Sr. Sandra (left) and Sr. Lynne traveled to Rome this past summer.

Sr. Lynne and Sr. Sandra's
Pilgrimage to Rome—2006 part 5

"True pilgrims contemplate with the lenses of their eyes and the lenses of their hearts. They are able to gaze upon, to reverence, to go slowly, to seek treasures that do not rust, to move around the holy ground of the holy sites with staff in hand and bare feet."

This month, we’re continuing a series of articles on our website to share with you highlights from the Benedictine pilgrimage and renewal experience in which Sr. Sandra and I participated in June and July 2006.

Santa Pudenziana
On one of our free days Sr. Sandra and I visited this church along with the church dedicated to her sister, Santa Prassade. Legend says that the two sisters gathered the bodies, blood and bones of early Christian martyrs in Rome in order to give them a burial. This apse mosaic is the earliest one remaining in Rome, dating from the 390’s. It is in the Roman style which you can see by the fact that the faces of Christ and the apostles are done as portraits. In later apses, the faces are done in the flat style of icons.

Santa Prassede
This is a delightful church not far from Santa Pudenziana. The apse mosaic is from the 9th century and was commissioned by Pope Paschal who had himself included in it on the far left side. His square halo indicates that he was still alive when his likeness was included in the apse. The style is Byzantine which means the figures are stylized as in an icon. On either side of Christ are Peter (grey hair and beard) and Paul, Prassede and Pudenziana, the martyr St. Zeno and Pope Paschal.

Saint John Lateran
The Cathedral of Saint John Lateran was the first cathedral of Rome since 312. It’s name refers to both John the Baptist and John the evangelist. Lateran comes from the name of the person whose property was confiscated by Nero.

Beginning at the top in the center you see the head of Christ among the seraphim. Below that is the Face of God the Creator, then the dove representing the Holy Spirit above the cross. From the Holy Spirit flows the life-giving waters of the Gospels. The waters flow in four directions from the cross. The phoenix, symbol of immortality, is perched on the Tree of Life below the cross.

Saint Paul Outside the Walls
This is the second largest basilica in Rome after St. Peter’s. A community of Benedictine monks maintains it and worships here. The basilica was completed in 395 CE but was almost burnt to the ground in 1823 CE. It was rebuilt on 1928 following the original design.

In the triumphal arch you see the rather severe face of Christ surrounded by the 24 elders (from the Book of Revelation) with figures of the evangelists above them. In the apse, dating from the 13th century, Christ is seated on the throne. He is surrounded by Peter, Andrew, Paul and Luke. The odd tortoise-like figure close to Christ’s right foot is Pope Honorius III.

Santa Maria Maggiore
This church dedicated to Mary was built in the early 15th century. In the apse, Christ is crowning Mary. Notice the sun and moon at their feet. Below the central apse figures scenes from Mary’s life are depicted: the annunciation, the nativity, Mary’s dormition the adoration of the magi and the presentation in the temple. In the triumphal arch in front of the apse, you can see the 24 elders.

In my next installment I will write about some of the ascetic women who lived in Rome in the 4-5th centuries and post some pictures of Saint Ambrose’s church.