Canterbury Cathedral.
Photo Credit: A. G. Baxter.
lllustration: SHUTTERSTOCK
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.Wednesday of The Fourth Week in Lent.
Station at Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.
Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.
Violet Vestments.
English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, Rome.
Deutsch: Rom, Sankt Paul vor den Mauern.
Italiano: Statua di San Paolo di fronte alla
facciata della Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura.
Photo: May 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Berthold Werner
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Station was held at Rome in the great Basilica of Saint Paul, on The Ostian Way. It was natural to assemble near the tomb of The Doctor of The Gentiles on this day, called The Feria of The Great Scrutiny, when they held the The Examination, upon which depended the admission of Catechumens to Baptism.
After the singing of the Introit, which announces the Baptism in which God “will pour on the Souls the water which will cleanse them from all stain,” the Catechumens were exorcised anew, were marked with The Sign of The Cross and received The Imposition of Hands. This water has already purified us.
After having read the Epistle, or the Lessons from the Prophets, Ezechiel and Isaias, who speak of this same purification, “when Souls shall be made White as Snow,” the beginning of The Four Gospels was read to them and The Apostles’ Creed and Pater Noster explained to them. Let us love to read The Gospels, let us often recite The Credo and The Pater Noster.
English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, Rome.
With its length of 432 feet, this Basilica ranks eleventh
among the largest Churches in the World.
Français: Basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs, Vatican.
Avec sa longueur de 131,66 mètres, cette Basilique se classe
au 11è rang parmi les plus grandes églises au monde.
Photo: September 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Gospel tells us of the healing of the man, blind from birth, who was sent to wash himself in The Pool of Siloe. This is another symbol of Baptism and of the instructions preceding it, which conveyed to the Gentiles the Supernatural Light of which they were deprived, and gave Penance from the defilements which have unfortunately stained our Baptismal innocence, and God will make our Souls White as Snow.
Aware that Fasting is, for The Just Man, a means of increasing his Merits, and, for The Guilty, of obtaining forgiveness for his sins (Collect), let us with courage mortify our bodies so that we may enjoy more readily the things that are of Heaven.
Mass: Cum sanctificátus.
Preface: Of Lent.
English: Statue of Saint Paul.
Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the Walls, Rome.
Photo: July 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Alberto Fernandez Fernandez.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
The Basilica was Founded by the Roman Emperor, Constantine I, over the burial place of Saint Paul, where it was said that, after the Apostle’s execution, his followers erected a Memorial, called a "cella memoriæ". This first edifice was expanded under Emperor Valentinian I in the 370s A.D.
In 386 A.D., Emperor Theodosius I began erecting a much larger and more beautiful Basilica, with a Nave and four Aisles, with a Transept; the work, including the mosaics, was not completed until Pope Leo I's Pontificate (440 A.D. – 461 A.D).
English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, Rome.
Polski: Bazylika św. Pawła za Murami.
Italiano: Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura a Roma.
Photo: June 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: [Piofol[1]]
(Wikimedia Commons)
Under Pope Gregory the Great (590 A.D. – 604 A.D.), the Basilica was extensively modified. The Pavement was raised to place the Altar directly over Saint Paul's tomb.
English: The mosaic on the façade of the
Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.
Italiano: Il grande mosaico della facciata della
basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura.
Photo: March 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Luca Camellini
(Wikimedia Commons)
As it lay outside the Aurelian Walls, the Basilica was damaged in the 9th-Century A.D., during The Saracen invasions. Consequently, Pope John VIII (872 A.D. – 882 A.D.) fortified the Basilica, the Monastery, and the dwellings of the peasantry, forming the Town of Joannispolis (Italian: Giovannipoli), which existed until 1348, when an earthquake totally destroyed it.
English: The Cloisters.
Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, Rome.
Deutsch: Kreuzgang der Basilika San Paolo fuori le Mura. Blick vom Säulengang in den Innenhof.
Photo: October 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: W.W.Thaler, Herbert Weber, Hildesheim.
(Wikimedia Commons)
In 937 A.D., when Saint Odo of Cluny came to Rome, Alberic II of Spoleto, Patrician of Rome, entrusted the Monastery and Basilica to his Congregation and Odo placed Balduino of Monte Cassino in charge. Pope Gregory VII was Abbot of the Monastery and, in his time, Pantaleone, a rich merchant of Amalfi, who lived in Constantinople, presented the Bronze Doors of the Basilica Maior; the Doors are inscribed with Pantaleone's Prayer that the "Doors of Life" may be opened to him.
English: Territorial Abbot's Coat-of-Arms.
Pope Martin V (Papacy 1417 - 1431) entrusted the Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls to the Monks of the Congregation of Monte Cassino. It was then made an Abbey Nullius (Territorial Abbey). The Coat-of-Arms of a "Territorial Abbot" are distinguished by a Green Galero, with Twelve Tassels, and a Gold Crozier, with a Veil attached.
Polski: Herb opata. Piotr Jaworski, PioM; 19 V 2005r., POLAND/Poznań.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Pope Martin V entrusted the Basilica to the Monks of the Congregation of Monte Cassino. It was then made an Abbey Nullius. The Abbot's jurisdiction extended over the Districts of Civitella San Paolo, Leprignano, and Nazzano, all of which formed Parishes. But the Parish of San Paolo in Rome is under the jurisdiction of the Cardinal Vicar.
English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, Rome.
Français: Basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs, Vatican.
Perspective du transept.
Photo: September 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174
(Wikimedia Commons)
On 15 July 1823, a fire, started through the negligence of a workman who was repairing the lead of the roof, resulted in the almost total destruction of the Basilica, which, alone of all the Churches of Rome, had preserved its primitive character for one thousand four hundred and thirty-five years.
It was re-opened in 1840, and re-Consecrated in 1855 in the presence of Blessed Pope Pius IX and fifty Cardinals. Completing the work of reconstruction took longer, however, and many Countries made their contributions. The Viceroy of Egypt sent Pillars of alabaster, the Emperor of Russia the precious malachite and lapis lazuli of The Tabernacle.
The work on the principal façade, looking toward The River Tiber, was completed by the Italian Government, which declared the Church a National Monument. On 23 April 1891, an explosion at Porta Portese destroyed the Stained Glass.
The Cloisters,
Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, Rome.
Source: Pierers Universal-Lexikon, 1891.
Scanned by --Immanuel Giel 12:37, 1 Jun 2005.
(Wikimedia Commons)
English: The Cloisters.
Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.
Deutsch: Kreuzgang.
Basilika Major San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rom.
Photo: 2005.10.11.
Source: Own work.
Author: W.W.Thaler Herbert Weber, Hildesheim.
(Wikimedia Commons)
On 31 May 2005, Pope Benedict XVI ordered the Basilica to come under the control of an Arch-Priest and he named Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo as its first Arch-Priest.
The covered Portico that precedes the facade is a Neo-Classicist addition of the 19th-Century reconstruction. The 20th-Century Door includes the remains of the "leaves" from the original Portal, executed by Staurachius of Chios, around 1070, in Constantinople, with scenes from The New and Old Testaments. On the Right, is The Holy Door, which is opened only during the Jubilees.
English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.
The Tabernacle of The Confession.
Italiano: Basilica di San Paolo fuori le mura.
Ciborio di Arnolfo di Cambio.
Polski: Bazylika św. Pawła za Murami w Rzymie -
grób św. Pawła, przykryty gotyckim baldachimem.
Photo: May 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Fczarnowski
(Wikimedia Commons)
The new Basilica has maintained the original structure with one Nave and four Aisles. It is 131 metres (432 ft) long, 65 metres (213 ft) wide, 29 metres (97 ft) high, the second-largest Basilica in Rome.
The Nave's eighty Columns and its stucco-decorated Ceiling are from the 19th-Century. All that remains of the ancient Basilica are the interior portion of the Apse with the Triumphal Arch. The mosaics of the Apse, by Pietro Cavallini, were mostly lost in the 1823 fire; only a few traces were incorporated in the reconstruction.
The 5th-Century A.D. mosaics of The Triumphal Arch are original: an inscription in the lower section attests they were done at the time of Pope Leo I, paid for by Galla Placidia.
The subject portrays the Apocalypse of Saint John, with the bust of Christ in the middle, flanked by the twenty-four Doctors of The Church [Editor: Now, thirty-seven Doctors of The Church], surmounted by the flying symbols of The Four Evangelists. Saint Peter and Saint Paul are portrayed at the Right and Left of the Arch, the latter pointing downwards (probably to his tomb). The "Tabernacle of The Confession" of Arnolfo di Cambio (1285), belongs to the 13th-Century.
In the old Basilica, each Pope had his portrait in a frieze, extending above the Columns separating the four Aisles and Nave. A 19th-Century version can be seen now. The Nave's Interior Walls were also re-decorated with scenes from Saint Paul's life in two mosaics. The Sacristy contains a fine statue of Pope Boniface IX.
South of the Transept, are the Cloisters, considered "one of the most beautiful of The Middle Ages". Built by Vassalletto in 1205-1241, they have Double Columns of different shapes. Some Columns have inlays with golden- and coloured-glass mosaics; the same decoration can be seen on the Architrave and the inner frame of the Cloisters. Also visible are fragments from the destroyed Basilica and ancient Sarcophagi, one with scenes of the myth of Apollo.
According to Tradition, Paul's body was buried two miles away from the place of his Martyrdom, in the sepulchral area along The Ostiense Way, which was owned by a Christian woman, named Lucina. A Tropæum was erected on it and quickly became a place of Veneration.
Emperor Constantine I erected a Basilica on the Tropæum's site, and the Basilica was significantly extended by Emperor Theodosius I from 386 A.D., into what is now known as Saint Paul-without-the Walls. During the 4th-Century A.D., Saint Paul's remains, excluding the head, were moved into a Sarcophagus (according to Church Tradition, the head rests at The Lateran).
Saint Paul's tomb is below a marble tombstone in the Basilica's Crypt, at 1.3 metres (4.5 ft) below the Altar. The tombstone bears the Latin inscription "PAULO APOSTOLO MART" ("to Paul the Apostle and Martyr"). The inscribed portion of the tombstone has three holes, two square and one circular. The circular hole is connected to the tomb by a pipeline, reflecting the Roman custom of pouring perfumes inside the Sarcophagus, or to the practice of providing the bones of the dead with libations.
The discovery of the Sarcophagus is mentioned in the chronicle of The Benedictine Monastery attached to the Basilica, in regard to the 19th-Century rebuilding. Unlike other Sarcophagi found at that time, this was not mentioned in the excavation papers.
On 6 December 2006, it was announced that Vatican archæologists had confirmed the presence of a White Marble Sarcophagus beneath the Altar, perhaps containing the remains of the Apostle. A Press Conference, held on 11 December 2006, gave more details of the excavation, which lasted from 2002 to 2006, and which had been initiated after Pilgrims to the Basilica expressed disappointment that the Apostle's tomb could not be visited or touched during The Jubilee Year of 2000. The Sarcophagus was not extracted from its position, so that only one of its two narrow sides is visible.
English: The Cloisters.
Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.
Deutsch: Säulen des Kreuzgangs.
San Paolo fuori le Mura.
Photo: October 2008.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)
In the old Basilica, each Pope had his portrait in a frieze, extending above the Columns separating the four Aisles and Nave. A 19th-Century version can be seen now. The Nave's Interior Walls were also re-decorated with scenes from Saint Paul's life in two mosaics. The Sacristy contains a fine statue of Pope Boniface IX.
South of the Transept, are the Cloisters, considered "one of the most beautiful of The Middle Ages". Built by Vassalletto in 1205-1241, they have Double Columns of different shapes. Some Columns have inlays with golden- and coloured-glass mosaics; the same decoration can be seen on the Architrave and the inner frame of the Cloisters. Also visible are fragments from the destroyed Basilica and ancient Sarcophagi, one with scenes of the myth of Apollo.
According to Tradition, Paul's body was buried two miles away from the place of his Martyrdom, in the sepulchral area along The Ostiense Way, which was owned by a Christian woman, named Lucina. A Tropæum was erected on it and quickly became a place of Veneration.
English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.
Saint Laurence Chapel.
Français: Basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs.
Chapelle de Saint-Laurent.
Photo: September 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174
(Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Paul's tomb is below a marble tombstone in the Basilica's Crypt, at 1.3 metres (4.5 ft) below the Altar. The tombstone bears the Latin inscription "PAULO APOSTOLO MART" ("to Paul the Apostle and Martyr"). The inscribed portion of the tombstone has three holes, two square and one circular. The circular hole is connected to the tomb by a pipeline, reflecting the Roman custom of pouring perfumes inside the Sarcophagus, or to the practice of providing the bones of the dead with libations.
The discovery of the Sarcophagus is mentioned in the chronicle of The Benedictine Monastery attached to the Basilica, in regard to the 19th-Century rebuilding. Unlike other Sarcophagi found at that time, this was not mentioned in the excavation papers.
On 6 December 2006, it was announced that Vatican archæologists had confirmed the presence of a White Marble Sarcophagus beneath the Altar, perhaps containing the remains of the Apostle. A Press Conference, held on 11 December 2006, gave more details of the excavation, which lasted from 2002 to 2006, and which had been initiated after Pilgrims to the Basilica expressed disappointment that the Apostle's tomb could not be visited or touched during The Jubilee Year of 2000. The Sarcophagus was not extracted from its position, so that only one of its two narrow sides is visible.
English: Saint Benedict Chapel,
Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.
Italiano: Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura -
capella di san Benedetto.
Polski: Bazylika św. Pawła za Murami w Rzymie -
kaplica św. Benedykta.
Photo: May 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Fczarnowski
(Wikimedia Commons)
On 29 June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Carbon-14 Dating of bone fragments in the Sarcophagus confirmed a date in the 1st- or 2nd-Century A.D. “This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested Tradition that they are the mortal remains of The Apostle Paul”, Benedict announced at a Service in the Basilica to mark the end of The Vatican's Pauline Year in honour of the Apostle. With the bone fragments, archaeologists discovered some grains of incense, and pieces of Purple Linen with Gold Sequins and Blue Linen Textiles.
A curved line of bricks, indicating the outline of the Apse of the Constantinian Basilica, was discovered immediately to the West of the Sarcophagus, showing that the original Basilica had its entrance to the East, like Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The larger 386 A.D. Basilica, that replaced it, had the Via Ostiense (the road to Ostia) to The East and so was extended Westward, towards The River Tiber, changing the orientation diametrically.
Thank you again, Zephyrinus, for this Lenten tribute to one of the truly great Roman stational churches, St Paul "Outside-the-Walls," and a "must-see" for any Roman visitor, even though it may require a few bus rides or taxi arrangements to get to it, since it is on the way to Ostia, the ancient seaport of Rome (By the way: do NOT go to Ostia: it is a stinky, worn, dirty industrial harbor today. I went there because the site of S. Monica's house at which S. Augustine would visit her ---oh, by the way, it was S Augustine's birthplace and home town---and have discussions with her, is mentioned in the Confessions of Augustine, is situated there. It wasnt worth it. Turn back at St Paul's.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the magnificent vastness of this basilica, which Zephyrinus knows was the largest in Christendom until the building of "new" St Peter's, is awesome: the imposing shrouded statue of S Paul with the sword of the Scriptures (the sculptor Giuseppe Obici inspired by Heb. 4:12: "The Word of God is quick, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the soul and spirit, joints and marrow.." It is a recent statue, being added after the disastrous 1823 fire), the beautifully harmonious exterior pillared porticoes and palm trees, reaching out to the visitor to welcome them in; the massive alabaster and malachite pillars inside the church, and the thin alabaster panels that comprise the windows (so there is a rather mystical, reduced light inside, ideal for prayer and contemplation) are indelible in one's memory. And of course the original surviving mosaics over the altar apse, which somehow survived the 1823 fire, which I understand calcified the original pillars and stonework, being so intensely hot. But this rebuilt basilica is a testament to resurrection, rising so impressively from the ashes.
There is a Benedictine monastery attached to the basilica, in whose care it has been for centuries. Unfortunately, this monastery has a history of wayward leadership and subsequent re-imposing of proper discipline. During Vat II, the abbot of unhappy memory whose name this writer will not mention was an absolute lunatic communist with undue but powerful influence on both the Vatican II bishops and cardinals as well as media, insisting in essence that the Catholic Church should become lunatic communist atheist like him. He eventually left and married his nutty psychiatrist and went on his merry self-destructive way. However, although I am told the community has tried to regain its Benedictine gyroscope, it will take some generations for that bad news to be forgotten in the waters of Lethe.
Anyway, the basilica itself, which even the Benedictine community knew better than to change, survives, and it is a must-see. Just don't continue on down the road to smelly Ostia. -Note by Dante P.
A beautiful and captivating contribution from our regular contributor, Dante P. Many thanks, indeed. The exquisite description of the Basilica is compulsive reading. The riveting evisceration of the port of Ostia ensures that Zephyrinus will not visit. Thank You, Dante P.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, Zephyrinus is too kind in his comments regarding the poor recollections of this post-Franco-Prussian war pilgrim, who often would get lost on hopeless journeys to complete poo-poo outcomes (like Ostia, apologies to any Ostienses: And in its defense, now-industrial Ostia in July when I visited it is intensely hot and humid, and the harbor is stagnant and odoriferous: but dont go there, there is so much to see elsewhere. Like Assisi; like Frascati; etc.).
ReplyDeleteDue to limitations of space by the blogging program, I didnt get to comment that I was only now informed by Zephyrinus' fine commentary above regarding the outcome of the excavations of the tomb of S. Paul in the "cella memoria" under the high altar, which now confirms that since Apostolic times, the mortal relics of this most holy Apostle indeed are reserved there, and have been for 2 millenia. We all happy few were gifted with Faith to know this.
But I always find this fascinating, since in the time when I visited Rome, it was the Skeptics' Day, where everything was "legendary", "according to legend," an account "according to ancient tradition which is disputed by modern scholars." They (the Scholarly Skeptics) have had their field day, all those fine 1960s-1970's-1980's (etc,) "historical scholars", who have one by one. gone on to be surprised about 30 seconds after they passed away, to be informed, we may be certain, by Ss Peter & Paul at the heavenly gates that they really did miss a large portion of historical reality in their earthly lives' with their obdurate skepticism about everything of Catholic Roman tradition.
Hopefully they were directed by the Apostles to first visit purgatory, where every day the Legenda Aurea, the "Legendary" Lives of the Saints are read to them, one by one, by an attending angel, over and over, for millenia, and asked to agree that all these "legends", cough-cough, really are, cough-cough, true. A true purgatory for the skeptic scholar. 😊 - Comment by Dante P.