. When representatives of the military administration of the Eastern Empire resided in the city on the Tiber (in the area between Torre delle Milizia and Palatine Hill), it was here that their sphere of influence was located. And it was they who to large extent needed the church. Its interior was decorated with mosaics which we can see in the church apse and triumphal arch. They represent the Parousia, meaning the second coming of Christ – judge of the world and victor. Christ perched on colorful clouds with a raised arm, as if in a gesture of a speech, in the other hand holding the Torah, floats down to the ground from above. The saints accompanying him on either side, Peter and Paul look like Roman senators. Their togas and hairstyles signify distinction and prestige. Both of the twins brothers are also dressed in elegant tunics and dark pallia. St. Peter, on the left of Christ holds the arm – in a gesture of protection – of one of the brothers – Cosmas (?). Another figure visible on the left is St. Theodore (Roman legionnaire), who opposed the persecutions of Christians, for which he also paid with his life. On the other hand, on Christ’s right side we will of course see St. Paul, who in a similar gesture protects the second of the brothers – Damian (?). Historians cannot agree on the attribute of the twins. Some believe that Damian is the one represented with a box for surgical instruments. On this same side we will notice Pope Felix IV. The inscription placed below, informs of the fact that he was the founder of the mosaic. He proudly holds a model of the church in his hands. Unfortunately, the mosaic which represents him as well as one of the twin doctors next to him, underwent subsequent modernizations. In the XVI century the image of Felix was replaced with that of Pope Gregory the Great, only to once again in the following century, return to that of the church founder at the behest of Cardinal Francesco Barberini. The saint martyrs hold the wreaths of martyrdom, presenting them to Christ, while all the figures are found on a meadow filled with roses, lilies and palm trees. In the lower part of the apse there are twelve lambs, symbolizing the apostles and of course the most important one in a halo – Christ himself, standing on a hill, from which four rivers flow. On the sides we will see two gates, of which one leads to Jerusalem, the other to Bethlehem. On the other hand on one of the palms we can notice a phoenix in the nimbus – the legendary Egyptian bird, which burned itself only to be reborn from the ashes. Of course, this image is a clear reference to the Resurrection of Christ.

What we see in the mosaics of the Church of SS Cosmas and Damian, is like the last chapter of late-Antique art, which gives way to Byzantine elements and they will soon be the dominant force in the decorations of Roman churches. Here, however the facial features of the figures remain almost realistic, varied and individualized. Their bodies as well as the cobalt sky with colorful clouds are also naturally modeled. However, a certain primitivism in representation cannot go unnoticed, a resignation from delicate contours and chiaroscuro of the past era, as well as a certain, characteristic for Byzantine art stiffening of the figures.

In the triumphal arch, on the other hand, there are mosaics from the end of the VII century, referring to the Apocalypse of St. John, with the Lamb of God in the central part, resting on a throne with a cross and scroll. On both sides of the throne there are four angels and candelabras symbolizing the Seven Churches of God. The farthest to the side are the Evangelists depicted in a symbolic way – on the left St. Mathew (angel with a book), on the right St. John the Evangelist (an eagle). Unfortunately, the rest of this decoration was destroyed during the Baroque modernization of the church. Only fragments of outstretched hands with crowns remain, belonging to the twenty-four Elders of the Apocalypse.

The present-day interior of the basilica does not really show the original architectural idea, while the apse itself seems too broad in relation to the rest of the structure. However, it must be remembered that in its original form the floor was located a full seven meters higher. It was not until the XVII century when the church was divided into a lower and upper part. This modernization took place during the times of Pope Urban VIII – a great patron of the arts, who in 1626 ordered a new interior to be created for the upper church. Chapels were created out of the nave, while a new altar was placed in the apse – the work of Domenico Castelli. A painting from the XII century Our Lady with Child served as the altarpiece. The rest of the chamber, apart from a few exceptions is a Baroque creation. From among the artists of that time, whose works can be seen here one must mention Giovanni Baglione, the very same, who was so repressed by Caravaggio, who accused him of lack of talent. His paintings are found in a chapel dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. Baglione himself was buried within. Another chapel worthy of our attention is the one dedicated to St. Barbara, as well as an altar in one of the chapels dedicated to SS Rosa and Rosalia, which is a work of an anonymous artist from the XVI century. From among all the frescoes, paintings and altars, another one meriting attention is a ceiling painting on which we will see the papal bees, meaning the heraldic insects of the Barberini family from which Urban VII came.

In the first half of the XVII century, the aforementioned courtyard of the monastery was added, for the Franciscan monks of the Third Order (Tertiaries), who settled here at the beginning of the XVI century. The enterance from via Sacra was raised and enriched with a Baroque abutment, while the rotunda was covered with a dome. It was not until the XX century that an entrance was created from via dei Fori Imperiali, leading through the cloisters into the church. After the Second World War, works on the basilica were continued. In the old enterance to the upper church a glass window was installed (2000), through which the old part of the vestibule can be seen (the original Temple of Jupiter). After a long lasting reconstruction it also was opened to the public, and it can be accessed from the Forum Romanum. It was there that frescoes from the XIII century were discovered.

Coming out of the church, it is worth it to linger for a while in the courtyard of this structure undergoing constant changes over the centuries, rest in its arcades and take a closer look at the frescoes adorning its walls, depicting scenes from the life of St. Francis (the work of Francesco Allegrini). Is it not a magnificent place – where we have the ability to truly immerse ourselves, in a single moment in the timelessness of the past, the ancient, the Christian and the modern, where only the rustle of water coming from the fountain makes us aware of the fact, that we are indeed in a real place – yet very far from the hustle in bustle of the city, despite being in its very heart.