Non-Italic Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal for Saturday of the Third Week in Lent
Pictures and italic text taken from Wikipedia (the free encyclopaedia) (unless otherwise accredited)
Station at Saint Susanna's
Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines
Violet Vestments
The Station is at the Church of Saint Susanna, a Roman virgin who was martyred under the Emporer Diocletian. This Sanctuary was one of the twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome in the 5th-Century. The analogy between the circumstances of the martyrdom of Saint Susanna (11 August) and the account of the test of the chaste Susanna of the Old Testament has decided the choice of the Epistle of the Mass for today.
As is often seen in the Lenten Liturgy, both Epistle and Gospel illustrate the same thought.
Today, both the Epistle and Gospel recall an accusation of adultery which falls back upon its authors. The Epistle speaks to us of the chaste Susanna, who is innocent, and the Gospel of a woman who is guilty. God avenges the rights of justice, with regard to the first by rewarding her virtue, whilst He opens the treasures of His mercy, towards the second, by pardoning her because of her repentance.
Moreover, the choice of the Gospel is exlained by the fact that the Stational Procession must pass through one of the most infamous quarters of Rome, i.e., the Vicus Suburranus.
The Church of Saint Susanna at the baths of Diocletian (Italian: Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano) is a Roman Catholic parish church on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, with a titulus associated to its site that dates back to about 280. The modern church dedicated to Saint Susanna was rebuilt in 1585–1603.
In 1921, Pope Benedict XV authorised the Paulist Fathers to use Santa Susanna to create the national church in Rome of the United States of America. The first public Mass for the American community was celebrated by Cardinal William Henry O'Connell on February 26, 1922 and, until today, the English–speaking Roman Parish ministers to American Catholics living in or visiting Rome.
From 1958 to 1985, the post of Cardinal Priest of the titulus Sancta Susannae was given to the Archbishop of Boston on his creation as Cardinal. The most recent such appointment was that of Bernard Francis Law, who in 2002 resigned the archbishopric but kept the titulus of Santa Susanna. The Paulist Fathers have served Santa Susanna since the 1920s.
About 280 A.D., an Early-Christian house of worship was established on this site, which, like many of the earliest Christian meeting places, was in a house (domus ecclesiae). According to the 6th-Century acta of Susanna, the domus belonged to brothers named Caius and Gabinus, prominent Christians. Caius has been identified both with Pope Saint Caius and with Caius, who was a prefect who is a source of information on early Christianity. Gabinus or Gabinius is the name given to the father of the semi-legendary, Saint Susanna. Her earliest documented attestations identify her as the patron of the Church, not as a martyr, and, previously, the Church was identified in the earliest, 4th-Century documents by its titulus "of Gaius" by the Baths of Diocletian or as "ad duas domos" ("near the two houses"). It is mentioned in connection with a Roman Synod of 499 A.D.
Traditionally, the structure officially became a Church around 330 A.D., under Constantine I, when the Basilicas of numerous House Churches came to be adapted for Liturgical use. The Basilica was T-shaped with a central nave with twelve columns on each side, flanked by side aisles. All that are left of these two side aisles, after the late 16th-Century rebuilding, are the two side chapels of the Basilica Church. From the synod of 565 A.D., the Church appears under the titulus of Susanna; the veneration of Susanna has been localised on this site without a break ever since. In the acta, Susanna is martyred with her family when the girl refuses to marry the son of emperor, Diocletian; the occasion of Susanna's martyrdom is a literary trope that is familiar in other passions of virgins in the Roman Martyrology.
Pope Sergius I restored it at the end of the 7th-Century, but Pope Leo III, the fourth Pope who had been pastor of this church, rebuilt it from the ground in 796, adding the great apse and conserving the relics of the saints in the crypt. A vast mosaic of Christ, flanked by Leo and the Emperor Charlemagne and Saints Susanna and Felicity, was so badly damaged in the 12th-Century by an earthquake, that the interior was plastered over in the complete renovation that spanned the years 1585–1602 and frescoed by Cesare Nebbia (1536–1614).
A façade, in travertine, remained to be constructed. The present Church of Santa Susanna on its ancient foundations was the first independent commission in Rome for Carlo Maderno, who had trained as an assistant to his uncle, Domenico Fontana, the chief architect of Pope Sixtus V.
In 1603 A.D., Maderno completed the façade, a highly influential early-Baroque design. The dynamic rhythm of columns and pilasters, crowding centrally, and the protrusion and increased central decoration add further complexity to the structure. Notice the interplay of relationships, none exactly symmetric on any one mirror side. The entrance and roof are surrounded by triangular pediments. The windows replaced by niches. There is an incipient playfulness with the rules of classic design, still maintaining rigor. The statues of the higher level (Pope Saint Caius and Saint Genesius of Rome) are by Giovanni Antonio Paracea, those of the lower level (Saint Susanna and Saint Felicitas of Rome) are by Stefano Maderno.
The Church of Saint Susanna was accounted so successful that, in 1605, Pope Paul V named Maderno architect of Saint Peter's Basilica, where he completed the nave and constructed the great façade.
The church consists of a single nave, with a circular apse forming two side-chapels. The frescoes of the central nave by Baldassare Croce represent six scenes from the life of Susanna found in the Book of Daniel. The frescoes on the curved side of the apse shows Saint Susanna being threatened by Maximian, but defended by the angel of God and, to the right, Susanna refusing to worship the idol Jupiter. Nebbia's frescoes of the dome of the apse depict Santa Susanna flanked on either side by angels with musical instruments. Behind the High Altar, the painting, depicting the beheading of Santa Susanna, is by Tommaso Laureti.
Chapel of Our Lady of Graces
The chapel of Our Lady of Graces (a former painting on the altar) has on its walls two recent frescoes of Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard.
Chapel of Saint Lawrence
Domenico Fontana constructed the second side-chapel to the left, dedicated to Saint Laurence, commissioned by Camilla Peretti, sister of Pope Sixtus V. The paintings are by the Milanese artist, Giovanni Battista Pozzo (1563–1591). The altar painting by Cesare Nebbia depicts the martyrdom of Saint Laurence. In this chapel are venerated Saint Genesius of Rome, patron of actors, in the act of receiving Baptism, and the bishop, Pope Saint Eleuterus.
The presbytery is decorated with two frescoes. To the left, Baldassare Croce depicts the martyrdom of Saint Gabinius, while, to the right, Paris Nogari shows the martyrdom of Saint Felicitas of Rome and her seven sons.
The valuable ceiling of the nave and of the presbytery is made in polychromed gilt wood, carved to the design of Carlo Maderno.
Entombed in the Church are five Early-Church martyrs and Saints: Susanna; her father, Gabinus; Saint Felicitas of Rome; Pope Saint Eleuterus; and Genesius of Rome.
The commemoration of Saint Susanna has long been linked in the Roman calendar with Saint Tiburtius, 11 August (See Saints Tiburtius and Susanna).
Among the previous Cardinal Priests of Santa Susanna was Pope Nicholas V (1446).
Pictures and italic text taken from Wikipedia (the free encyclopaedia) (unless otherwise accredited)
Station at Saint Susanna's
Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines
Violet Vestments
Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian
Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano (Italian)
Baroque façade of Santa Susanna by Carlo Maderno (1603)
Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano (Italian)
Baroque façade of Santa Susanna by Carlo Maderno (1603)
The Station is at the Church of Saint Susanna, a Roman virgin who was martyred under the Emporer Diocletian. This Sanctuary was one of the twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome in the 5th-Century. The analogy between the circumstances of the martyrdom of Saint Susanna (11 August) and the account of the test of the chaste Susanna of the Old Testament has decided the choice of the Epistle of the Mass for today.
As is often seen in the Lenten Liturgy, both Epistle and Gospel illustrate the same thought.
Today, both the Epistle and Gospel recall an accusation of adultery which falls back upon its authors. The Epistle speaks to us of the chaste Susanna, who is innocent, and the Gospel of a woman who is guilty. God avenges the rights of justice, with regard to the first by rewarding her virtue, whilst He opens the treasures of His mercy, towards the second, by pardoning her because of her repentance.
Moreover, the choice of the Gospel is exlained by the fact that the Stational Procession must pass through one of the most infamous quarters of Rome, i.e., the Vicus Suburranus.
The Church of Saint Susanna at the baths of Diocletian (Italian: Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano) is a Roman Catholic parish church on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, with a titulus associated to its site that dates back to about 280. The modern church dedicated to Saint Susanna was rebuilt in 1585–1603.
Basilica of Santa Susanna, taken by LPLT, 23 May 2010
In 1921, Pope Benedict XV authorised the Paulist Fathers to use Santa Susanna to create the national church in Rome of the United States of America. The first public Mass for the American community was celebrated by Cardinal William Henry O'Connell on February 26, 1922 and, until today, the English–speaking Roman Parish ministers to American Catholics living in or visiting Rome.
From 1958 to 1985, the post of Cardinal Priest of the titulus Sancta Susannae was given to the Archbishop of Boston on his creation as Cardinal. The most recent such appointment was that of Bernard Francis Law, who in 2002 resigned the archbishopric but kept the titulus of Santa Susanna. The Paulist Fathers have served Santa Susanna since the 1920s.
About 280 A.D., an Early-Christian house of worship was established on this site, which, like many of the earliest Christian meeting places, was in a house (domus ecclesiae). According to the 6th-Century acta of Susanna, the domus belonged to brothers named Caius and Gabinus, prominent Christians. Caius has been identified both with Pope Saint Caius and with Caius, who was a prefect who is a source of information on early Christianity. Gabinus or Gabinius is the name given to the father of the semi-legendary, Saint Susanna. Her earliest documented attestations identify her as the patron of the Church, not as a martyr, and, previously, the Church was identified in the earliest, 4th-Century documents by its titulus "of Gaius" by the Baths of Diocletian or as "ad duas domos" ("near the two houses"). It is mentioned in connection with a Roman Synod of 499 A.D.
Ceiling of Santa Susanna, designed by Carlo Maderno (1556 - 1629)
Photo taken by Addictive Picasso from England, 16 April 2007
Photo taken by Addictive Picasso from England, 16 April 2007
Traditionally, the structure officially became a Church around 330 A.D., under Constantine I, when the Basilicas of numerous House Churches came to be adapted for Liturgical use. The Basilica was T-shaped with a central nave with twelve columns on each side, flanked by side aisles. All that are left of these two side aisles, after the late 16th-Century rebuilding, are the two side chapels of the Basilica Church. From the synod of 565 A.D., the Church appears under the titulus of Susanna; the veneration of Susanna has been localised on this site without a break ever since. In the acta, Susanna is martyred with her family when the girl refuses to marry the son of emperor, Diocletian; the occasion of Susanna's martyrdom is a literary trope that is familiar in other passions of virgins in the Roman Martyrology.
Pope Sergius I restored it at the end of the 7th-Century, but Pope Leo III, the fourth Pope who had been pastor of this church, rebuilt it from the ground in 796, adding the great apse and conserving the relics of the saints in the crypt. A vast mosaic of Christ, flanked by Leo and the Emperor Charlemagne and Saints Susanna and Felicity, was so badly damaged in the 12th-Century by an earthquake, that the interior was plastered over in the complete renovation that spanned the years 1585–1602 and frescoed by Cesare Nebbia (1536–1614).
A façade, in travertine, remained to be constructed. The present Church of Santa Susanna on its ancient foundations was the first independent commission in Rome for Carlo Maderno, who had trained as an assistant to his uncle, Domenico Fontana, the chief architect of Pope Sixtus V.
Pope Sergius I (687 A.D. - 701 A.D.) restored the Basilica of Santa Susanna in the Late-7th-Century
In 1603 A.D., Maderno completed the façade, a highly influential early-Baroque design. The dynamic rhythm of columns and pilasters, crowding centrally, and the protrusion and increased central decoration add further complexity to the structure. Notice the interplay of relationships, none exactly symmetric on any one mirror side. The entrance and roof are surrounded by triangular pediments. The windows replaced by niches. There is an incipient playfulness with the rules of classic design, still maintaining rigor. The statues of the higher level (Pope Saint Caius and Saint Genesius of Rome) are by Giovanni Antonio Paracea, those of the lower level (Saint Susanna and Saint Felicitas of Rome) are by Stefano Maderno.
The Church of Saint Susanna was accounted so successful that, in 1605, Pope Paul V named Maderno architect of Saint Peter's Basilica, where he completed the nave and constructed the great façade.
The church consists of a single nave, with a circular apse forming two side-chapels. The frescoes of the central nave by Baldassare Croce represent six scenes from the life of Susanna found in the Book of Daniel. The frescoes on the curved side of the apse shows Saint Susanna being threatened by Maximian, but defended by the angel of God and, to the right, Susanna refusing to worship the idol Jupiter. Nebbia's frescoes of the dome of the apse depict Santa Susanna flanked on either side by angels with musical instruments. Behind the High Altar, the painting, depicting the beheading of Santa Susanna, is by Tommaso Laureti.
Pope Saint Eleuterus (174 A.D. - 189 A.D.)
Entombed in the Basilica of Santa Susanna
Chapel of Our Lady of Graces
The chapel of Our Lady of Graces (a former painting on the altar) has on its walls two recent frescoes of Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard.
Chapel of Saint Lawrence
Domenico Fontana constructed the second side-chapel to the left, dedicated to Saint Laurence, commissioned by Camilla Peretti, sister of Pope Sixtus V. The paintings are by the Milanese artist, Giovanni Battista Pozzo (1563–1591). The altar painting by Cesare Nebbia depicts the martyrdom of Saint Laurence. In this chapel are venerated Saint Genesius of Rome, patron of actors, in the act of receiving Baptism, and the bishop, Pope Saint Eleuterus.
The presbytery is decorated with two frescoes. To the left, Baldassare Croce depicts the martyrdom of Saint Gabinius, while, to the right, Paris Nogari shows the martyrdom of Saint Felicitas of Rome and her seven sons.
The valuable ceiling of the nave and of the presbytery is made in polychromed gilt wood, carved to the design of Carlo Maderno.
Entombed in the Church are five Early-Church martyrs and Saints: Susanna; her father, Gabinus; Saint Felicitas of Rome; Pope Saint Eleuterus; and Genesius of Rome.
The commemoration of Saint Susanna has long been linked in the Roman calendar with Saint Tiburtius, 11 August (See Saints Tiburtius and Susanna).
Among the previous Cardinal Priests of Santa Susanna was Pope Nicholas V (1446).
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