Day 4
Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Background: Façade of the Lateran Basilica
Foreground: Statue commemorating the dream of Pope Innocent III
in which  St. Francis of Assisi was holding up the collapsing Church.
(It was Pope Innocent who later approved the Franciscan Rule.)

On this Solemnity of St. John the Baptist, we very fittingly visited the Lateran Archbasilica, known more commonly as St. John Lateran.  The Basilica is dedicated to Christ our Savior and, in later centuries, was also placed under the patronage of Ss. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist.  The Lateran is the Holy Father's Cathedral and, as such, is the Mother Church of all Catholic Churches throughout the world.  The site of the Basilica was given to the Church by the Emperor Constantine after his Edict of Milan which made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire.



A great photo opportunity for our Marian Sisters of the Diocese of Lincoln whose community follows the Franciscan Rule!
Façade of
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

Constantine's Mother, Saint Helena, was instrumental in creating another very significant church a few blocks away from St. John Lateran.  St. Helena's Church is called Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (The Holy Cross in Jerusalem).  The Church is built in what was once Saint Helena's palace.  As mother of the Emperor, she traveled to the Holy Land,searched for the relics of the Passion of our Lord, and brought them back to Rome.  Housed at Santa Croce in Gerusalemme are a large relic of the true cross, one of the nails from the crucifixion, two thorns from the crown of thorns, the plaque hung above Christ on the cross, and the finger of St. Thomas the Apostle (doubting Thomas who was invited by Christ to place his hand in His pierced side).  

The largest of the relics which St. Helena brought to Rome are the Scala Santa or Holy Stairs.  These are stairs from the praetorium which Christ ascended at His trial, and are located in a separate building near St. John Lateran.  The faithful now climb these stairs on their knees in a spirit of penance and prayer; a number of the Sisters in our group chose to do this today.



A gaze at the Victor Emmanuel Monument in Piazza Venezia 

Another beautiful day in our Roman Pilgrimage!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 13 Churches in Trastevere

Image
Day 13 - Churches in Rome Christ with Mary on the throne We started our day with Mass at Santa Maria in Trastevere.  It is one of the oldest Churches in Rome and is dedicated to Our Lady.   Above the tomb of St. Cecilia We then walked to Santa Cecilia to pray at her tomb.  We spent some time looking what is beleived to be the remains on the St. Cecilia's house located underneath the main part of the Church. The Chapel below Praying at St. Cecilia's tomb Finally, we stopped at the Church of St. Bartholomew the Apostle on an island in the middle of the Tiber River.  In 2000, it was dedicated by St. John Paul II in honor of the Martyrs of the 20th and 21st Century and holds many relics of these great saints.
Read more

Day 18 Old places, new discoveries

Image
We began the day by visiting old places in a new way. Sister Mary Agnes, Sister Mary Hanah, and Sister Mary Maximilian went to Saint Peter's Basilica first thing in the morning in order to go up to the cupola. The climb up was more of a challenge than usual: there were no lights to guide their steps, so the Sisters went on in the dark. This sounds like a spiritual lesson, and maybe it was... and they made it to the top. Outside the Base of the cupola               View of Sister Mary Agnes from inside the cupola The Altar of the Chair from inside the cupola The Sisters looking down on the Altar of the Chair Outside the cupola -- the Statues of Jesus and the Apostles Looking up from the base of the cupola at people on the highest level Celebrating the victorious climb -- with ice cream and the Apostles!  Meanwhile, on the other side of town, after attending Mass at the Gesu', Sister Karen, Sister Clare, and Sister Mary Angela were dis
Read more

Day 15

Image
We started the day with prayers at the Domus, and then all attended Mass together at the Gesu', which is nearby. It is a beautiful Jesuit church, and we love it more every time we visit. From there we took the bus to a part of Rome where we have not yet been, to visit St. Agnes and her sister. The nave and altar in the Church of St. Agnes Outside the Wall St. Agnes and her sister St.Emerentiana are buried together in this tomb. Sister Mary Agnes studies a small tombstone of St. Agnes. Then we went to the nearby Mausoleum of St. Constance. The Mausoleum of St. Constance Inside the Mausoleum One of the frescoes inside the mausoleum This sarcophagus looks like a jewel box in this photo, but it is large enough to fit a small car inside! From there we went to the Catacombs of St. Priscilla, but since one is not allowed to take pictures, we have the memory in our hearts. Then we had a bus ride home which we will remember as it was a typ
Read more