San Romano Martire a Pietralata

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St Romanus the Martyr at Pietralata is a 21st century parish and titular church in the Pietralata quarter, north of the Via Tiburtina and just east of the Tiburtina train station. The dedication is to St Romanus Ostiarius, who was a 3rd century Roman martyr associated with St Lawrence. His legend states that he was a soldier who converted to Christianity by the example of Saint Lawrence, who baptized Romanus after the soldier was imprisoned. He became a church doorman in Rome and was later martyred.

History

The parish was erected in 1973. The permanent church was completed in 2004, to a design by Igino Pineschi. The mosaics in the apse are by Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnick, S.J, in 2006. It replaced a nearby temporary building on the Via della Cave di Pietralata. It was made titular in 2015, the first cardinal priest being Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel. He is head of the Ethiopian Catholic Church.