Santa Dorotea is an 18th century Baroque parish and conventual church in the northern part of Trastevere near the Ponte Sisto, dedicated to St. Dorothy of Caesarea, 4th century virgin martyr. The full name of the church is
Santi Silvestro e Dorotea a Porta Settimiana.
For reference, a plan of the church is available
here.
The church was known in the 14th century with the name of San Silvestro della Malva. In 1445 it was recorded under the double dedication of SS Silvestro e Dorotea.
On the occasion of the Holy Year of 1475 the medieval church was destroyed and a new one was built, dedicated only to Saint Dorotea, and given full parochial status. The relics of St Dorothy were enshrined here, in the urn beneath the high altar in 1500.
In 1597, St. Joseph Calasanz, the founder of the Pious Schools, opened the first free public school in Europe in an adjacent house. In 1617, Pope Paul V approved the Congregation of the Pious Schools, the first religious institute dedicated essentially to teaching.
In 1738 the church and surroundings were purchased by the Friars Minor Conventual. They demolished the church again, and rebuilt it as the chapel of their new convent on the site. In 1750 the rebuilding was entrusted to Giovanni Battista Nolli. The church was completed in 1756.
