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The church of Santa Francesca Romana is next to the Forum Romanum in Rome. For centuries, it has been known officially as Santa Maria Nova, which explains why the Virgin was placed in the centre of the apse mosaic, commissioned by Pope Alexander III in around 1165-67. The Madonna and Child are flanked by the apostles John, James, Peter, and Andrew. The round-arched arcades framing the figures are a distinctly medieval element.
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