Friday of the 4th Week of Lent - Sant'Eusebio

Once again - full disclosure - I am not in Rome - but on my way out of the city for my monthly guard duty.

From PNAC.org

Set back from the busy square in front of it, this modest church can boast of a long heritage.  The founder, St. Eusebius, is recorded as being a priest of the Roman church in the fourth century.  

Holding the orthodox doctrine regarding the divinity of Christ in the tumultuous period after Nicaea I, he was condemned to death by starvation in 357 after defending St. Athanasius before the Emperor Constans.  This sentence is believed to have been inflicted in his own house, which later became a titulus under his name.  This tradition was strengthened by the discovery beneath the current edifice of Roman ruins dating back to the second century.  The first record of the titulus dates from 474, although archeological remains hint at an original construction date of the church around the turn of the fifth century.  

This first church was restored around 750 before being rebuilt later that century.  Another reconstruction, under Pope Gregory IX, was completed in 1238 and commemorated in a plaque still to be found in the porch.  A campanile was added around this time as well.  The old church was extensively renovated and redecorated from 1711 to 1750, giving us, with a few later changes, the church as it stands today.

Overlooking the steps leading up to the church is a statue of Our Lady, given by parishioners on the occasion of the Marian Year of 1954.  Behind this, set into the back wall of the porch, are plaques commemorating various occurrences here through the centuries, including one marking the renovation that took place under Pope Gregory IX (1241).

Going into the church, your eye is drawn to the ceiling image of St. Eusebious in glory holding a tablet on which is inscribed the Greek phrase meaning "consubstantial with the Father," [should sound familiar, yes?  The creed...] the doctrine for which he suffered.  Under the high altar in this church are the relics of St. Eusebious and two other saints, St. Orosius and St. Paulinus.  An image of the Blessed Virgin and Christ Child is kept over the altar.  To the right is an altar dedicated to St. Benedict, over which is a painting of the saint consoling the residents of Cassino after the Lombards attacked the town.  

In this church is an altar dedicated to St. Celestine - the only Pope (prior to Benedict XVI) to resign the Office.  Celestine was a monk who, in 1294 was elected to the See of Peter after two years of infighting amongst the cardinals during the conclave.  But less than one year into his reign, he resigned, believing the demands of the office beyond his abilities (that, too, should sound familiar).  An order founded by him once cared for this church, which is why he is commemorated here.  He is shown giving away the instruments of his office, being a true example of one who puts his discernment of the Lords' will ahead of his own desires.

Thursday 4th week of Lent - Santi Silvestro e Martino

This is the place in which the Nicean Creed was first said... There is a mural commemorating the moment...


From PNAC.org

With our mind’s eye we imagine the pillar of smoke billowing out of a roaring fire, into which scrolls are being thrown, while the pope and clergy of the city look on, their faces illuminated by the blaze.  This was the scene at this location in 326 when the works of Arius and other theologians condemned at Nicea I were burned, a public sign of their rejection by the Church.  Tradition holds that the first place of Christian worship on this site was in the house of a priest named Equitus, after whom the titulus would later be called upon its foundation by St. Silvester in the early fourth century.  This was the location for both the preparatory meeting of the Roman clergy, in which they prepared their statement of faith for Nicea I, as well as the subsequent reception of the decrees of the council and carrying out of the destruction of the works of those there condemned.  Tradition passes down that a basilica in honor of St. Martin of Tours was built nearby in the late fifth century.  Later some older buildings nearby were converted into a church named after St. Silvester.  St. Silvester I became pope in 314, just after the legalization of Christianity.  He oversaw the construction of the Lateran basilica and the other early churches built after the Edict of Milan.  Along with this he helped in the development of the liturgy in the city, including in the preparation of the martyrology.  He also supported the orthodox belief in the Arian crisis.

Both of these early churches were replaced by the current basilica under Pope Sergius II (r. 844-847).  Although it is dedicated to Ss. Silvester and Martin, combining the two titles of the earlier basilicas, it is now more commonly known as St. Martin’s on the Mount.  At this time the relics of many martyrs were translated here, being placed in the confessio beneath the high altar.  This basilica, restored in the mid-sixteenth century, was more extensively renovated a century later. During this time the church and confessio were completely redecorated in the fashion of the day.  The current façade was completed somewhat later, in 1676, although some small parts of the earlier one remain.  The Carmelite Order is first mentioned as serving here in the fourteenth century, with their service here continuing to the present time.

 

Entering the church its baroque style is immediately seen in the nave.  The clerestory is decorated with statues of saints and martyrs from the early Roman church.  Approaching the altar you come to the confessio--a result of a baroque remodeling of the older crypt, beneath the altar here are kept the relics of several saints, whose names are recorded on plaques along the stairs leading down into the area.  Archeological investigations have found structures bearing clear signs of Christian use from the early 6th Century--possibly the remains of this early church.

In the Blessed Sacrament chapel (to the left of the main altar) is an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, with the surrounding wall depicting souls in purgatory seeking her intercession.  Beneath this altar are kept the relics of Sts. Lautianus, his wife, and Crescentius--all martyrs of the early church.  To the left of this is a somewhat idealized image of the interior of the old St. Peter's basilica, memories of which would still have existed when this was executed.  

On the left side of the nave is a statue of St. Sylvester I in council at this location, discussing the events surrounding the Council of Nicea .  It is interesting to note that, although this meeting would have taken place in the early 4th century, the participants are dressed in 17th century clothing.  In the back of the church there is another image of what the interior what of St. John Lateran would have looked like.  

Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent - St. Paul Outside the Walls

Beautiful with the sunrise this morning...

Today we travel down the Via Ostiense, to the tomb of the great Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul.  The story of his conversion and travels of evangelization recorded in Sacred Scripture (see Acts 8-28), tradition holds that he was killed during the Neronian persecutions, in 64 or 67.  His status as a Roman citizen meant that he merited a more dignified manner of death than the cross or the arena, and so at the end of his life he too once traveled this road, to a place now marked by the monastery of Tre Fontane. Beheaded, his body was interred in a tomb along this busy road between Rome and the port at Ostia.  There it was quietly honored for many years, until Constantine began his building program on behalf of the recently legalized Church.  This first church of St. Paul’s was complete by 340 at the latest, although the nearness of the tomb to the road dictated that the church above it be rather small.  The popularity of the Apostle soon drew large crowds to visit the site, making apparent the need for a larger church.  

The emperors Valentian II, Theodosius I, and Arcadius finally took the initiative to provide for a more fitting edifice and building began around 385.  When it was dedicated around 400, in the reign of the emperor Honorius, it was the largest and most architecturally advanced basilica in Rome; its builders had learned from experience with the older churches at the Lateran and Vatican how to build a structure that would best serve both as a shrine and a center of worship.  

The embellishment of the basilica soon began, including the still remaining, though heavily restored, mosaic on the triumphal arch.  Other than some damage sustained after a lightning strike or earthquake in 442 or 443, the basilica fared well for the next several centuries.  However, its reputation as a place of exceptional beauty did not serve this church in the end, as it attracted the Saracens, who sacked the complex in 847.  Restoration soon commenced, with a defensive wall being constructed and the church and surrounding buildings being known as Joannopolis, after Pope John VIII who ordered the defenses.  The mid-eleventh century found a reforming abbot in charge of the Benedictine monastery here.  Named Hildebrand, he would be elected to the See of Peter in 1073, and as Pope St. Gregory VII would bring the spirit of renewal that he had brought here to the Church universal.

The increasing fortunes of Rome in the later Middle Ages were felt here as well.  Beginning in the early thirteenth century, Popes Innocent III and Honorius II began a new round of restorations and renovations, even writing to the Doge in Venice to request that he send mosaicists to help guide the decoration of the apse.  The high altar was adorned with a new ciborium by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1285.  Yet these fortunes did not last and by 1425 the building was near ruin, being saved through the energetic efforts of the future Pope Eugene IV, who also undertook a reform of the attached monastery.  

Unfortunately, disaster was to come four centuries later, when, on the evening of 15 July 1823, workers accidentally set the roof on fire.  By the time it was extinguished, fire destroyed or heavily damaged the entire nave, from the façade up to the triumphal arch.  Pope Pius VII, who was but a few days from death at the time, was never told.  Having been elected under difficult circumstances in Venice in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars, imprisoned by the French emperor, and then faced with the task of rebuilding the Church in Europe after the wars, his advisors considered him to have faced enough sorrow in his life.  

Although a plan which would have only rebuilt the transept and apse was briefly considered, it was soon decided to not only restore the damaged sections, but also to rebuild the nave in the style and according to the dimensions of the early basilica. 

The task was an ambitious one, and so Pope Leo XII sent out a worldwide appeal to aid the rebuilding.  The project became an international and inter confessional affair.  Malachite and lapis lazuli were sent from the Russian Tsar for the lateral transept altars, alabaster was given from Egypt for the windows and columns, and the facade itself was executed by the Italian government.  

In 1840, the consecration of the restored transept took place, with the nave being finished in 1854.  Unlike the previous basilica, which used older columns from various sources, the new nave was constructed with completely new material, giving it a uniformity the old one never had.  The quadriporticus in front of the basilica was finished in 1928, completing the rebuilding.

This quadriporticus, or courtyard, is the first thing you see as you make your way inside the basilica.  A large statue of St. Paul stands in the center, the apostle clutching the instrument of his martyrdom.  Continuing inside, you immediately find yourself in the vast nave, with two aisles on either side, all confidently marching up to the transept.

In the nave is a series of mosaic portraits of the popes that line the clearstory.  Beginning with St. Peter they come around the entire church, weaving back and forth, until ending in the right side aisle  Below each portrait is the name of the pope and the length of their reign.  

Coming to the sanctuary you find the surviving parts of the old basilica.  A large paschal candlestick, likely a work of the early 12th century, stands at the front of the sanctuary, near monumental statue so the two great patrons of Rome - Peter and Paul.  In front of the high altar is the confessio - going down you find yourself in front of the tomb of the apostle.  A marble plaque, dating from the 5th century, was found here with the inscription "Paulo Apostolo Mart." supporting the tradition that Paul is buried here.  Above the tomb is a reliquary holding the chains that bound St. Paul while in Rome.  In the floor are glass panels that allow you to see the apsidal foundation of the Constantinian shrine to Paul.

In the center of the apse is a beautiful mosaic, its style hinting at the Venetial influence of its creation.  Christ sits in majesty in the center, flanked by Sts. Paul and Luke on His right, Sts. Peter and Andrew on his left.  Beneath are the other apostles, along with Sts. Barnabas and Mark, all holding scrolls on which are written the phrases from the Gloria (sung at Mass).  On the arch above are the Blessed Virgin on the left, St. John the Baptist on the right, and the symbols of Sts. Matthew and John.

Tuesday 4th Week of Lent - St. Lawrence in Damaso

The busy Corso Vittorio Emanuele II helps to recreate some of the bustle that must have been present in this area when this location held the stables of one of the chariot teams in ancient Rome.  In time, these gave way to residential dwellings, one of which was the home of Pope St. Damasus.  This holy man, famous for the epigraphs composed by him for the tombs of the various saints around Rome, converted the hall in his home into a church in honor of St. Lawrence.  His devotion to the saint may have begun during his years of service at the Basilica of St. Lawrence outside-the-Walls before his election to the papacy in 366.  Although he won the election by a large majority, a faction supported another candidate, and a disagreement that sometimes descended into violence began between supporters of the two men until the matter was settled in St. Damasus’ favor.  While he spent much of his energy in supporting orthodox teaching against the attacks of the Arians, he also strove to adorn the shrines of the martyrs in this city, even writing verses in honor of the saints himself.  He died in 384.

You'd never know this was the entrance to a church...

The first basilica on this site, built by Pope St. Damasus in the mid to late fourth century, had roughly the same orientation as the present one.  As a result of it being near the former stables of the “Green” team of chariots, this church was also known as St. Lawrence in Prasino, this being the word for “leek green” in Latin.  The basilica had a quiet history, there being some records of gifts given for the adornment of the church but not much else.  This church survived until the late fifteenth century when the new papal chancellery was built on the site.  Although the old basilica was demolished to make way for the new building, it was desired that a replacement be included in the new chancellery.  This was constructed between 1495 and 1511, although the basilica would receive several redecorations over the following centuries.  The basilica would also be damaged on various occasions, notably during the Napoleonic occupation of Rome in 1798 and in a fire in 1939.  The current appearance of the interior is largely due to the nineteenth century, with two major renovations in the periods 1807-1820 and 1868-1882, both of which are responsible for practically all that we see today, though there are some smaller components from previous periods.

In a side chapel there is a statue depicting a seated St. Hippolytus - it is a copy of the original in the Vatican - but is significant because inscribed on the base is an early calendar, in Greek, giving the dates for Easter from 222 through 334 (even then they had to calculate when Easter would take place).

Inside the high altar is entombed the bodies of Saints Damasus (who gave his home as the site for the building of this church) and Eutyches.  As noted above, the artwork in the church is all from the 19th century - and the painting in the apse depicts the theological virtues, with a depiction of the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin below them.  Surrounding her are Saints Peter, Paul, Lawrence and Damasus.

Monday of the 4th Week of Lent - Santi Quattro Coronati

From PNAC.org

Approaching the medieval gateway of this ancient church, dedicated to the Four Crowned Saints, one immediately gathers that this is a unique place.  Indeed it is, for though it stands only a few blocks from some of the busiest areas of the city, this oft-forgotten church holds centuries of tradition within its scarred walls.

 

The title of this church is actually in reference to two groups of martyrs from the Roman persecutions.  The first group were four soldiers, Severus, Victorinus, Carpophorus, and Severinus, who refused to take part in pagan worship, and were killed for this in the persecutions of Diocletian.  The name of this church may be derived from a military decoration of a small crown, which the four soldier saints may have earned during their service.  The second group were a group of five stonemasons, Claudius, Nicostratus, Sempronianus, Castor, and Simplicius, who were put to death for their refusal to carve a statue of Asclepius which would be used for pagan worship.

The oldest parts of this current building date from an apsed hall, built in the fourth century.  At some unknown point, but before 595, this became the Titulus Aemelianae.  Around the year 630, Pope Honorius I dedicated the first purpose-built church on this site, which was restored in the late eighth century by Pope Hadrian I.  In the mid-ninth century, Pope Leo IV undertook a more complete rebuilding and placed the relics of many martyrs in a crypt underneath the altar, including those of the four soldiers and the five stonemasons.  The relics of the latter were brought here possibly because of the similarity of their story to that of the soldiers.  The bell tower is also thought to date from this era.

Along with many other buildings in this neighborhood, this church suffered a near complete destruction in the Norman attack of 1084, at which time it seems that another rebuilding was taking place.  Pope Paschal II rebuilt the church, retaining the previous apse but making the new nave markedly smaller, consecrating it in 1116.  The chapel of St. Sylvester was completed in 1246; the frescoes in this are one of the gems of this complex.  In 1560, Augustinian nuns took up residence here, where they remain until today, having been joined by the Little Sisters of the Lamb more recently.  Much of the nave underwent a redecoration in the 1620s; the apse fresco and sanctuary arrangement date from this time as well.  Other than some minor additions and changes, the building has seen few further changes until the present time.

Coming to the sanctuary of the church, it is important to note that its size is the result of the reuse of the older apse for the smaller rebuilt nave.  On either side of the sanctuary are stairs leading down to the crypt (although only the steps on the left are used - or were used this morning).  The high altar stands over the relics of many saints - including the 4 Coronati mentioned above.  

4th Sunday of Lent - Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

Combining the piety of the Blessed Virgin with the feminine strength of Cleopatra, the Empress Helena is one of the most interesting figures from late antiquity.  Born in Dalmatia in the mid-third century, she married an officer in the Roman army and bore him a son, who would one day become the Emperor Constantine.  When her husband acquired more power, he divorced her to marry on a higher social level, a common occurrence at the time and one she bore gracefully.  However, when her son became the undisputed leader of the Roman Empire in 312, she was given the title Augusta and held a role similar to that of a queen mother.  Connected to her title, she was given the Sessorian Palace, originally built under Commodus and Septimus Severus in the late second century.  It is the modified form of the great hall of this palace that now forms the central part of the present basilica.  The connection between St. Helena goes far further than simply having lived here, for tradition recalls how she made a trip to the Holy Land in 325 in order to bring back relics from the life of our Lord for veneration in the West.  These were later placed in a chapel behind the apse of the basilica, which had recently been adapted for Christian worship.

The basilica officially remained state property until at least the year 500, although worship and other ecclesiastical events took place in it during that time.  A renovation took place in the early eighth century, being followed by a more complete one in the mid-twelfth century.  In the late fifteenth century a restoration was carried out, including the creation of the apse fresco.  The current façade and narthex of the basilica date from 1733-34, being commissioned by Pope Benedict XIV.  He also made some changes to the interior, among other things rebuilding the roof and ceiling which still bears his name and erecting a new ciborium above the main altar.  The sacred relics of the Passion are currently kept in a chapel above their previous home, opened in 1930 and finished in 1952.

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent - Santa Susanna

Today I am once again traveling with the Cardinal and not in Rome.  But there's also a change to our Station Church location for today.  The church of Santa Susanna is undergoing renovation - so the location for the Mass has been changed to Santa Maria della Vittoria (which is just across the street really).  However, there is also a MAJOR demonstration here in Rome today - and people have been advised simply not to go out - to stay at home and totally avoid the area of the demonstration.

For that reason, I'm kinda glad I'm not in town.  However, you can read about Santa Susanna here...

  

Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent

From PNAC.org 

This ancient church stands in a small piazza just off the busy Via del Corso.  The titulus of St. Lawrence in Lucina took its name, as with many other of the early tituli, from the name of the donor of the site or structure itself, who in this case was the Roman landlady Lucina.  This area first became developed during the early Imperial period, with the famous Ara Pacis standing in a location just behind the apse of the church.  On this spot itself stood a large apartment building, known as an insula, traditionally that of Lucina though the original place of worship may have been located in another location nearby.  In the mid 430s, Pope Sixtus III built the first basilica here, like others of the time with a nave flanked by an aisle on each side and terminating in an apse.  Being in the midst of an area often hit by floods of the Tiber, the church was in need of periodical restoration, with at least two recorded in the first millennium.  During this era this church fulfilled an important liturgical role as the starting point of the procession for the Greater Litany, a penitential procession and liturgical service, on 25 April.  This procession, beginning here, would head up the Via Flaminia, crossing the Tiber at the Milvian Bridge before returning down the other side of the river for the stational Mass at St. Peter’s.

The Norman attack of 1084 affected this area, with the original basilica receiving its share of damage as well.  Although the extent of this is unknown, a refurbishing did follow, ending with the dedication by Pope Anacletus II on 25 May, 1130.  A reconsecration in 1196 can be taken to signal the definitive end of this period of restoration.  In this period the basilica, besides having its floor level raised, received a campanile in the style of the time, as well as interior furnishings in the cosmatesque style.  A renovation completed in 1462 brought about some minor changes, although the seventeenth century would see the entire interior transformed.  These actually began in the last years of the sixteenth century, when the floor was raised once again and a new high altar was constructed in the style of the time.  In 1616, the left aisle was converted into chapels opening on to the nave, a process continued in the right aisle in the middle of the century.  Finally, a new high altar was constructed and consecrated in 1676, largely giving the interior the appearance of today.  Bl. Pope Pius IX oversaw a restoration of the interior in 1857 and 1858 that added two additional chapels and removed some of the Baroque decorations, so that it is a largely nineteenth century interior, with some works from the preceding centuries, that we encounter today.  Additional work in the early twentieth century brought the façade back to an approximation of its medieval appearance.

The basilica sits just off the square which bears its name, with its restored porch and facade evoking and older time.  Entering the church you notice the door is guarded by two 12th century lions (statues of course).  On the side walls of the sanctuary are two reliefs: one of St. Lawrence, the other of St. Lucina.  The high altar has at the top a copy of the miraculous 15th century image of Our Lady of Health - an image that, when placed near a well in the 17th century, brought about miraculous healing for those who drank from the well.  The small side chapel closed to the door of the church contains the most famous relic in this church: beneath the altar in this chapel is kept a part of what is traditionally believed to be the gridiron on which St. Lawrence was martyred (you may recall that during week 1 of Lent we went to the church on the spot where he was martyred).  Standing here in front of this relic, I recall the many connections our family has with St. Lawrence - my father was, for a time, the organist at St. Lawrence church in Harrisburg.  My brother was married in this church.  My niece, who is preparing to marry in December, had photos taken with her fiancé in this church.  I have many fond memories connecting me to St. Lawrence.  Here, in front of this precious relic of his martyrdom, I reflect on the sufferings St. Lawrence endured and the faith that carried him through it.  I ask his prayers for me, for my family, for all my friends and those reading this blog - that we may, like St. Lawrence, come through the sufferings of this world to share with him in everlasting life.

Altar with gridiron of St. Lawrence           Image of Our Lady of Health