San Pietro in Vaticano

Mass at Saint Peter’s today!  An early morning (not rainy) hike across town brought us to the church that has welcomed pilgrims for centuries.  Mass was at the Altar of the Chair, under the Holy Spirit window.

 

As always, it is the scale of the place which is stunning.

 

Here you can see one of the four bishops who hold up the bronze chair (just off the top of this photo).  They’re actually not supporting it, but reach out to touch it, confirming that their authority comes from the same source as Peter, whose chair is carried aloft by the billowing clouds emanating from the Holy Spirit.

The Number is 12

Back on track, I made it to today’s Station Church, the expansively named Dodici Apostoli.

 Photo actually from last night.

Cared for by the Franciscans since 1463, the church goes back 900 years prior to that, when Pope Pelagius I built a church to commemorate the expulsion of the Goths.  If not earlier: Pope Julius I 200 years prior in the 300’s may have already built a smaller church here, but no confirmation of that remains today.  Pelagius hadn’t quite finished his structure when his successor John III took up the work—the arrival of the bodies of the apostles Philip and James at that point gave the church its name and centrality, a character that was later expanded to include all 12 Apostles in the title.

Popes and Apostles: the church also played a role in future priests, who historically would come here on the day they were accepted for ordination by the public, to seek support from the original 12.  Good group to have rooting for you.

San Lorenzo in Panisperna

Two years ago this Thursday in Lent fell on February 14th, according to our post from this church.  With this year’s Easter being relatively early (and falling on the same Sunday as the Eastern Orthodox this year), 2008 was an exceptionally early season.  Almost making it cold enough for us to wish that the embers from Saint Lawrence’s fire were still glowing.

Santa Maria Maggiore

Today’s Station Church is well known, being one of the four major basilicas of Rome. Here’s the link from 2008, with this year’s update being that we actually got snow here in the city about 2 weeks ago, the most seen in 25 years. Unfortunately I was in the even snowier Austria, so don’t have any photos of the snow-clad Eternal City.

Sant’Anastasia

Winning the prize for the most number of ‘A’s in her name, Saint Anastasia like the earlier saints John and Paul makes it into the Roman Canon for Coolest Roman Martyrs Ever, or whatever the designation is to get in there.  By Friday I’ll be able to start catching the Station Masses again, but until then we’ll have to be content  a future visit to this church at the foot of the Palatine.

San Pietro in Vincoli

The famous Moses by Michelangelo is found at today’s Station Church, which also contains the chains which held Peter here in Rome—fused with links from when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem.  Apparently those were sent here in the original chain letter . . .

Since I couldn’t make it to the liturgy today, I’ll have to return for another visit to post some photos of the lovely interior up on the Esquiline Hill.

Sant’Agostino

Unfortunately I won’t be able to make the next couple of Station Masses.  Here’s a link to the visit to today’s church from 2008—packed full of beautiful impressions.

EPI

“It lets you know you’re on pilgrimage.”

Father Corolla recognized the value of the pouring rain as we walked to Santi Giovanni e Paolo this morning in a repeat of yesterday’s weather.  The large porticoes of the ancient churches become impromptu umbrella stashes as the stream (sometimes literal) of early-morning Mass goers arrives.

The Roman Canon (aka Eucharistic Prayer I) mentions today’s two brothers.  After having listed the Apostles and early popes to honor, it wraps up with John and Paul, Cosmas and Damien, who somehow get trundled into the elite list.  (Cosmas and Damien we’ll see a little later on in the season.)

Sited over John and Paul’s home on the Coelian Hill, today’s baroque church expands upon the original sanctuary built just 36 years after their beheading.

 

Buried beneath the altar, the two brothers were so popular among their contemporaries that the emperor had to execute them in secret at their home instead martyring them publicly.

High ranking officers of their time, they’re with a whole new group of colleagues today.

As per the norm, the church has a lovely sacristy.

St. Paul of the Cross and his congregation were given the care of the church in 1772, and after his death in 1775, he was buried here as well.  The large alabaster columns flanking his tomb are originally from the Basilica of Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls.

Question: How many English Popes have there been?

Answer: One.  And he helped restore this church after the Norman raider Robert Guiscard demolished the original church in 1084.  Among other things, Pope Adrian IV added the eight columns of the portico, five of which you can see below.

The requisite post-liturgy cappuccino with friends helps in recovery from the rain, and sets you on your way past the Arch of Constantine, commemorating his epic victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.

Drains and Dragons

San Georgio in Velabro commemorates the well known dragon slayer of Cappadocia; the other patron for this church is the martyr Saint Sebastian, the Roman military officer who, after being martyred under Diocletian, was thrown into the cloaca maxima of the city—the main sewer.  A draining experience I’m sure.

The church (titular church of the soon-to-be beatified John Henry Newman when he became cardinal in 1879) was quiet prior to the liturgy; by the beginning of Mass the congregation had long spilled over the remaining seats.

I’ve successfully managed to conceal Saint George on horseback in this photo.  Saint Sebastian can be seen holding his shield off to the right with Saint Peter.

The blue skies of this post-Mass photo belie the pouring rain which accompanied our predawn arrival.

Built on the Velabrum, the swampy marsh which reputedly caught the Tiber-borne infants Romulus and Remus when their basket was snagged in the roots of a fig tree, the church shares the site with the Arch of Janus, a triumphal arch actually dedicated to Constantine (or his son Constantius II).  Its multi-directional arches make it the only ‘quadrifrons’ triumphal arch in Rome, which is what you say when you want to sound educated.

Quadragesima!

And so it begins!

With today being Mercoledì delle Ceneri, the first of the Station Masses launched at the church of Santa Sabina.

The Dominicans were our generous hosts, as they prepared for another guest in the afternoon:

Built atop the Aventine Hill, one of the Seven Hills of ancient Rome, this fifth century church over a second century martyr overlooks a lovely view of the city.

 

Which was visible in the early light after Mass.

 

One of the joys of the Station Masses is the gathering of many friends as we join in this forty day pilgrimage together.  A group of us after Mass returned via the Jewish Quarter, which brought us past the Fontana delle Tartarughe (Turtles) in Piazza Mattei.