Friday, 22 March 2024

The Ferial Mass Of The Friday In Passion Week. Lenten Station At Saint Stephen-In-The-Round. On Mount Cœlius.



Peterborough Cathedral.
© Chel @ Sweetbriar Dreams
www.sweetbriardreams.blogspot.co.uk


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

Ferial Mass of The Friday in Passion Week.

Station at Saint Stephen's on Mount Cœlius.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.


English: Basilica of Saint Stephen-in-the-Round, 
on Mount Cœlius, Rome.
Date: Circa 1880.
Source: Scanning of reproduction.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Station is at the Church of Saint Stephen on Mount Coelius, called Saint Stephen-the-Round, on account of its circular form. It was Dedicated in the 5th-Century A.D. to The First of The Martyrs, whose Relics had been brought to Rome.

This Saint was The First Martyr, or Witness, of Christ. Whilst dying, he beheld The Saviour at The Right-Hand of The Father in Heaven. Thus, it was fitting to assemble in this Basilica at this Holy Time, Consecrated to the Memory of The Saviour’s Passion, which prepares us to Celebrate His Triumph at Easter.


English: Basilica of Saint Stephen-in-the-Round, 
on Mount Cœlius. Santo Stefano Rotondo is the most 
ancient example of a centrally-planned Church in Rome.
Photo: January 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Lalupa
(Wikimedia Commons)



The Gospel of today mentions The Sitting of The Sanhedrin, at which The Death of Jesus was irrevocably decreed by the Jewish priests. [Jesus having raised Lazarus from the dead, at the time that the Pilgrims were preparing to come in multitudes to Jerusalem for The Feast of The Passover, the Jewish authorities of The Sanhedrin assembled on The Mount of Evil Counsel, and, under pretext that the Romans, who had conquered Judea, would take umbrage at the influence of Christ and use repressive measures against the Jewish people, the High Priest declares that Jesus must die.]


English: Basilica of Saint Stephen-in-the-Round,
Mount Cœlius, Rome.
Italiano: Roma, Santo Stefano Rotondo al Celio.
Photo: June 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Lalupa
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus they say, will excite such popular enthusiasm during the Paschal festivities, when crowds fill Jerusalem, that the Romans, uneasy for their authority, will destroy our City and Nation. It is therefore better, concludes Caiphas, that one man should disappear and that the Nation should be saved.

Jeremias, in the Epistle, and the Psalmist, in the Introit, the Gradual, the Offertory and the Communion, express the sorrows and anguish of Jesus, Who feels Himself surrounded by such treacherous and relentless enemies.

Let us participate in The Feelings of Christ, Who will soon atone for our sins by The Sufferings of His Passion. And may The Fear of Eternal Punishment make us accept the troubles of this life and the holy austerities of Lent (Collect).

Mass: Miserére mihi.
Preface: Of The Holy Cross.


Coat-of-Arms of Hungary.
English: Blazon: “Per Pale, the first Barry of eight Gules and Argent, the second Gules, on a Mount Vert, a Crown Or, issuant therefrom a Double Cross Argent. In Crest: The Holy Crown of Hungary.”
Magyar: Címer: Magyarország. Címerleírás A Magyar Köztársaság címere hegyes talpú, hasított pajzs. Első mezeje vörössel és ezüsttel hétszer vágott. Második, vörös mezejében zöld hármas halomnak arany koronás kiemelkedő középső részén ezüst kettős kereszt. A pajzson a magyar Szent Korona nyugszik. Hivatkozási A Magyar Köztársaság Alkotmánya - XIV. fejezet - A Magyar Köztársaság fővárosa és nemzeti jelképei.
Date: January 2009.
Author: Thommy
(Wikimedia Commons)




English: Cardinal Mindszenty was a Cardinal Priest
of the Titulus S. Stephani-in-Cœlio-Monte.
Magyar: Mindszenty József szobor (szobrász: Domonkos Béla, 2009). Állíttatta a „Hittel a nemzetért” alapítvány 2009-ben, október 26-án 220 centiméter magas bronzszobor, amely egy 80 centiméteres süttői mészkő alapon áll.
A szobor áldást emelő kézzel ábrázolja Mindszenty Józsefet. Mindszenty József szobor (szobrász: Domonkos Béla, 2009).
Photo: 8 November 2009 (original upload date).
Source: Transferred from hu.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User: Csanády using CommonsHelper
Author: Original uploader was Misibacsi at hu.wikipedia
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Venerable József Mindszenty (29 March 1892 – 6 May 1975) was a Cardinal and the Head of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary, as the Archbishop of Esztergom. He became known as a steadfast supporter of Church freedom and opponent of Communism and the brutal Stalinist persecution in his Country.

As a result, he was tortured and given a life sentence in a 1949 Show Trial that generated Worldwide condemnation, including a United Nations Resolution. Freed in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, he was granted political asylum and lived in the U.S. Embassy in Budapest for fifteen years. He was finally allowed to leave the Country in 1971. He died in exile in 1975 in Vienna, Austria.


Basilica of San Stefano Rotondo.
Photo: March 2003.
Author: seier+seier
(Wikimedia Commons)



The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

The Basilica of Saint Stephen-in-the-Round on Mount Cœlius (Italian: Basilica di Santo Stefano al Monte Celio), (Latin: Basilica San Stephani in Cœlio Monte) is an ancient Basilica and Titular Church in Rome. Commonly named Santo Stefano Rotondo, the Church is the National Church in Rome of Hungary, Dedicated to Saint Stephen and, also, Saint Stephen of Hungary. The Minor Basilica is also the Rectory Church of the Pontifical Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum.

The earliest Church was Consecrated by Pope Simplicius between 468 A.D. and 483 A.D. It was Dedicated to the Proto-Martyr, Saint Stephen, whose body had been discovered a few decades before in the Holy Land, and brought to Rome. The Church was the first in Rome to have a Circular Plan, inspired by the Church of The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.


Illustration of Pope Saint John I, (523 A.D. - 526 A.D.), who embellished the Basilica di Santo Stefano-al-Monte-Celio.
He is the first Pope known to have visited Constantinople, while in Office.
Author: Artaud de Montor, Alexis François.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Santo Stefano was probably financed by the wealthy Valerius Family, whose estates covered large parts of the Cælian Hill. Their villa stood nearby, on the site of the present-day Hospital of San Giovanni - Addolorata. Saint Melania the Elder, a member of the family, was a frequent Pilgrim to Jerusalem and died there, so the family had connections to the Holy Land.

Originally, the Church had three concentric Ambulatories, flanked by twenty-two Ionic Columns, surrounding the central circular space, surmounted by a Tambour (22 m high and 22 m wide). There were twenty-two windows in the Tambour, but most of them were walled up in the 15th-Century restoration. The outermost corridor was later demolished.

The Church was embellished by Pope John I and Pope Felix IV in the 6th-Century A.D. In 1130, Pope Innocent II had three Trans-Versal Arches added to support the Dome.


English: Pope Nicholas V, who Reigned from 6 March 1447 until his death in 1455. Born Tommaso Parentucelli, Nicholas was made a Cardinal for his diplomatic efforts by Pope Eugene IV. In 1454, Pope Nicholas V entrusted the ruined Church to the Pauline Fathers, the only Catholic Order Founded by Hungarians. This is why Santo Stefano Rotondo became the unofficial Church of Hungarians in Rome.
Nederlands: Paus Nicolas V.
Date of painting: 1612 - 1616.
Author: Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640).
(Wikimedia Commons)




English: The Flag of Hungary, with the Coat-of-Arms, is used on Solemn occasions. In 1454, Pope Nicholas V entrusted the ruined Church of Santo Stefano Rotondo to the Pauline Fathers, the only Catholic Order Founded by Hungarians. This is the reason why Santo Stefano Rotondo became the unofficial Church of Hungarians in Rome.
Magyar: Magyarország ünnepi zászlója (magyar zászló).
Esperanto: maloficiala solena flago de Hungario kun blazono.
Date: 5 July 2009.
Source: User:Thommy9’s Works.
Author: User:Orion 8
(Wikimedia Commons)


In the Middle Ages, Santo Stefano Rotondo was in the charge of the Canons of San Giovanni-in-Laterano, but, as time went on, it fell into disrepair. In the middle of the 15th-Century, Flavio Biondo praised the Marble Columns, Marble-covered-walls and Cosmatesque works-of-art of the Church, but he added that: “Unfortunately, nowadays, Santo Stefano Rotondo has no roof”.

Blondus claimed that the Church was built on the remains of an ancient Temple of Faunus. Excavations in 1969 to 1975 revealed that the building was never converted from a pagan temple, but was always a Church, erected under Emperor Constantine I in the first half of the 4th-Century A.D.


A model of a Renaissance Church
inside San Stefano Rotondo.
Photo: March 2003.
Author: seier+seier
(Wikimedia Commons)



In 1454, Pope Nicholas V entrusted the ruined Church to the Pauline Fathers, the only Catholic Order Founded by Hungarians. This is the reason why Santo Stefano Rotondo later became the unofficial Church of the Hungarians in Rome. The Church was restored by Bernardo Rossellino, it is presumed under the guidance of Leon Battista Alberti.

In 1579, the Hungarian Jesuits followed the Pauline Fathers. The Collegium Hungaricum, established here by István Arator that year, was soon merged with the Collegium Germanicum in 1580, which became the Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum, because very few Hungarian students were able to travel to Rome from the Turkish-occupied Kingdom of Hungary.


English: Coat-of-Arms of Pope Nicholas V.
Français: Armoiries du pape Nicolas V:
De gueules à la clef d'argent posée en bande et à la clef d'or posée en barre toutes deux liées d'un cordon d'azur.
Source du blasonnement:
Date: August 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Odejea
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Stephani in Cœlio Monte has been Friedrich Wetter since 1985. His predecessor, József Mindszenty, was famous as the Persecuted Catholic leader of Hungary under the Communist dictatorship. Although the Interior of the Church is circular, the Exterior is cruciform.

The walls of the Church are decorated with numerous frescoes, including those of Niccolò Circignani (Niccolò Pomarancio) and Antonio Tempesta, portraying thirty-four scenes of Martyrdom, commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th-Century. Each painting has a Titulus, or inscription, explaining the scene and giving the name of the Emperor who ordered the execution, as well as a quotation from The Bible. The paintings' naturalistic depictions of torture and execution are somewhat morbid.


English: Cardinal Friedrich Wetter,
Cardinal-Priest of the Titulus S. Stephani-in-Cœlio-Monte.
Deutsch: Kardinal Friedrich Wetter bei der Verleihung des Martinsmantels (Sankt Michaelsbund) in der Karmelitenkirche München.
Photo: November 2008.
Source: Transferred from de.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Kurpfalzbilder.de using CommonsHelper.
(Original text : selbst fotographiert).
Author: Papiermond.
Orignal uploader was Papiermond at de.wikipedia
(Wikimedia Commons)



The Altar was made by the Florentine artist, Bernardo Rossellino, in the 15th-Century. The painting in the Apse shows Christ between two Martyrs. The mosaic/marble decoration is from 523 A.D. - 530 A.D. One mosaic shows the Martyrs, Saint Primus and Saint Felicianus, flanking a Crux Gemmata (Jewelled Cross).

There is a Tablet, recording the burial here, of the Irish King, Donough O'Brien, of Cashel and Thomond, who died in Rome in 1064. An ancient Chair of Pope Gregory The Great, from around 580 A.D., is also preserved here.

The Chapel of Saints Primo e Feliciano has very interesting and rare mosaics from the 7th-Century A.D. The Chapel was built by Pope Theodore I, who brought the Relics of the Martyrs here and buried them (together with the Remains of his father).
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1 comment:

  1. ZephyrinusSaturday, 23 March, 2024

    Another riveting and illuminating contribution on the Lenten Stational Basilicas from our intrepid Pilgrim to Rome. We are most grateful.

    Santo Stefano Rotondo is a most unusual Roman Stational church made unique by its circular design. Since it is dedicated to S. Stephen the Protomartyr, it is said to have been designed to recall the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It is located about 1 km, from S. Giovanni in Laterano. If the Roman pilgrim takes the Via de S. Giovanni west until he meets the Via Santo Stefano Rotondo and turns right, the visitor will see the unusual “tambour” dome, which is 75’ high and visible from the street: but finding the iron gated entrance is difficult.

    Sources state the church dates from the time of Constantine, but as Zephyrinus’ notes, the church was either founded or expanded under P. S. Leo I (papal reign 440-461). Most of this early church. except for the 22 columns that surround the altar supporting the dome, is no longer extant. As with most Roman churches, the long economic and social decline of Rome during the dark ages left the church a ruin. When the historian Flavio Biondo (1392-1463) visited the church in 1420, the dome had collapsed, although he admired the circular base and columns.

    The basilica’s fortunes took a turn for the better when the architect and sculptor Bernardo Rosellino of Forti(1409-1464) was commissioned by P. Nicholas V (1397-1455, papal reign 1447-1455) to restore the church. He strengthened the circular support of the dome and closed some of its arches for structural integrity. However the other interior decorations of the basilica were mostly lost except for 34 frescoes of martyrs around the circular wall of the dome. Most visitors find these illustrations of martyrdom hard to view: small children are advised not to see them. Charles Dickens is said to have described the church in his journals as "such a panorama of horror and butchery no man could imagine". It is definitely not for the faint hearted.

    In 2017 the church underwent renovations, and this Roman visitor found the stark off white interior paint of the dome above the altar, and the cheap-looking plastic chairs disappointing and sub-standard, and an insult to the historicity of the great church. However the basilica is situated in a very quiet neighbourhood – rare for Rome---and many visitors find the church peaceful and beautiful.

    As we turn with the early catechumens and with Our Lord toward the final ascent to Jerusalem, let us contemplate Christ’s imminent martyrdom and suffering: these are the definite themes for the Epistle (Jer.17:13-18, “Thou art my hope in the day of affliction..”); the Gospel (John 11:47-54, “One man should die for the sake of the people,” prophesies Caiaphas); and the Introit: Miserére mihi, Dómine, quóniam tríbulor: líbera me, et éripe me de mánibus inimicórum meórum et a persequéntibus me: Dómine, non confúndar, quóniam invocávi te. (Ps: 30:10-ff) Have pity on me, O Lord, for I am in distress; rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors. O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon You.

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