An ancient church at the site was refurbished in 1582 by
Vignola under the patronage of Cardinal
Alessandro Farnese. Subsequently, the present church was designed by
Giacomo della Porta under the patronage of Cardinal
Pietro Aldobrandini. The interior layout is octagonal. On the stairs leading to it can be seen writing and drawings scratched into the stone, probably information from the architect to the builders. The church presbytery contains a mosaic by
Francesco Zucca made after designs of
Giovanni della Vecchia. An old tradition claims that 10,000 Christian slaves who died while building the
Baths of Diocletian are buried in the church's crypt, and are venerated as
St Zeno and Companions. Some dead slaves from this project are likely buried in catacombs in the nearby hillside, though the 10,000 figure must be exaggerated. According to legend,
St Bernard had a vision while celebrating a
requiem mass at the church. The vision was of the souls in
purgatory he was praying for ascending to heaven by a ladder — the
Scala Coeli, leading to the church's suffix. This vision was the basis for an
indulgence attached to requiem masses celebrated in the church. Later, the indulgence was granted to specific churches outside Rome. In 1500,
Henry VII of England was granted the
scala coeli indulgence for his new chapel in
Westminster Abbey, and the popularity of it in England grew rapidly. By the 1520s, bequests for masses "at
Scala Coeli" were common. The church belongs to the
Trappist Tre Fontane Abbey, along with the churches of
Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio and
San Paolo alle Tre Fontane. The church of Scala Coeli was already used by the
Romanian Orthodox community in Rome before November 2002 when, to mark the visit to Rome of
Teoctist,
Patriarch of Romania,
Pope John Paul II officially granted it to them. Previously, they had also gathered in the Chapel of Our Lady of Genezano off
Via Cavour, but that chapel had become too small. ==Notes==