To the left of the portico in front of the façade of the Church Santa Maria in Cosmedin, you'll probably see a line of people standing before a point in the wall. Go stand in line too, and you'll be able to see the famous Mouth of Truth that gave the square its name and is its main tourist attraction. As you can see, it's a large, circular, Roman bas-relief dating back to the second century AD, with a bearded face with long, wavy hair. It was originally a drain cover, but popular imagination has built a legend around it: anyone who wants to prove that they tell the truth has to put their hand in the bas-relief's mouth. He will bite or even swallow the hands of liars! Do you want to try too?
If you've passed the test and your hands are still intact, then go ahead and enter the church. Inside you'll notice a typical element of Romanesque architecture: the alternation of pillars and columns, which however have no supporting function here. Admire the beautiful marble floor with inlays, which is almost entirely antique, and the transenna surrounding the main altar, which is covered by a Gothic marble baldachin from the 13th century.
FUN FACT: in the movie Roman Holiday, Gregory Peck shows the Mouth of Truth to Audrey Hepburn and puts his hand in it, pretending that it has been eaten!
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