Learn What To See On A 2-Day Tour Of Christian Rome
Colosseum – Roman crowds used to flock here by the thousands (the Colosseum had a capacity of 55,000 people) to watch deadly fights between gladiators or between gladiators and wild animals. Unfortunately, in the early stages of Christianity many Christians were killed in this arena in the most atrocious manners. This structure, which is usually seen as a symbol of Roman power, has also become a symbol of Christianity. The many crosses that have been placed in the Colosseum are intended to underline this particular significance.
St. Peter’s Basilica – Built especially to represent the whole Christian World, this church took 120 years to be completed. Its construction involved many of the best Italian architects and artists of the 16th and 17th centuries. The names of some of these are particularly famous: Michelangelo, Bernini, Maderno and Bramante, but there are many others who contributed to the majestic beauty of this huge building, which is the biggest church in the world and the religious symbol of Rome. Many Popes have been buried under this church and about 60 years ago the discovery was announced of St. Peter’s Tomb underneath the Basilica.
Monastery of Santa Maria in Grottaferrata – Also known as Greek Abbey of St. Nilus. St. Nilus was a monk of Byzantine-Greek rite, who came to Rome in order to escape raids of Saracen pirates on Calabria. The Basilian monks, who live in the Monastery, belong to an Order that was created only years before the Schism between the Catholics and the Orthodox. They have thus retained their religious affiliation to the Catholic Church, even though they still follow their Byzantine-Greek rites. The church and annexed Monastery are particularly striking because of their style and also because of the various towers and fortifications that have been built around them for security purposes. As a matter of interest, the library of this complex houses over 50,000 volumes and ancient parchments dating from the Middle Ages onwards.
Basilica of St. John Lateran – You may be surprised to learn that the first and most important church in Rome and in the whole Catholic world is not St. Peter’s. It is St. John Lateran. This Basilica is much older than St. Peter’s, since its original structure dates as far back as the days of early Christianity. The building has a long history of successive constructions, alterations and embellishments which have made the church into that splendid building that we can admire nowadays, both externally and in its interior. The Basilica and its adjoining buildings are the official seat of the Pope.
Basilica of St. Mary Major – All of Rome’s Basilicas are extremely old in the sense that either they were built over existing churches or they are rebuilt versions of previous churches. St. Mary Major is no exception since its history goes back to the 5th century A.D.. It is considered by many to be the most beautiful church in Rome – apart possibly from St. Peter’s. The term Major is due to the fact that, being a “papal Basilica”, it has a special significance for the Catholic Church and is also the biggest church in Rome to be dedicated to Mary, Mother of God.
Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls – Together with St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major, this church is one of Rome’s “major” Basilicas. In practice this means that they enjoy a particularly distinguished status in respect of all other Catholic churches. This Basilica was erected in the 4th century A.D. under Emperor Constantine on what was believed to be the tomb of St. Paul the Apostle. In June 2009, at the conclusion of the Pauline Year celebrating 2000 years from the birth of St. Paul, it was confirmed that all scientific research, including carbon dating, indicates that the mortal remains preserved in a sarcophagus buried under the Basilica’s altar are in fact the Apostle’s remains. From an architectural and artistic point of view, the Basilica is impressive not only for its size and shape, but also for the beautiful decorations in its interior.
Basilica of St. Peter in Chains – This is not one of Rome’s major Basilicas, but it certainly deserves a visit for at least two reasons. The first is that this church houses the chains that bound St. Peter while imprisoned in Jerusalem. The other reason is the presence of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. This was to be part of a huge funeral monument of Pope Julius II, but in the end it was placed on its own in this Basilica to commemorate Julius II, since his family, the della Rovere, regarded the Basilica as their own church. In this sculpture Moses has two horns on his head. In actual fact they are supposed to represent rays of light since in the Bible it is written that, on descending from Mount Sinai, Moses had rays of light (Karen in Hebrew, later confused with Keren meaning horns)issuing from his forehead.
Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano – This is truly one of the oldest churches in Rome, since it actually incorporated a building previously used as a pagan temple, as well as the Library of the Forum of Peace, also known as Vespasian’s Forum. Turning whole or parts of pagan temples into Christian churches was not unusual in the early days of Christianity. Thus, when in the 6th century A.D. Pope Felix IV was donated the Temple of Romulus and the Library by Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, he merged the two to make a new church dedicated to two Christian saints and martyrs, Cosmas and Damian. Though it underwent considerable alterations over time, the church is delicately beautiful, particularly in the areas that are preserved in the original Byzantine style.
Related posts: