Tuesday 13 February 2007

Day IV

First thing this morning we re-visited St. Peter’s to mail some postcards from the Vatican Post Office. Since the line to enter the Basilica was almost non-existent we decided to take another visit. This time we visited the crypts below the main floor that contains the papal tombs. The moving part of this was seeing how many people came specifically to honour the tomb of John Paul II. It also speaks volumes of the man that was JP2 comparing his plain stone tomb to those of the more egomaniacal creations of some of his predecessors.

The rest of the day was spent visiting some “other” churches in Rome. Now… let me say this. We stopped in a few parochial churches yesterday as we past them, and even the ones that could only seat 200-300 people were magnificent inside. From the outside, one might not even realize that it was a church, but the frescos, the marble statues, the domes… Those Renaissance Catholics could really do churches.

Back to today’s activities… First up was a visit to St. Peter-In-Chains that was built originally in 440 AD, but “redone” in 1475. However some of the columns of the original church are still used. This church was built to house the chains that bound St. Peter when he and St. Paul were imprisoned in Rome. They are presented within the main altar of the church.

It also contains the Michelangelo sculpture of Moses that was to be part of the tomb honouring Pope Julius II. Again… pictures (well, MY pictures that is) can’t capture the detail of his work. Along one of the side walls there were some pretty creepy memorials to “someone”. Seems my Latin isn’t what it used to be and wasn’t able to translate.

Next was one of the oldest and best preserved churches in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore. Built in 432 AD to honour the Virgin Mary this church contains what is believed to be the remains of Christ’s manger contained in an urn and displayed in a niche below the main altar.

Along with some of the best preserved mosaics of ancient Christian Rome, the church also houses the tomb of Pope Sixtus V who probably is most responsible for Rome as it is seen today. He initiated the levelling of medieval Rome and the building of the “new” grand churches connected by long boulevards in the 16th century.

Lastly we visited the basilica of San Giovanni in Laterno the FIRST Christian church built in Rome in 318 AD, and basically the original St. Peter’s if you will. Up until 1870 all the Popes were crowned here and is the sight of the original Papal Palace.

Several relics from the pagan temples of Roman times are built into this Christian basilica. The large doors in the main entry are from Rome’s Senate House in the Forum, and the chapel in the left transept contains an altar framed by large gilded bronze columns that tradition says are from the Temple of Jupiter considered to be the holiest spot in ancient Rome.

Adorning either side of the nave are twelve huge statues depicting each of the apostles added when the church was “redone” in the 1600’s. The floor plan of this church was the reference point of most of the main churches in Rome, including St. Peter’s.