Santi Sergio e Bacco

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Santi Sergio e Bacco is a Catholic church in Rome that now serves the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, following the Byzantine Rite. It is in the Monti district at Piazza della Madonna dei Monti 3.

Origins and names
The church is dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus, believed to be fourth‑century Roman soldiers and Christian martyrs. Over the centuries it has been known by several names, including Sergius and Bacchus in Callinico and Sergius and Bacchus in Suburra, and from the 18th century onward as Madonna del Pascolo (Our Lady of the Pasture) because of a Marian icon associated with it.

Historical development
Its early history is linked to a Callinicum monastery in Syria. By the 15th–16th centuries the site was functioning as a church in the Monti area. In 1641 Pope Urban VIII placed the church under the care of the Ruthenian Monks of Saint Basil the Great. In 1718 a Madonna and Child icon was found in the sacristy, and in 1719 it was placed above the main altar. From 1741 to 1743 the church was rebuilt and redecorated to honor the Madonna, giving it the interior it has today. The high altar uses verde antico marble with bronze capitals designed by Filippo Barigioni; side paintings depict Sergius, Bacchus, and Basil by Ignazio Stern, and the ceiling shows an Assumption with the saints. In 1897 Pope Leo XIII renovated the façade, adding four niches with statues of the four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church.

Ukrainian connection and modern role
In 1970 the church was established as a Ukrainian national parish by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic leadership. A college and a guest house for Ukrainian pilgrims, named St. Sophia and run by Sisters Catechists of Saint Anne, were added next door. The church also hosted the Ukrainian Catholic University’s art museum for a period.

Since 2019 it has served as the cathedral for the Ukrainian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Italy, making it the main church for Ukrainian Catholics in Italy. The church has long been a focal point for the Ukrainian community in Rome and a symbol of their religious life and history in exile, especially during the late 20th century.

Notable memorials
The church is linked to the memory of Inocenţiu Micu-Klein, a Ukrainian‑Romanian bishop who died in Rome in 1768 and was buried there until his remains were moved to Blaj in 1997. The building and its surrounding facilities continue to host Ukrainian liturgies, pilgrimages, and church life in Rome.