p { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }
The little Church of St. Leo the Great is to be found in the midst of the old cemetary of Capena which was built in 1880 around it.
The oldest part of the church was built in 9th century on the site of a Roman building, which may have been a temple, while the first historical information about the church dates to the 13th century.
The façade has a rectangular door, with a frame made from local white stone carved with friezes and a Greek cross.
Most uniquely, the church is divided into two central aisles, and the sanctuary is separated from the nave with an iconostasis (wall covered with icons and religious paintings). This is an extremely rare example of early Medieval iconostasis still intact and in its original position.
There are numerous frescoes to be admired in the church with the oldest are in the apse and others, like the fragments on the wall by the entrance and a figure in the apse, date back to the 10th century. The remainder were perhaps painted at the same time, although the results we see today are due to the restoration work carried out in the early Renaissance.































