Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Friday 18 April 2014

The Entombment Of Christ. Good Friday. Caravaggio.



English: The Entombment of Christ, (1602–1603).
Italiano: La Deposizione di Cristo.
Artist: Caravaggio.
Current location: Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome.
Photo: May 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Lafit86.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Lenten Station At The Basilica Of The Holy Cross In Jerusalem. Good Friday.


Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


Indulgence of 30 Years and 30 Quarantines.
Double of the First-Class.

Black Vestments.



English: Basilica of The Holy Cross in Jerusalem.
Italian: Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.
Latin: Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem.

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Rome). 
One of the masterpieces of the "barochetto romano" by 
Pietro Passalacqua and Domenico Gregorini, from 1743.
Photo: February 2006.
Author: Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Lenten Station is at the Basilica, which, in Rome, represents Jerusalem, whose name it bears. It is Consecrated to Our Redeemer's Passion and contains earth from Calvary, some important fragments of the True Cross, and one of the Nails used in the Crucifixion of Our Lord.

On this day, the anniversary of Our Saviour's death, the Church gives her Temples an appearance of desolation, and clothes her Ministers in the garb of mourning.

THE MASS OF THE CATECHUMENS.

The first part of today's Liturgy recalls the gatherings that took place in the Synagogues on the Sabbath Day. The first Christian communities, composed as they were of convert Jews, took these assemblies as their model, at the same time subjecting them to necessary modifications, especially by early associating them with the Liturgy of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.


File:Santa Croce in Gerusalemme nave painting.jpg

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme,
Rome, Italy.
Painting by Corrado Giaquinto, from 1744. 
"The Virgin presents Saint Helena and Emperor Constantine to the Trinity".
Photo: February 2006.
Author: Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.
(Wikimedia Commons)


It is in the Mass of the Catechumens that these are told that the mercies of God are soon to descend on the Christian people, just as chastisement will fall on the faithless nations, Ephraim and Juda; for, at the very moment when the multitude of the Children of Israel will be offering the Paschal Lamb (Second Lesson), the Jews will be putting to death the Lamb of God on the Cross. This death is described for us in the story of Our Lord's Passion according to Saint John.

None having been said in Choir, the Celebrant and the Sacred Ministers, in Black Vestments and without Lights or Incense, come before the Altar, where they prostrate themselves and Pray for some moments.

Meanwhile, the Acolytes spread a single Altar-Cloth upon the Altar. The Celebrant and the Ministers, having finished Praying, go up the steps to the Altar, which the Celebrant kisses, as usual, in the middle, afterwards going to the Epistle side. After this, a Reader, in the place where the Epistle is read, begins the First Lesson in the Tone of the Prophesies.




Portrait of Pope Urban VIII.
Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680).
Date: Circa 1625.
Current Location: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome.
Note: Housed in the Salon of Pietro da Cortona of the Palazzo Barberini.
Source/Photographer: Villas et palais de Rome de Carlo Cresti et Claudio
Rendina, photographies de Massimo Listri, traduction de l'italien par
Jean-Philippe Follet. Paris : Mengès, novembre 1998, p. 308.
ISBN 9782856204092 / Oxxo.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Pope Urban VIII (Papacy 1623 - 1644)
A large piece of The Cross was taken from 
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome,
to Saint Peter's Basilicaon the instructions of
Pope Urban VIII, in 1629.


THE PASSION OF OUR LORD ACCORDING TO SAINT JOHN.

The drama of The Passion is universal and, in one sense, will end only with the world itself, for all men, by their sins, have taken a share in the death of Christ. Jesus was bound to triumph through those very atoning sufferings, by which He became the Victim of every passion which shall agitate the human race until the end of the world.

For He has atoned for the pride of those who share the hatred of truth, which turned the Jews into murderers: the avarice of those who are possessed by the demon of greed, which drove Judas to sell his master; the lust of all who indulge in sensual delights, like Herod, who mocked Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate; the cruelty of those who love to cause suffering, like the soldiers who struck Our Lord and insulted Him; and the cowardice of all who leave the path of duty, like the Apostles, who forsook Him, to whom they owed everything.

Our Lord's Passion is the whole of humanity, hurling itself upon its Divine Healer, and yet cured by Him; yet, also, it is the anointed of God, the King of Martyrs, who, in face of all the generations who persecute Him, and before the whole world, offers to His Father a supreme token of submission, that of Blood, itself.

Christ on the Cross ! What a model of death to all our sins, of resistance to every temptation, of warfare against all evil-doers, and of the testimony which we, in our turn, ought to render to God, even, if necessary, at the cost of our very life.



English: Coat-of-Arms of Pope Urban VIII.
Français: Armoiries du pape Urbain VIII : d'azur à trois abeilles d'or posées 2 et 1.
Date: August 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Odejea.
(Wikimedia Commons)


THE  SOLEMN  PRAYERS.

In the second part of today's Liturgy, we have a relic of Prayers which were also a feature of the primitive gatherings previously mentioned. Of these Prayers, the only trace existing in the Roman Mass is the Oremus, said before the Offertory.

These Liturgical Prayers show us that the effects of Our Lord's death extend to all necessities of the Church and of the human race. They even foresee the conversion of the deicide race, who will one day recognise that Jesus is the Messias.


 

Imaginary portrait of Pope Gregory I
(After Carlo Saraceni (1579–1620))
or Workshop of Carlo Saraceni (1579–1620).
Date: Circa 1610.
Current Location: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome.
Source/Photographer: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome; 
(Uploaded using CommonsHelper or PushForCommons)
This Image: July 2007.
User: Helix84.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Pope Gregory I (Papacy 590 A.D. - 604 A.D.).
Ordered the construction of the Basilica's Museum.


THE  ADORATION  OF  THE  CROSS.

This ceremony owes its origin to a custom which prevailed at Jerusalem in the 4th-Century, of venerating, on this day, the wood of the True Cross. Meanwhile, the Improperia, or tender reproaches of Christ to His people, to whom He had done nothing but good, were sung in Greek, which language was still partly in use in the Mass of every day.

When the Prayers are finished, the Celebrant takes off the Chasuble and he unveils the Cross, singing the words: "Ecce Lignum Crucis" - Behold the wood of the Cross. Thence begins the Adoration of the Cross by the Celebrant, Ministers and the people, during which the Choir sing "The Reproaches".

THE MASS OF THE PRE-SANCTIFIED.

Good Friday, being the anniversary of Our Lord's death, there stands out before the whole world, the blood-stained throne of the Cross from which the God-Man reigns. The Church does not celebrate the Holy Mass, which is the memorial of that of the Cross; she contents herself with consuming the Sacred Species, previously Consecrated; which, in the Greek Rite, is the daily practice during Lent, except on Saturdays and Sundays. From this, comes the name "Mass of the Pre-Sanctified", since the Offerings are Sanctified (Consecrated), previously.

VESPERS FOR GOOD FRIDAY.

There follows Vespers, which are the same as for Vespers on Maundy Thursday.


Thursday 17 April 2014

The Taking Of Christ. Maundy Thursday. Caravaggio.


File:Caravaggio - Taking of Christ - Dublin.jpg

English: The Taking of Christ.
Deutsch: Die Festnahme Christi.
Artist: Caravaggio (1573 - 1610).
Date: Circa 1598.
Current location: National Gallery of Ireland,
Dublin, Ireland.
Notes: English: Also known as "The Judas Kiss".
Notes: Deutsch: Auch bekannt als „Der Judaskuss“. Es existieren mehrere zeitgenössische Kopien des Werkes, unter Anderen die in Odessa befindliche und zwischenzeitlich gestohlene Version File:Caravaggio - Taking of Christ - Odessa.jpg.
Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art: Image Info about artwork.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Taking of Christ, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. Caravaggio's application of the chiaroscuro technique shows through on the faces and armour, notwithstanding the lack of a visible shaft of light. The figure on the extreme right is a self-portrait.


The Denial Of Saint Peter. Maundy Thursday. Caravaggio.


File:The Denial of Saint Peter-Caravaggio (1610).jpg

English: The Denial of Saint Peter.
Polski: Zaparcie się św. Piotra.
Artist: Caravaggio (1573–1610).
Date: Circa 1610.
Current location: Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City, U.S.A.
Source/Photographer: Scan.
Photo: May 2011.
User: Masur.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Lenten Station At The Papal Arch-Basilica Of Saint John Lateran. Maundy Thursday.


Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


Plenary Indulgence.
Double of the First-Class.

White Vestments at Mass.


File:San Giovanni Laterano Rom.jpg

English: Papal Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Latin: Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris 
et Sanctorum Iohannes Baptistae et Evangelistae in Laterano
Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput.

English: Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, Italy.
Italiano: Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, Roma.
Polski: Bazylika św. Jana na Lateranie (znana jako Bazylika Laterańska), 
katedra biskupa Rzymu, Włochy.
Photo: September 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Stefan Bauer, http://www.ferras.at.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Lenten Station was formerly held at Saint John Lateran, which was originally called the Basilica of Saint Saviour.

The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday is full of memories of the Redemption. It formerly provided for the celebration of three Masses: The first Mass for the reconciliation of public penitents; The second Mass for the Consecration of the Holy Oils; The third Mass for a special Commemoration of the institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. This last Mass is the only one that has been preserved, and, at it, the Bishop, attended by twelve Priests, seven Deacons and seven Sub-Deacons, blesses the Holy Oils in his Cathedral Church.


File:Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano - Interior 7.jpg

Side-Chapel in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
San Giovanni in Laterano is the Cathedral Church of Rome.
Photo: October 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Maros M r a z (Maros).
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Reconciliation of Public Penitents.

The Church, endowed with the power of laying down the conditions necessary for the validity of the Sacrament of Penance, required in the first centuries that, after open Confession of sins of public notoriety, described by the Fathers of the Church as Capital Sins, the Absolution should be preceded by the complete fulfilling of the satisfaction or Penance.

Hence, the Rite of the Reconciliation of Penitents, who, on Maundy Thursday, received the Sacramental Absolution of the sins for which they had done Public Penance during Lent. To this may be traced the Easter Confession following the Forty Days' Penance.

In the beginning of the 4th-Century, Private Penance came more largely into vogue, and this led gradually to the reversal of the practice aforesaid to that now in general use, the Absolution being given immediately after the Confession, and being followed by the performance of the Penance imposed.


File:St John Lateran ceiling.jpg

The Coffered Ceiling of the
Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy.
Photo: March 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Grenouille vert.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Sinners, who had undergone a course of Penance, were granted on this day “the abundant remission of their sins”, “which were washed away in the Blood of Jesus”. Dying with Christ, they were “cleansed of all their sins, and, clad in the nuptial robe, they were admitted once more to the banquet of the Most Holy Supper”.

The Blessing of the Holy Oils.

This Blessing took place with a view to the Baptism and Confirmation of the Catechumens during Easter night. The Bishop exorcised the Oil, praying God “to instil into it the power of the Holy Ghost”, so that “the Divine Gifts might descend on those who were about to be anointed”.

Before the Prayer "Per quem haec omnia", there used to be a Form of Blessing of the good things of the Earth, with mention of their different kinds (fruits, milk, honey, oil, etc), of which we still find examples in the Leonine Sacramentary. Of this Form, there remains nothing in the Canon of the Mass, except the conclusion, which, on Holy Thursday, retains its natural meaning, since it immediately follows the Blessing of the Holy Oils.



Side-Chapel in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Photo: 2005-07-06.
Source: Flickr.com.
Original Photo: [1].
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Oil of the Sick, which is the matter of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, is the first to be Blessed, before the Pater. Formerly, this used also to be Blessed on other days.

The Holy Chrism, which is the matter of the Sacrament of Confirmation, is the noblest of the Holy Oils, and the Blessing of it takes place with greater pomp, after the Clergy have Communicated. It is used for the Consecration of Bishops, in the Rite of Baptism, in the Consecration of Churches, Altars and Chalices, and in the Baptism or Blessing of Bells.


File:Chor Apsis San Giovanni Laterano Rom.jpg

English: Choir and Apse in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome.
Deutsch: Chorraum und Apsis von San Giovanni in Laterano, Rom.
Photo: September 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Stefan Bauer, http://www.ferras.at
(Wikimedia Commons)


The third Holy Oil, which is Blessed immediately after, is that of the Catechumens. It is used to anoint the breast, and between the shoulders, of the person to be Baptised, for the Blessing of Baptismal Fonts on Holy Saturday and on the Vigil of Pentecost, at the Ordination of Priests, at the Consecration of Altars, and for the Coronation of Kings and Queens.

“Oil”, says Saint Augustine, “signifies something great.” Through the ages, and in many a land, it has always played a mystical and religious part. Soothing and restoring by its very nature, it symbolises the healing wrought by the Holy Ghost (Extreme Unction); a source of light, it denotes the Graces of the Holy Ghost, which enlighten the heart; flowing and penetrating, it represents the infusion of the Holy Spirit into Souls (Baptism, Confirmation); softening in its effects, it shows forth the action of the Holy Ghost, who bends our rebellious wills and arms us against the enemies of our salvation.

The Holy Ghost is especially represented by the Olive Oil, according to the Blessings of Oil and of Palms, because the dove, a symbol of the Holy Ghost, carried an olive branch in her beak; because the Holy Ghost came down upon Christ, the Anointed One; and because the olive branches, cast by the Jews in Our Lord’s path, foreshadowed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which was to be given to the Apostles at Pentecost. The balm, which is added to the oil to make the sacred Chrism, signifies, by its sweet perfume, the good odour of all Christian virtues. Also, it preserves from corruption - another respect in which it is a symbol of Supernatural Grace that protects us from the contagion of sin (Catechism of the Council of Trent).



English: Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy. With its length of 400 feet, this Basilica
ranks fifteenth among the largest Churches in the world.
Français: Basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran, Vatican, située à Rome, Latium, Italie. Avec sa longueur de 121,84 mètres, cette Basilique se classe au 15è rang parmi les plus grandes églises au monde.
Photo: September 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Mass for Maundy Thursday.

The Church, which commemorates throughout the year in the Holy Eucharist all the mysteries of Our Lord’s life, today lays special stress on the institution of that Sacrament and of the Priesthood. This Mass carries out more than any other the command of Christ to His Priests to renew the Last Supper, during which He instituted His immortal presence among us at the very moment His death was being plotted. The Church, setting aside her mourning today, celebrates the Holy Sacrifice with joy. The Crucifix is covered with a White Veil, her Ministers are vested in White, and the Bells are rung at the Gloria in Excelsis. They are not rung again until Holy Saturday.

Saint Paul tells us, in the Epistle, that the Mass is a “memorial of the death of Christ”. The Sacrifice of the Altar is necessary if we are to partake in the Victim of Calvary and share in His merits. And the Eucharist, which derives all its virtue from the Sacrifice of the Cross, makes it universal as regards time and space in a sense unknown so far. To love the Blessed Sacrament is “to glory in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (Introit).


File:Roma Grab Leo XIII BW.JPG

English: The Tomb of Pope Leo XIII
in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Deutsch: Grab Leo XIII.
Photo: May 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Berthold Werner.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Christ takes on Himself to perform the ablutions prescribed by the Jews during the supper (Gospel), to show forth the purity and charity that God requires of those who desire to Communicate, for, as in the case of Judas (Collect), “whosoever eats this Bread unworthily is guilty of the Body and of the Blood of the Lord” (Epistle).

After the Mass, the Altar is stripped, in order to show that the Holy Sacrifice is interrupted and will not be offered again to God until Holy Saturday. The Priest, therefore, has Consecrated two Hosts, for, on Good Friday, the Church refrains from renewing on the Altar the Sacrifice of Calvary.

On this Holy Thursday, when the Epistle and Gospel describe for us the details of the institution of the Priesthood and the Eucharistic Sacrifice, let us receive from the Priest’s hands that Holy Victim who offers Himself upon the Altar, and, in this holy manner, fulfil our Easter duty.


File:Sgio1.JPG

The Late-Baroque façade of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran
was completed by Alessandro Galilei in 1735,
after winning a competition for the design. 
Photo: February 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Howardhudson.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Ite Missa Est is said and the Blessing given, followed by the Gospel of Saint John, at the beginning of which the Priest does not make the sign of the Cross on the Altar, but only on himself.

Immediately after Mass, the Celebrant incenses the Chalice containing the Reserved Host, which is carried in Procession to the Altar of Repose prepared for its reception within the Church. During the Procession, the Hymn Pange Lingua, from the Vespers of Corpus Christi, is sung.

On reaching the Altar of Repose, the Chalice, with the Reserved Host, is placed on it, and, after being incensed, it is placed in the Tabernacle.

Vespers are then said in The Choir.



14th-Century Gothic Baldacchino
in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy.
Photo: March 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Wiki ktulu.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Vespers for Maundy Thursday.

The Pater Noster and Ave Maria, having been recited secretly, the Vespers are at once begun with the first Antiphon (Psalm CXV. 13. "Calicem salutaris accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo". "I will take the Chalice of Salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord".

The Stripping of the Altars.

At the conclusion of Vespers, the Priest, assisted by his Ministers, proceeds to Strip the Altars, whilst reciting the Antiphon Diviserunt and Psalm XXI (Deus Meus).

"The Divine Saviour applied this Psalm to Himself by beginning it with a loud cry on the Cross, in order to teach us to continue it in the same sense" (Bossuet).


File:Rooma 2006 047.jpg

The Cloisters
at the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano.
Photo: May 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Joonas Lyytinen Joonasl
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Washing of the Feet.

After the Stripping of the Altars, the Clergy, at a convenient hour, meet to perform the Ceremony known as the Mandatum. The Prelate, or Priest, puts on, over the Amice and Alb, a Violet Stole and Cope. Then, the Deacon, in White Vestments (as is also the Sub-Deacon) sings the Gospel "Ante diem festum Paschae" in the usual way.

The officiating Priest then removes his Cope, girds himself with a Cloth, and, assisted by his Ministers, begins the washing of the feet of thirteen Clerics or thirteen poor people chosen for the ceremony.

It is obvious that the number was originally twelve, in remembrance of the Twelve Apostles. According to a tradition, the alteration was made by Saint Gregory the Great. This holy Pope, when washing the feet of twelve poor men, noticed one more, of a very beautiful countenance. When he tried to know who he was, after the Ceremony, the mysterious poor man had disappeared. Saint Gregory believed it was an Angel, or Our Lord, Himself. The official Liturgical Book, known as the "Ceremonial of the Bishops", prescribes the number as thirteen.

The officiating Priest kneels before each one of them, washes, wipes, and kisses the foot presented, using the Cloth tendered by the Deacon.

Meanwhile, Antiphons are sung.


File:Roma380te.jpg

English: Cloisters of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome.
Español: El Claustro de la Basílica de San Juan de Letrán,
catedral del Obispo de Roma, Italia.
Português: Claustro da Basílica de São João de Latrão,
catedral do Bispo de Roma, Itália.
Photo: 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Quinok.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Indulgences for Maundy Thursday.

Pope Pius VII granted a Plenary Indulgence to all who, on Maundy Thursday, perform some pious exercise (Reading, Meditation, Divine Office) for one hour in commemoration of the institution of the Holy Eucharist, provided that, being truly contrite, they go to Confession and Holy Communion on that day or on any day of the week, following.

He also granted a Plenary Indulgence to all who pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament at Altars of Repose on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and Pray there for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff, provided they have been to Confession and that they go to Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday or on Easter Sunday.


Wednesday 16 April 2014

Birthday Of The Pope Emeritus.


This Article is taken from ONCE I WAS A CLEVER BOY


Happy Birthday
to the
Pope Emeritus.


Today is the 87th Birthday of the Pope Emeritus, and an opportunity to express good wishes
to Pope Benedict in his Retirement, and to put on record my appreciation of his
great and long service to the Church, as a theologian, pastor, administrator,
as well as Pope, and for the rich legacy he has given the Faithful
by example and by the written and spoken word.



Image; blogs.telegraph.co.uk


May he continue to enjoy his Retirement
and know the love and regard of those
he has served so faithfully.


Lenten Station At The Papal Basilica Of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) (Sanctae Mariae Maioris) (Our Lady Of The Snows). Wednesday In Holy Week (Spy Wednesday).


Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.
Privileged Feria.

Violet Vestments.


File:Santa maria maggiore 051218-01.JPG

English: Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major
(Our Lady of the Snows),
Rome, Italy.
Italian: Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore.
Latin: Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris.
Photo: December 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Lalupa.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Piazza Esquilino, Santa Maria Maggiore.JPG

The Basilica of Saint Mary Major
(Santa Maria Maggiore)
(Our Lady of the Snows),
seen from the Piazza Esquilino.
Photo: March 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Sixtus.
(Wikimedia Commons)


From today, the Stational celebrations of Holy Week are held in Rome at the great Basilicas. That of Wednesday is held at Saint Mary Major, the largest and most celebrated Sanctuary dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, whose sufferings the Church commiserates during these days.

The first passage, from the Prophet Isaias, bears on the Passion. The blood that dyes the Saviour’s garments is His own most Precious Blood. Instead of crushing the people in His indignation, He suffers and dies for them.


File:Lazio Roma SMariaMaggiore2 tango7174.jpg

English: Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
(Our Lady of the Snows),
Rome, Italy.
Français: Basilique Sainte-Marie-Majeure, Vatican,
située à Rome, Latium, Italie.
Photo: September 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The second passage foretells the principal features of the Passion, with such remarkable precision, that the Fathers of the Church speak of Isaias as the fifth Evangelist. It is “the Man of Sorrows” who “was led as a sheep to the slaughter and was dumb”. “He was covered with wounds and reputed with the wicked.” “He was bruised for our sins,” “Cut off out of the land of the living, He had the ungodly to guard His Sepulchre and the rich to bury Him after His death”, “and, by His bruises, we are healed”.

Justifying to the full His Title of Saviour, “He became obedient unto death, even to the death of the Cross” (Introit), as we are shown it today in the Gospel according to Saint Luke.


File:Santamariamaggiore2b.jpg

English: The Borghese Chapel,
Basilica of Saint Mary Major
(Our Lady of the Snows),
Rome, Italy.
Português: Capela Borghese,
Santa Maria Maggiore, Roma.
Photo: 2005.
Source: Photo taken by Ricardo André Frantz.
Author: Ricardo André Frantz (User:Tetraktys).
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Romamariamaggiore10.JPG

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
(Our Lady of the Snows),
Rome, Italy.
Entrance to the Borghese Chapel.
Photo: November 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Warburg.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Catechumens and Christian penitents, alike, “we were, in truth, like sheep that had gone astray, each one having turned aside into his own way”, and Jesus, “having the iniquity of us all laid on Him, has received in return a multitude of disciples” (Second Lesson). During the Easter Festivities, the Souls of men will become reconciled to God in the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance.

Renewing at Mass the Mysteries of the Passion of Our Lord, let us pray “to be delivered by His merits from the power of the enemy and to obtain the Grace of His Resurrection” (First and Second Collects, and Secret).


File:Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore7.JPG

English: The Coffered Ceiling of Saint Mary Major
(Our Lady of the Snows),
Rome, Italy.
Magyar: A főhajó aranyozott kazettás mennyezete.
Date: 2008-08-27 (original upload date).
Source: Transferred from hu.wikipedia; transferred to Commons 
Author: Original uploader was Kit36a at hu.wikipedia
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Italian: Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, Latin: Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is the largest Catholic Marian Church in Rome, Italy.

Other Churches in Rome, dedicated to Mary, include Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Maria in Aracoeli, and Santa Maria sopra Minerva, but the greatest size of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major justifies the adjective (Papal) by which it is distinguished from the other twenty-five Churches.

According to the 1929 Lateran Treaty, the Basilica, located in Italian territory, is owned by the Holy See and enjoys Extra-Territorial Status, similar to that of foreign embassies. The building is patrolled internally by Police agents of Vatican City State, not by Italian Police.

The Church may still sometimes be referred to as "Our Lady of the Snows", a name given to it in the Roman Missal, from 1568 to 1969, in connection with the Liturgical Feast of the Anniversary of its Dedication on 5 August, a Feast that was then denominated "Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Nives" (Dedication of Saint Mary of the Snows). This name for the Basilica had become popular in the 14th-Century, in connection with a legend that the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia reports thus: "During the Pontificate of Liberius, the Roman Patrician, John, and his wife, who were without heirs, made a vow to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary. They prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour".


File:Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore6.JPG

English: Decorated wall murals in the
Basilica of Saint Mary Major
(Our Lady of the Snows),
Rome, Italy.
Magyar: Santa Maria Maggiore, Róma. A főbejárat feletti belső faldíszítés.
Date: 2008-08-27 (original upload date). Taken on 2005.04.22.
Source: Transferred from hu.wikipedia; transferred to Commons 
Author: Original uploader was Kit36a at hu.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


On 5 August, at the height of the Roman Summer, snow fell during the night on the summit of the Esquiline Hill. In obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary, which they had the same night, the couple built a Basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow.

The legend is first reported only after the year 1000. It may be implied, in what the Liber Pontificalis of the Early-13th-Century says of Pope Liberius: "He built the Basilica of his own name (i.e. the Liberian Basilica) near the Macellum of Livia". Its prevalence in the 15th-Century is shown in the painting of the Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale.

The feast was originally called "Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae" (Dedication of Saint Mary's), and was celebrated only in Rome until inserted for the first time into the General Roman Calendar, with "ad Nives" added to its name, in 1568. A Congregation, appointed by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741, proposed that the reading of the legend be struck from the Office and that the Feast be given its original name. No action was taken on the proposal until 1969, when the reading of the legend was removed and the Feast was called "In dedicatione Basilicae S. Mariae (Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary)". The legend is still commemorated by dropping white rose petals from the Dome during the celebration of the Mass and Second Vespers of the Feast.


File:Santamariamaggiore19.jpg

English: Interior of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major
(Our Lady of the Snows),
Rome, Italy.
Português: Capela lateral e parte da nave,
Santa Maria Maggiore, Roma.
Date: 2005.
Source: Taken by Ricardo André Frantz.
Author: Ricardo André Frantz (User:Tetraktys).
(Wikimedia Commons)


The earliest building on the site was the Liberian Basilica or Santa Maria Liberiana, after Pope Liberius (352 A.D. - 366 A.D.). This name may have originated from the same legend, which recounts that, like John and his wife, Pope Liberius was told in a dream of the forthcoming Summer snowfall, went in procession to where it did occur and there marked out the area on which the Church was to be built. "Liberiana" is still included in some versions of the Basilica's formal name, and "Liberian Basilica" may be used as a contemporary, as well as historical, name.

No Catholic Church can be honoured with the title of Basilica unless by Apostolic Grant or from Immemorial Custom. Saint Mary Major is one of the only four Basilicas that today hold the Title of Major Basilica. The other three are Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter and Saint Paul-without-the-Walls. (The Title of Major Basilica was once used more widely, being attached, for instance, to the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, in Assisi.) All the other Catholic Churches that, either by Grant of the Pope or by Immemorial Custom, hold the Title of Basilica, are Minor Basilicas.

Until 2006, the four Major Basilicas, together with the Basilica of Saint Lawrence-without-the-Walls, were referred to as the five "Patriarchal Basilicas" of Rome, associated with the five ancient Patriarchal Sees of Christendom (see Pentarchy). Saint Mary Major was associated with the Patriarchate of Antioch. In the same year, the title of "Patriarchal" was also removed from the Basilica of Saint Francis, in Assisi.



File:Santa Maria Maggiore (Rome) 02.jpg

English: Cupola over a Side-Altar.
Basilica of Saint Mary Major
(Our Lady of the Snows),
Rome, Italy.
Deutsch: Santa Maria Maggiore Rom,
Kuppel eines Seitenaltars.
Photo: February 2008.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The former five Patriarchal Basilicas, with the Basilica of The Holy Cross in Jerusalem and San Sebastiano fuori le mura, formed the traditional Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, which are visited by Pilgrims during their Pilgrimage to Rome, following a 20-kilometres (12 miles) itinerary, established by Saint Philip Neri on 25 February 1552, especially when seeking the Plenary Indulgence on Holy Years. For the Great Jubilee of 2000, Pope John Paul II replaced Saint Sebastian's Church with the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love.

It is agreed that the present Church was built under Pope Sixtus III (432 A.D. - 440 A.D.). The Dedicatory Inscription on the Triumphal Arch, "Sixtus Episcopus plebi Dei" (Sixtus the Bishop to the people of God) is an indication of that Pope's role in the construction. As well as this Church on the summit of the Esquiline Hill, Pope Sixtus III is said to have commissioned extensive building projects throughout the City, which were continued by his successor, Pope Leo I, (The Great).

Church Building in Rome in this period, as exemplified in Saint Mary Major, was inspired by the idea of Rome being not just the centre of the world of the Roman Empire, as it was seen in the Classical Period, but the centre of the Christian world.


File:Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore 2011 8.jpg

English: Interior of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore,
(Our Lady of the Snows),
Rome, Italy.
Česky: Vnitřní prostory Baziliky
Santa Maria Maggiore, Řím, Itálie.
Photo: April 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Karelj.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the first Churches built in honour of the Virgin Mary, was erected in the immediate aftermath of the Council of Ephesus of 431 A.D., which proclaimed Mary, Mother of God. Pope Sixtus III built it to commemorate this decision.

When the Popes returned to Rome after the period of the Avignon Papacy, the buildings of the Basilica became a temporary Palace of the Popes, due to the deteriorated state of the Lateran Palace. The Papal Residence was later moved to the Palace of the Vatican, in what is now Vatican City.

The Basilica was restored, redecorated and extended by various Popes, including Eugene III (1145–1153), Nicholas IV (1288–1292), Clement X (1670–1676), and Benedict XIV (1740–1758), who, in the 1740s, commissioned Ferdinando Fuga to build the present façade and to modify the Interior. The Interior of Santa Maria Maggiore underwent a broad renovation, encompassing all of its Altars, between 1575 and 1630.

The original architecture of Santa Maria Maggiore was Classical, and traditionally Roman, perhaps to convey the idea that Santa Maria Maggiore represented old Imperial Rome, as well as its Christian future.


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