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The monastery of S. Maria in Tempulo stands outside Porta Capena at the entrance to Via Appia, not far from the churches of S. Sisto vecchio and SS. Nereo e Achilleo. The place-name Tempuli is perhaps due to the pre-existence of a cella memoriae from the classical period, or more probably, to the fact that the first settlement may have reused some remains of the Area Apollinis, located in the area. The church is first mentioned in the Life of Leo III (795-816) under the name Oratory of St. Agatha in the Tempuli Monastery. The ancient complex, known for the icon of the Madonna Avvocata once venerated there, belonged to a women’s monastic community, which was forced to abandon it in the early 13th century. Its original appearance has been radically altered by different uses over the centuries. All that remains in evidence of its original function are remnants of a bell tower and a room with traces of paintings with a religious subject, dating to the 11th/12th century.