Santa Maria in Trastevere

One of my favorites.

Our Station Church today, Santa Maria in Trastevere, was built on or near the Taberna meritoria, a hospice for veterans.

That site had been chosen for the care of soldiers because earlier, in the 716th year from the founding of Rome (38BC), an unusual phenomenon is described of a spring of oil (fons olei) coming up from the ground.  The Jewish community of Trastevere is said to have understood it to betoken the coming of the Messiah (the anointed one).  As the announcement of Jesus arrived, new converts saw the event as referring to him.

I was able to get some interior shots this time around: in this stunning 12th century mosaic, Jesus is doing the “I ♥ my mom” thing and has his arm around her as they share his throne.  She’s got the “I’m holding up a scroll but can toss in a little blessing” two finger wave going on, while Saint Peter is the first of several popes on either side.

Here you can see the baldechino and the beautiful 17th century coffered ceiling by Domenichino.

Beautiful things are for all times, as is the Altemps chapel to the left of the main altar.

Though the ceiling is a little bland.

Named for Marcus Cardinal Sittich d’Altemps, he was one of the five papal legates to the Council of Trent, commemorated in this fresco.  Note the image of Mother Church in the foreground complete with tiara and crosier.

Some earlier mosaics can be found outside the sacristy.

 

Puzzling with a friend about the mosaic over the entrance, a 12th-13th century mosaic showing the nursing Madonna with ten companions, each holding a lamp--but two don’t have theirs lit, thus making the numbers incompatible with the account of the wise and foolish virgins—I was told that perhaps all were given haloes, and some had flames added to their unlit lamps, in a later restoration which had misunderstood the original image, which would explain its current perplexingness.  How enlightening, you could say.