Roma! Ah what a
lovely word. And today begins the touring of significant sacred sites in the
eternal city. I will leave you to decide, good readers, on what the acronym ABC
stands for... I know there are a few suggestions but for me it is All Basilicas
and Cathedrals. And so the day began with excited Aussies sitting at Breakfast
surrounded by bacon and egg, and vegemite on toast; small home comforts after a
week of cucumber and olives in Turkey. It was off to Mass at our first stop St Paul’s
outside the walls.
St Paul’s outside the walls is the place of Paul’s burial as
the Romans would not allow burials to take place inside the city walls. It
is not the original church which had been destroyed by fire and this one was totally
rebuilt in the 1800s. Very little remains of
the original structure except for the cupola that towers over Paul’s grave. The
basilica is a great example of pre-Vatican architecture as we celebrate Eucharist
together in the side chapel dedicated to St Benedict. There were others dedicated
to Lawrence and the Holy Cross. The artwork is nothing short of exquisite.
Mosaic work in gold adorns both the exterior of the top of the building and the
interior. Images of the popes of Christendom line the top of the nave with the
spotlight focused on the current pontiff. The cavernous space swarming with
people, some totally engaged and some seemingly disconnected from the beauty
and history that surrounded them was an interesting study in people watching.
After Mass our guide pointed out all of the important features and then we left
to explore a very different type of place of worship.
Second stop of the morning was the Catacombs of St Domitilla. This was the
site of burial of many of the early Christian martyrs and other Christians who
wanted to celebrate Eucharist nearby the holy places of burial of the martyrs
or who needed a place of burial at a
reasonable cost. Of course it too is outside the city walls, because there could be no burial within the ancient city. The entrance at ground level belies the myriad of tunnels that
lies below. Unfortunately there is no opportunity to take photographs in the catacombs so once again I rely on the eyes of my mind for the memories.( and a little help from the internet) There is a simple and unadorned chapel 30 metres below the ground and the catacombs
go down 4 levels below that. While legend might have it that the catacombs were
hiding places where the early Christians lived this seems not to actually be
true. They were not actually a hiding place. The first Christians could not
have lived in there as there was simply not enough oxygen to sustain long term living.
As we walked through the tunnels on the second level we saw niches in walls
covered by either terracotta or marble. The body was simply paced on shelf and the
sealing indicated the relative wealth of the person with the rich having marble
grave closures and the poor only terracotta. It is estimated that 150,000 were buried originally in this catacomb alone.
Only about 2000 graves remain intact and they’re on the lower levels. Over the
years there have been issues with grave robbers and also some bones of martyrs
(testifying to faith) have been moved to other places such as below the Pantheon
in later Christian times. The tunnels are cold dark and eerie but strangely
beautiful and inspiring. Artwork revealed early frescoes in solid colour and carvings of the anchor and the fish, the early
Christian symbols. They are naïve in
style and they tell the story of a faith filled people. To connect with those
who did so much to sustain faith is inspiring and the simplicity of the space
is humbling.
Lunch was had under an umbrella at a café in the street next
to the basilica of St Mary Major with Chris H and Paula our tour guide. St Mary M is a huge church the central section of
which dates back to the 4th century. Little of the original work is
in evidence due to several restorations however it is another fabulous example
of religious art. The earliest mosaics are found on the arch above the central
altar and they tell the story of Jesus passion and death and feature Bethlehem
and Jerusalem, place of birth and place of death. The side chapel where no
photographs can be taken contains an icon to Mary dating to the 500s that is
mounted behind an altar in the same chapel as the tomb of the Borgese Pope whose family
funded much of the work on the church. Here I also encountered the notion of
the holy door, an entrance way to the basilica that is only opened in Jubilee
years, once every 25 years or so. It features two of the titles of Mary: Mater Dei
and Mater Ecclesia and has beautiful relief work. I think I am beginning to
better understand the reasons for the immensity of these majestic buildings and
their purpose. They are not only places of worship but they are statements of
the centrality of western Catholicism in an historical period where the power
of Islam was significant and the beauty of the worship spaces of Orthodoxy were
also so obvious. Competition seems like an ugly idea, but realistically that is
what it is and a way of teaching and assuring believers of the immensity of the
story of salvation. With more majestic churches on the itinerary I am sure
there is more to think about here.
Back on the bus and we arrived near the walls of the ancient
city to find the basilica of St John Lateran, the cathedral church of Rome. In
the surrounds there was scaffolding everywhere as there was an ongoing concert
of some description with techno lights and lots of sound. The juxtaposition of
this against the white marble of the church with its sainted figures towering
and bending on the rooftop originally commissioned by Constantine flaws me. A
city of contradictions is this Rome. This is the “Pope’s Church”. Following
election the pope claims his church within the first month. It is a cavernous
space with double side aisles. The statues of the 12 apostles that line the
central area of the basilica are imposing, somewhat scary. In the centre is the
towering canopy containing two golden statues which house the heads of St Peter
and St Paul respectively. Reliquaries abound, with one on the transept containing
the remains of the wood of the table of the last supper. Side chapels line
the sides of the church, many of which used to be owned by influential families
but which now, with one exception, belong to the church. We even saw an original
Giotto icon. The mosaic work which is renaissance and later is stunning and
perhaps a little more stylized than the previous churches we have seen. I am in
awe. I had not understood the need to have a feast of the dedication of the basilica
on St John Lateran on the liturgical calendar. It seemed like an odd thing to
do in Australia, so many miles removed from Rome. I will now have a new
appreciation of that feast and some fabulous images to share with the students
when we prepare class Mass. And that was not the end of the day… there were two
more stops before home time.
At the church just across the road, many of the pilgrims in
our group ascended the Holy Stairs said to have been walked on by Jesus and
brought to Rome by St Helena in the 4
th century. The only way you
can ascend these stairs is on your knees. Clearly not MY knees. But I stood at
the bottom and watchds and prayed supporting my fellow pilgrims on the climb,
not to mention holding a few bags and jumpers. Watching his Eminence ascend the
stairs in prayer supported by Sam was very moving and when he shared that his prayer had been for our pilgrim group and our intentions it was all the more special.
The final church of the day was the church of the Holy Cross.
An interesting place said to contain the true relics of the Holy cross brought
to Rome by St Helena. The reliquary certainly attracts a good deal of attention
and focuses people in prayer because the tiny chapel was very quiet and
pilgrims were very respectful in this space where they do not allow photographs.
It had been a long day of visits and reflections and there
was still more excitement to come. We were told that dinner tonight at Domus
was to be a special affair and that we had to be ready downstairs at 7pm. We
were ushered into the “crypt” which is a lovely function area where we were
greeted with wine and pastries and welcomed to the Italian night. What an
amazing sight. The room was all decorated and the food looked and tasted
fabulous and then two Italian troubadours arrived and started the serenade.
They were getting everyone involved and at one stage several of the girls, me included, were up singing New York New
York. It was a great deal of fun and I think a test run of the Domus staff and
their catering. Just a fun night. As it had been such a big day it was time for
bed. Ah sleep in a comfy bed. So overrated on pilgrimage but a reality at Domus
Australia
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