From the Serene to the Hectic

Our day began with Mass at the Church of Santa Maria della Grazie alla Fornaci. The abbot of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert celebrated and spoke briefly about his wishes for our pilgrimage.

We boarded our bus and Genaro, our trusty driver, headed off towards the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Our local guide Daniella joined our entourage. She and Favio get along quite well and have worked together at other times. It’s a usual thing for the tour manager to hire local guides because they have the knowledge and expertise necessary to present the city. Daniella gave us information about the city of Rome and pointed out several things of interest along the way. As we traveled over the Tiber she pointed out the only island in the river in this locale. It was used as an isolation ward for infectious diseases. Hence the noun insola (island). I’d never made that connection previously.

Courtyard - St. Paul's Outside the Walls

Alabaster windows

Nave - St. Paul's Outside the Walls

Genaro had to do some expert traffic juggling through the traffic (and its slow-down due to a further demonstration. The basilica is pristine. It had been destroyed in a fire and was rebuilt according to its original plan. There is a large courtyard space before the entrance as a remembrance of the baptistries of old. The nave was empty of chairs so one is greeted by an enormous space. The windows are not stained glass but inset with alabaster, a gift of the Egyptians which gives the whole space a golden glow. The mosaic in the apse is incredibly beautiful and furthers the golden aspect of the interior. Two of the side altars are of malachite inlaid with lapis lazuli, a gift of the Russian Czar. This is the site of Paul’s martyrdom and some of his relics are beneath the high altar.

Michelangelo's Moses

Saint Peter's Chains

Stop number two was the Church of Saint Peter in Chains which is near the Forum and Colosseum. The church is not large and is  tucked in amongst other buildings. It is close by the Mamertine prison where Peter was jailed in Rome. The chains with which Peter is said to have been bound here and in Jerusalem are in a reliquary under the high altar. The building is probably most famous today for the statue of Moses by Michelangelo which is part of a memorial commissioned by Julius II who built St. Peter’s Basilica. Originally designed for that place, the politics of the day prevented it from being placed there so it was placed here instead. Statues of Leah and Rebecca are also part of monument. The church is relatively old and has been the most popular place of pilgrimage ranking just after St. Peter’s in importance.

St. Michael atop Castel Sant'Angelo

We grabbed a quick lunch and then boarded the bus for the area of St. Peter’s which we parked in front of the supreme court building and visited Castel Sant’Angelo. This is the enormous round fortress originally built has the tomb of the emperor Hadrian and then expanded in subsequent centuries. There is a passage from here to the Vatican which the pope used to employ when he needed to escape from his usual habitation. We climbed stairs, and more stairs and more stairs and more stairs. The structure is surmounted by a gigantic image of St. Michael the Archangel. There is a fantastic view of central Rome from the roof. It made the long, hot climb worthwhile. Descending was much easier. It appears from this picture that some were exhausted by this expedition!

Tired pilgrims!

Rome from the roof of Castel Sant'Angelo

Genaro and his bus took us to the Vatican Museum so we could visit the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s. There were the usual crowds. Several galleries must be traversed in order to arrive at the Sistine. Michelangelo’s frescos are always a marvel to behold, especially since they have been cleaned. The problem is the crowds pushing, shoving, talking, taking photos which are forbidden. It is more a circus than a pilgrimage. It is very wearing. 

In St. Peter’s the area before and behind the high altar was blocked off because of a Mass being celebrated there so the viewing areas were limited. We did see the tombs of John Paul II and John XXIII. These two new saints have been given altars in the main part of the church, one next to the Pieta, and the other a short distance from the first.

Refreshed pilgrims!

When we exited the church several of us decided to return to the hotel rather than shop and wait for the bus. In a few blocks walk we were there and ready to relax for the evening.