Santi Quirico e Giulitta is an 18th century convent and titular church on ancient foundation in the rione Monti (I), tucked away next to the Hotel Forum just south of the Piazza del Grillo and facing over the remains of the Forum of Nerva and Augustus.
The dedication is to Sts Quiricus and Julitta. According to the unreliable legend, the saints were a mother and very young son who were martyred at Tarsus in Asia Minor in the persecution of Diocletian, about 304.
For reference, a plan of the church is available
here.
The earliest known reference is in the 8th century "Einsiedeln Itinerary", where the church appears as 'Sci. Cyriaci.' It is again mentioned in 12th and 13th century guides. In 1475, Pope Sixtus IV found the building in ruins and had it restored in connection with the Jubilee Year. The church was heavily restored by Cardinal Alessandro de'Medici in 1584.
The final transformation into the new church took place in the years 1606-1608, when Pope Paul V in connection with a new restoration had the floor raised 4 meters. At the same time, the church got a new facade and a new interior painting decoration.
Unfortunately, in 1716 the church was gutted by fire. Pope Innocent XIII ordered it to be rebuilt, but this did not happen immediately. In 1722, the ruin was granted it to the Dominicans of San Marco in Florence, who founded a convent here. Work on rebuilding the church began in 1728, to a design by Filippo Raguzzini, and it was re-consecrated in 1734.
The convent was secularized in 1873. The friars continued with the administration of the church itself until 1921, when diocesan priests took over. Since 1951, the church has been served by Regular Tertiaries of St Francis (Terz' Ordine Regolare di San Francesco) or TOR. The latest restoration was carried out by them in 1965 to 1970, the same period when the old convent became the Hotel Forum which it remains.
