Peterborough Cathedral.
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www.sweetbriardreams.blogspot.co.uk
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Monday in Holy Week.
Station at Saint Praxedes.
Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.
Privileged Feria.
Violet Vestments.
Basilica of Saint Praxedes.
Photo: December 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Lalupa
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Lenten Station was originally held at the Church of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, but the tottering state of this Church caused it to be Transferred in the 13th-Century to Saint Praxedes. The precious Pillar of The Flagellation, so called, brought over from The Holy Land by Cardinal Colonna at the time of The Fifth Crusade, was placed by him in this, his Titular Church, where it is still kept. In exchange for the iron ring attached to this Pillar, Saint Louis presented the Church with The Three Thorns of The Holy Crown, that are still preserved there. The Relics of many Martyrs, gathered from the suburban Catacombs, were brought into this Church in the Reign of Pope Paschalis I.
In the Epistle, Isaias, typifying Jesus, prophesies His Obedience and the indignities of His Passion. He, likewise, foretells His Triumph, for He has placed His trust in God, Who will raise Him to Life again. Finally, he shows how the Jews were to be confounded. Then the Gentiles, through Baptism, the Public Penitents, by being reconciled, and The Faithful, by their Easter Confession and Holy Communion, will pass from Darkness to The Light, of which Jesus is The Fount.
The Nave.
Basilica of Sante Prassede.
Photo: March 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Sixtus
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Gospel tells of the supper, of which Jesus partook in the house of Simon the Leper, six days before the Pasch. While Martha, all activity, served at table, Mary, more loving, went up to Christ, and, breaking the long narrow neck of an alabaster vase, filled with an ointment of great price, poured the contents over His Feet. And Jesus commends her for having thus Anticipated The Embalming of His Body. The indignant protests of Judas lead us to fear the crime into which he will fall as a result of his avarice.
depicted in the mosaic at Santa Prassede. He is presenting a model of the Basilica to Christ, and wears a Square Halo, which means he was alive at the time of the mosaic.
Photo: August 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Marcus Cyron.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Finally, the presence at the supper of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised to life, is a forecast of the coming Victory of Christ over Death.
The choice of this Gospel is not without connection with that of The Stational Church: Saint Praxedes and Saint Pudentiana put their house at the disposal of Pope Saint Pius I, just as Mary and Martha received Jesus into their house.
Mass: Júdica, Dómine.
Preface: Of The Holy Cross.
English: Basilica of Saint Praxedes’ Ciborium and Apse.
Deutsch: Santa Prassede; Triumphbogen und Apsis.
Photo: 15 February 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Ben Skála, Benfoto
(Wikimedia Commons)
Pope Julius III (Papacy 1550 - 1555).
One-time Titular of the Basilica of Saint Praxedes.
Artist: Girolamo Sicciolante
(after Sebastiano del Piombo).
Photo of Painting: March 2013.
User: Mathiasrex
Current Location: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Source/Photographer: www.rijksmuseum.nl
(Wikimedia Commons)
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
The Basilica of Saint Praxedes ( Latin: Basilica Sanctæ Praxedis, Italian: Basilica di Santa Prassede all’Esquillino), commonly known in Italian as Santa Prassede, is an ancient Titular Church and Minor Basilica in Rome, located near the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
English: Coat-of-Arms of French Cardinal,
Paul Joseph Jean Poupard, Titular Cardinal Priest
of Titulus Sancta Praxedis.
Español: Escudo de armas del cardenal
francés Paul Joseph Jean Poupard.
Date: 5 January 2013.
Source: Own work.
Attribution: Attribution: SajoR
This file is licensed under the
2.5 Generic licence.
Author: SajoR
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Basilica was enlarged and decorated by Pope Paschal I, circa 822 A.D. Pope Paschal I, who Reigned 817 A.D. - 824 A.D., was at the forefront of the Carolingian Renaissance, started and advocated by Emperor Charlemagne. They desired to get back to The Foundations of Christianity, theologically and artistically. Pope Paschal thus began two, linked, ambitious programmes: The recovery of Martyrs' bones from the Catacombs of Rome and an almost unprecedented Church building campaign. Paschal dug up numerous skeletons and transplanted them to this Church. The Titulus “S. Praxedis” was established by Pope Evaristus, around 112 A.D.
This Church provided the inspiration for Robert Browning’s poem, “The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxedes Church.”
Saint Charles Borromeo (one-time Titular
of the Basilica of Saint Praxedes).
Artist: Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (1548–1608).
Source/Photographer: http://www.arteecarte.it/
(Uploaded by User:Lupo to en.wikipedia).
This Photo: December 2009.
User: Thomas Gun.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The most famous element of the Church is the Mosaic decorative programme. Paschal hired a team of professional Mosaicists to complete the work in the Apse, the Apsidal Arch, and the Triumphal Arch. In the Apse, Jesus is in the Centre, flanked by Saints Peter and Paul, who present Prassede and Pudenziana to God. On the far Left, is Paschal, with the Square Halo of the Living, presenting a model of the Church as an offering to Jesus. Below, runs an inscription of Paschal's, hoping that this offering will be sufficient to secure his place in Heaven.
Saint Praxedes gathering up The Blood of Martyrs.
Artist: Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675).
Date: 1655.
Current location: Private Collection.
Source/Photographer: Mystudios.com
(Wikimedia Commons)
English: The Triumphal Arch.
Basilica of Saint Praxedes.
Deutsch: Santa Prassede; Triumphbogen.
Photo: May 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Welleschik.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Though those Mosaics, as well as those in the Saint Zeno Chapel, a Funerary Chapel that Paschal built for his mother, Theodora, are the best-known aspects of the Church, an intriguing and relatively hidden aspect are ancient frescoes. Ascending a spiral staircase, one enters a small room, covered in scaffolding. However, on the wall is a fresco cycle dating, most likely, from the 8th-Century A.D. The frescoes depict, probably, the life-cycle of the Saint of the Church, Praxedes.
Representation of King Saint Louis IX, considered to be true to life. Early-14th-Century statue from the Church of Mainneville, Eure, France. Saint Louis IX, King of France (1226 - 1270), presented the Basilica of Saint Praxedes with three alleged Thorns from The Holy Crown.
Photo: December 2007.
User: Michaelsanders
(Wikimedia Commons)
English: Basilica of Saint Praxedes.
Italiano: Roma, Santa Prasede.
Photo: May 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Berthold Werner
(Wikimedia Commons)
Among known Titulars of this See, are Lambertus Scannabecchi (later Pope Honorius II, circa 1099), Ubaldo Allucingoli (later Pope Lucius III, 1141), Alain de Coëtivy (1448), Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte (later Pope Julius III), Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), Rafæl Merry del Val (1903 - 1930).
Herewith, another interesting contribution from our Roman Pilgrim, for which we are most grateful. This time, on the Basilica of Saint Praxedes.
ReplyDeleteThe Basilica of Santa Prassede is only 70 m. from Santa Maria Maggiore: If the Roman pilgrim faces the front of Santa Maria Maggiore from the Piazza of the same name, the street on the left side is the Via Liberiana, which becomes the Via di Santa Prassede after only a few feet (again, a typical Roman street name change every few paces). Taking that street southbound, the pilgrim will find the easily overlooked basilica of Santa Prassede only a few steps away.
As we noted previously with the Basilica of Santa Pudenziana, the sister of S. Praxedes, both were the daughters of Pudens, the Roman Senator, and Pudens’ name is mentioned in Paul’s Letter to Timothy (“Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.”), 2 Tim. 4:21. According to legend, the basilica is built over the site of the house where the sisters hid Christians during the persecution of Marcus Aurelius (161-180), since it is thought the two sisters were executed ca.165 AD for burying the Christian dead --- for such burials were prohibited by Roman law. The site is very ancient since during the papal reign of S. Evaristus (99 AD-107 AD) it was already designated as a titulus.
The present structure dates from P. Paschal I (817-824, papal reign). However, Santa Prassede is fortunate because its early golden mosaics, especially on the apse arch of SS Peter and Paul, Prassede and Pudenziana, are well preserved and today illuminate the ceiling area and the interior of the apse. The 12 apostles hold wreathes of victory, and there are other scenes from the Book of Revelation. When one realises that one is looking at the Catholic Faith in religious art from the 800s AD, it is an awe inspiring experience.
Another necessary pilgrimage stop here is the S. Zeno Chapel. S. Zeno (ca. 300-371 AD) is the patron of Verona whose cult was thereafter brought to Rome. Here, shimmering Byzantine-style mosaics illuminate the walls and the apse behind the altar, where Christ is majestically depicted as Pantocrator. Portraits of SS Prassede, Pudenziana, Agnes, and Theodora (the mother of P. Paschal I) also decorate the walls. It is worth putting a coin in the machine (another Roman custom) which brings the lights up in the chapel and stuns the visitor with the apotheosis of artistic masterwork.
The Basilica of Santa Prassede makes an appearance in literature in the sardonic and biting poem of Robert Browning (1812-1889), “The Bishop Orders His Tomb at St. Praxedes Church” (1845). It represents a soliloquy on his death bed by a disturbingly worldly bishop whose main concern was a better tomb location than that of his dead episcopal rival. Browning, like many non-Catholic Victorians (cf. EM Forster, “A Room with a View”) admired the Catholic faith he found in Italy and specifically Rome, but struggled with his own Christian faith throughout life (reportedly he was raised as a Christian evangelical non-conformist). Browning’s poem might be seen as a view of one critical of a false materialistic charlatanism that shamelessly takes advantage of true Christian belief and believers, but a view of one actually admiring the Faith where authentically practiced.
Dom Gaspar Lefebvre, OSB, explains why this Stational church is chosen to commence Holy Week: “The choice of this Gospel is not without connection with that of The Stational Church: Saint Praxedes and Saint Pudentiana put their house at the disposal of Pope Saint Pius I, just as Mary and Martha received Jesus into their house. Let us travel with SS Praxedes and Pudentiana from the House of Mary and Martha forward to Jerusalem.