Estonia - Santa Sabina all'Aventino

The church was built in 422 by Peter of Illyria, a priest from Dalmatia. He chose as the site of his foundation the house of the Roman noblewoman Sabina, who later became a saint.

In 1219 Pope Honorius III gave the church and part of the house to St Dominic, founder of the Order of the Dominicans, who have made it their headquarters ever since.  It is likewise an important reference point for the Estonian community, owing to the historical presence of the Dominican family in Tallinn, the Estonian capital.

In 1587 the basilica underwent substantial modifications by the architect Domenico Fontana, commissioned by Pope Sixtus V. These changes would soon be reversed, however, so as to highlight once again the building’s mediaeval core.