History never ends up to be written. Architecture and archeology in the restoration of the winter choir and the balcony of the basilica of S. Clemente in Rome

San Clemente provides an eloquent demonstration of how successive layers of culture have accumulated in Rome, one atop the other. The basilica rests on pre-existing structures that influenced its forms and dimensions, with today’s structure being the outcome of work performed in the course of nearly a millennium. The complex, multidisciplinary restoration effort involved the settings and architectonic structures that make up the eastern end of the church. With the objective of renovating the decorative elements and restoring the spatial and architectonic values, the work also led to the rediscovery of an exceptional amount of materials and information that further enriched our knowledge on the building’s history. The chief focus of this information was the various ways in which the facade has been rearranged over the centuries.