In AD 874 king Burhred of Mercia abdicated in the face of overwhelming Danish raids into his kingdom. So he split to Rome where he lived out his life and finally was burried in the church of Sancta Maria Antiqua. I decided to find out more about this church, if it still existed etc.
It does not really exist as a functioning church anymore. It was built in the 5th Century near the Roman Forum and was the seat of the Bishop of Rome. It's ruins are part of the Forum tour today. It was buried under tons of rubble when the Forum was burned in 1084 when the Normans set fire to the city. In 1902 it was excavated and there are many 7th and 8th century frescos still on it's walls. There is still one sarcophagus present in the church. Maybe its king Burhred?
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