Musings, amusing or otherwise: CHURCHES OF ROME

Monday 7 October 2013

CHURCHES OF ROME

Last night, after our wonderful walk through St. Paul Outside the Walls, we settled into our hotel. After dinner we took in an enchanting “Rome by Night” tour of the City, led by our knowledgeable guide Paolo. Marvelous!

Today, we did a whirlwind tour of Rome that left many of us out of breath. So many churches! So little time!

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PAPAL BASILICA OF SAINT MARY MAJOR

(Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore)

As mentioned in my previous blog, this is one of four major basilicas in Rome, the other three being St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter’s. By way of definition, a basilica is a church that has been designated as a Catholic pilgrimage site. A papal or major basilica is so-named because it is often visited by the Pope for special occasions and has the distinction of having a Holy Door that is opened by the Holy Father only during the Holy Year or Year of Jubilee. Next Holy Year is 2025.

St. Mary Major was built by Pope Sixtus III (432-440) and is the largest Marian shrine in Rome. Among its many art treasures is the Reliquary of the Nativity – a relic of the Manger of Baby Jesus. I once again found myself kneeling in emotional prayer before a relic with tangible ties to our faith.

Click here for a brief historical summary of this basilica.

We would return to St. Mary Major for Mass on Wednesday.

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CHURCH OF THE GESU

Chiesa del Gesù is the Mother Church of the Jesuit religious order, also known as the Society of Jesus, founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola to carry out a ministry of education and evangelization. Our current Holy Father, Pope Francis, is a Jesuit.

Church of the Gesu was consecrated in 1584, and its design set a pattern for Jesuit churches that lasted well into the 20^th century. Among those design features:

· No narthex in which to linger;
· immediate entry into the body of the church;
· single nave without aisles so a visitor’s attention is focused immediately on the high altar;
· in lieu of side aisles, a series of interconnecting side chapels with high arches.

In addition to the essential Catholic iconography of Jesus and Mary, there is an obvious emphasis on images, statuary and relics of Jesuit saints: Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, Robert Bellarmine, and more.

Official website of the church: www.chiesadelgesu.org

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BASILICA OF SAINT CLEMENT

Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano

A minor basilica dedicated to Pope Clement I, the original church was built in the 4^th century and is accessible below the current church, which dates from 1123. The ancient underground church was originally a private home in which Mass was celebrated secretly to avoid Roman persecution.

Although the San Clemente’s outside façade is humble and unassuming, the interior is among the most richly adorned churches in Rome. When we entered the church there were many Dominican priests and brothers chatting with diocesan seminarians. Irish Dominicans have been caretakers of San Clemente since 1667, when England outlawed the Catholic Church and expelled the clergy. Pope Urban VIII gave them refuge at San Clemente, which has become a residence for the order’s seminarians in Rome. The Dominicans oversaw the excavation and restoration of the lower level in the 1950s.

On a personal note, although I was deeply touched by the history of the crypt and its connection to Christian persecution, I was unprepared for the length and depth of the ancient tunnels. I am claustrophobic and soon found myself hyperventilating when it became clear that we were going to be underground, without windows, for a significant time. I held my fear in check so as not to cause panic or concern among my friends, but bolted straight out to the courtyard when we eventually found our way back to the gift shop exit. Whew!

Official website:

www.basilicasanclemente.com

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COLOSSEUM

We somehow squeezed in a quick tour of the legendary Roman Colosseum, a true marvel of engineering in the pre-technology age. Walking through the interior, I was struck by how closely today's football and baseball stadiums still follow this ancient design.

Despite their advances in government, culture, engineering and architecture, the Romans were a brutal society. According to tradition, bloody gladiator battles took place here and, during "halftime," Christians were fed to the lions. So this is a holy site of Christian martyrdom during the terrible persecution of Emperor Nero.

In retrospect, if Christians were so willing to die for their belief in Jesus Christ, then the Roman Empire was doomed. In just 300 years, Christians conquered Rome without an army as Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Toleration.

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SCALA SANCTA (HOLY STAIRS)

By tradition, these are the steps that led up to the Praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, on which Jesus stood as he awaited trial during his Passion. The stairs were brought to Rome by Saint Helen in the 4^th century and are housed in the old Lateran Palace opposite the Basilica of St. John Lateran. As a sign of devotion, pilgrims climb the 28 marble steps (now encased in wood) on their knees as they prayerfully approach the Holy of Holies, a private chapel of the early popes that contains a relic of a fragment of the table on which the Last Supper was served.

Website: www.scalasanta.org

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PAPAL ARCHBASILICA OF ST. JOHN LATERAN

Quick question: What is the Mother Church for Roman Catholics? If you said St. Peter’s Basilica you are not quite correct. The distinction goes to the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome. Since the Pope is the Bishop of Rome, this is his cathedral. It’s a little confusing but that does not lessen the importance of St. Peter’s. Before the rise of the modern papacy and the Pope’s global mission, his original ministry was as bishop for the people of Rome.

Consecrated in the year 324, the Lateran Basilica has survived fires, decline, and even a controversial “second papacy” in Avignon, France. When the papacy returned to Rome in 1378, St. John Lateran was in such deterioration from the damaging fires that it was deemed inadequate to serve the Pope. That partially explains the rise of St. Peter’s Basilica as the papal church, even though the Lateran Basilica remains the Pope’s official cathedral.

Reconstruction and restoration began in earnest, resulting in the unveiling of the magnificent statues of the Apostles in 1718.

We concluded our very busy Monday with Mass in one the side chapels. Our already large group increased in size considerably when word got out among other tourists that Fr. Paul was presiding at an English Mass. We were pleased to welcome new friends from New York and Germany.