Today we started with Mass led by Bishop Terry Brady at the beautiful Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls. It is outside of the old Roman walls that once protected all of Rome. It is also the resting place of St. Paul who was one of the most prominent early Christian leaders after Jesus Death. During this mass we also heard a great story about Fr. Chris' calling to become a Priest.
Now it’s off to the Catacombs:
The catacombs are the burial places of the early Christians and Hebrews who lived in Rome. Of course many years ago they were a long way out of Rome but today Rome has expanded and the Catacombs have residential areas built close by.
This afternoon we’ll view the other 3 Basilicas around Rome. The first is St Mary Major Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major) stands on the site of a temple to the goddess Cybele. According to a 13th-century legend, the first church was built here by Pope Liberius (352-66), on the site of an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The legend has it that the Virgin appeared to Pope Liberius and the patrician Giovanni Patrizio on August 4, 352 (or 358), instructing them to build a church on the Esquiline Hill. That night, the floor plan was outlined by a miraculous snowfall. Inside you’ll find many beautiful paintings showing Old Testament stories. Special celebrations are held here on the 15 August each year.
Next it’s The Basilica of St John in Lateran
Dedicated to John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, the Basilica of St. John Lateran (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) is the first among the four major basilicas of Rome.
It is also the cathedral of the bishop of Rome, the Pope. Built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century, San Giovanni in Laterano was the first church to be built in Rome. It contains several important relics, a lovely 13th-century cloister and an ancient baptistery.
Next door to the Basilica are the Holy Stairs brought from Jerusalem to Rome by St Helena. You must only climb the stair on your knees (Yes it is extremely painful!). Why - because The Holy Staircase is believed to be the actual steps that Jesus climbed the day He was sentenced to death. Tradition holds that the stairs were ordered to be sent from Jerusalem to Rome by Saint Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine in 334 A.D.
The Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Holy Cross in Jerusalem) is a very interesting basilica just a short walk from San Giovanni in Laterano. It is one of the seven pilgrimage churches in the Eternal City. Santa Croce is well worth a visit for its extraordinary collection of relics from the Holy Land, its full-sized replica of the Shroud of Turin, the shrine of a young girl who is being considered for sainthood, and its connections with Constantine and St. Helen.
Declan
No comments:
Post a Comment