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Cosmedin

Cosmedin refers to Santa Maria in Cosmedin, a historic Roman Catholic church in central Rome. The church stands in the Forum Boarium area, near the Tiber River, and is traditionally linked with the ancient markets of the city. A portico at the church houses the Bocca della Verità, a large marble mask dating to the early imperial period. Since the Middle Ages the image has been connected with a popular legend that it bites off the hand of anyone who tells a lie; visitors often pose with their hands in the mouth as a tourist tradition.

The church itself has late antique origins and was rebuilt and modified over the centuries. Its current

Today Santa Maria in Cosmedin remains an active parish church, open to the public for worship and

exterior
is
a
modest
brick
façade,
while
the
interior
shows
a
mix
of
medieval
and
Baroque
elements,
including
a
single
nave
and
a
number
of
altars
and
chapels.
The
site
has
long
been
a
Christian
place
of
worship,
with
evidence
of
a
sanctuary
on
the
site
since
late
antiquity.
The
Bocca
della
Verità
is
the
principal
draw
for
many
visitors,
but
the
church
and
its
surroundings
are
also
of
interest
for
their
role
in
the
urban
fabric
of
ancient
and
medieval
Rome.
visitation.
It
is
widely
recognized
as
a
cultural
landmark
due
to
its
proximity
to
the
Forum
Boarium
and
its
association
with
the
Mouth
of
Truth.