Wooden door in the atrium of the Basilica of Saint Sabina on the Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy. The wooden door of the basilica is generally agreed to be the original door from 430ââ¬â432, although it was apparently not constructed for this doorway. Eighteen of its wooden panels survive ââ¬â all but one depicting scenes from the Bible. Most famous among these is one of the earliest certain depictions of Christ`s crucifixion, although other panels have also been the subjects of extensive analysis because of their importance for the study of Christian iconography. Above the doorway, the interior preserves an original dedication in Latin hexameters. The titular minor basilica is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans. Santa Sabina is perched high above the Tiber river to the north and the Circus Maximus to the east. Santa Sabina is the oldest extant Roman basilica in Rome that preserves its original colonnaded rectangular plan and architectural style. Its decorations have been restored to their original restrained design. Because of its simplicity, the Santa Sabina represents the crossover from a roofed Roman forum to the churches of Christendom. It is the stationary church for Ash Wednesday.
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