While waiting in line, everyone found themselves looking up at the windows above. I am not sure why, but it may have been in hopes that Pope Leo would peek out to see who was visiting today. Clearing the metal scanners, there had been no sighting of the Pontif waving good morning.
As we entered St Peter’s Basilica we all knew that our pilgrimage had begun!
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter from the outside can be seen across the city of Rome, but one does not realize how enormous the actual structure really is until they enter.
A Renaissance style edifice built in a cruciform which took over 100 years to build, the Basilica is one of the most holy shrines in the Roman Catholic faith, but not “the” most important nor is it the seat of the Bishop of Rome. (More on that later… Stay Tuned)
Entering the nave, we found ourselves standing in front of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, The Pietà. The statue was completed by the master when he was only 23 and carved from a single piece of marble. The stone carving is so detailed, and the beauty is mesmerizing.
Rasing one’s eyes and looking up in the Basilica reveals more beauty in every direction one looks.
The basilica has multiple side chapels and many places to pray and reflect, but we were drawn to main altar and the large structure that surrounds the altar. Designed by Bernini, the intricate work is done in bronze. The structure itself is called a ciborium, and the one which stands directly above the tomb of St Peter is known as St. Peter's Baldachin.
The group gathered at the appointed time next to a small set of stairs on the left side of the altar. We were escorted down below the nave to the Vatican Grottoes. It is here where Peter’s tomb can be found along with many of the other Pontiffs that followed him. There have been over 250 popes since Peter and 91 of them have their final resting place in St Peter’s Basilica. Many in the grottos below, some above ground in the nave, and some there are no records of their location. There are also Pontiffs that were laid to rest in other Basilicas in Rome.
We took our seats in the main chapel of the grotto to celebrate our first Mass as a group. Father Jason was the celebrant with the St Francis choir’s voices echoing in the chamber with sounds of praise.
We participants clearly spoke our prayer responses, listened attentively to the Homily given by Father, and in deep reverence received the Eucharist. Participating in a Mass at the foot of the tomb of St Peter was such a special moment that we are sure it will live in hearts and souls forever. We can only imagine how Father Jason, a young Franciscan Priest, will remember the day that he was blessed with the opportunity to celebrate a Mass on the same altar Pope Leo said his first papal Mass.
Following Mass, we had to exit the chamber fairly quickly, but most took one last moment of prayer before departing back to nave above.
The group gathered under the majestic dome in St Peters for a quick head count before heading to the Vatican Museum.
As we walked outside, the sun made one shade their eyes. Many more people were now in the square and were lining up in the security line. We had perfect timing in our exit, the changing of the guard was occurring.
To enter the Vatican Museum, or better written the Vatican Museum(S), one must exit the square and walk around the wall of city until reaching the entrance on the northside. Fabricio had already arranged entry times and tickets, so we did not have to wait in the long line for entry. We were split up into smaller groups of 16 and assigned a tour guide for our visit.
Our group’s guide, whose name we cannot recall, was extremely theatrical to say the least, and had some really, really bad jokes. However, his knowledge of the museum and the plethora of artwork which resides on the walls and ceilings was extensive. The museum was PACKED, and extremely hard to navigate without bumping into someone or being separated from the group.
There is something that anyone who visits the museum must realize before they enter. The Vatican Museum is made up of 54 distinct galleries, museums, and exhibit spaces. There are over 1400 different rooms and chapels with 25,000 pieces of art and relics on display. If one thinks they are going to see the museum in a day, we can only say it is "Saint Happening". The tour we did allowed us to weave both inside and outside. It covered centuries of the Catholic Church’s history and notable people.
The tour guide said his goodbyes and allowed us to meander down the halls following the signs to what we had all anxiously awaited – The Sistine Chapel. There were signs everywhere to indicate the chapel’s location. There were also just as many that clearly stated Silence, Don’t Fall Down the Steps, and No Photos! We are happy to say that we followed all three rules. However, there were many that did not. We did not see anyone fall down the steps, but there was a cacophony of low voices which became a loud hum. There were people everywhere and there was hardly any place to stand. If you did look up, there was an excellent chance one would bump into someone’s head trying to do the same. The guards were trying unsuccessfully to control the covert pictures being taken with very limited success.
Once we descended the museum’s circular stairway to the outside, we were on our own for lunch until the appointed rendezvous time at the bus.
We headed about five blocks away from the museum and found a restaurant on a corner with outdoor seating. A cold beer was in order!
It felt great to sit down and the food brought us back to life, and oh the beer was soooooooo good! However, there was one issue that threatened us from making our rendezvous. When we went to pay the bill, the restaurant lost internet. The owner said no problem, just wait here for 20 minutes it will work again. Unfortunately, we did not have 20 minutes. Checking the amount of cash on hand we were 10 Euros short. The owner smiled and said no problem and reduced our bill by 20 Euros, thanked us, and sent us on our way.
Back on the bus, it was a short ride to our next stop, Circus Maximus. This large flat area between the Aventine and Palatine hills, which are two of Rome’s famous 7 hills, was quite the sports arena in its day. This is where the Romans gathered for ludi, which are large public events, such as festivals, religious processions, gladiator fights, and the ever-popular chariot races. Construction began shortly after the time of Christ by Julius Ceaser and has been estimated by historians to have seated 150,000 to 250,000 spectators for events.
Across from Circus Maximus is the ruins of the Palace of Domitian and Severan Arcades which were our next destinations. All we had to do is walk around the 2000 foot playing field to reach the other side. We passed many of the well-known sites of Rome such as the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum.
This is our second visit to Rome and have yet to go inside the Colosseum. However, going back in time to when it was an active stadium, maybe it is not a good place for a group of Christians to gather.
Fabricio gave us some good news in that we would enter the Basilica by the back door which would allow us to transit a gradual incline versus the multiple steep steps one would have to climb to enter the front door. We began our ascent and as we did, the walk offered some spectacular views of the ruins of Rome.
Our journey to Santa Maria in Aracoeli Basilica ended as expected with stairs. Not many, but enough to make everyone’s apple watches excited about the transition. If this was the back entrance the easy way, the front must be something!
Santa Maria in Aracoeli sits at the top of Capitoline Hill. Built on top of ruins from the early days of Rome, the Basilica began construction in the mid-6th century. Originally a Byzantine church, it was taken over by the Roman church and given to the Benedictines around in the 10th century. Finally, the edifice was transferred to the Franciscans in 1250 where it remains today. There are many beautiful pieces of art and items of religious importance - one of which being the bones of Helena, mother of Constantine the Great.
The stained glass window in the rear of the church was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII. He came from the Barberini family who were a major force in Renaissance art. The three golden bees were his family’s coat of arms. He had the original rose window removed and put this Baroque highlighted bee window in its place.
Many of us took time to find a quiet place for prayer and reflection. Was it out of reverence or in need of a respite? Only the hearts and souls of each individual will know the truth to that question. There was so much to see in this beautiful Basilica, but our day was coming to an end. We gathered at the front door and as Fabricio opened the door, we got our first glimpse of the 124 marble steps we must navigate to head back to our bus.
Before proceeding down, we stopped for a group picture and then walked a few blocks to our awaiting bus.
Back on the bus, Jim asked for volunteers to do the readings, and Tom raised his hand. With a big Jim smile, Jim said, how about tomorrow? The ride back to the hotel was not long and dinner would follow shortly. Time got away from us and we missed evening prayers. At dinner the talk of the day’s events and sights continued through the meal. The number of steps was also a topic with people reporting between 13,000 and 15,000 steps completed. For us we headed up to the room shortly after the meal… Tom had a reading to practice. What a special day – Good Night!
“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received--only what you have given.” Francis of Assisi
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