Thank you, Zephyrinus, for the charming presentation by the trio of pilgrims in the provided video, it displaying the magnificent facade by Alessandro Galilei (d. 1737, only two years after completing it; Galilei, a distant relative of the astronomer Galileo, but like him a mathematician and theoretical scientist as well as an architect).
Though some dislike its magnificence and grandeur, considering this basilica front more fit for a palace than a sanctuary, it perfectly is framed (as the video shows at the end) by the ancient walls [laterani] and eternal pines of Rome on the left, and the massive Lateran Palace on the right, at least in the opinion of this humble Roman pilgrim.
The Gospel for the 1st Sunday of Lent is that of the Temptations of Christ (Mt. 4:1-11): So perhaps the contrast with the worldly splendor and power used by the Devil to tempt Our Lord, represented by the massive Lateran Palace, and His rejection of it instead for the self-abasing servant role of Our Lord, is a perfect contemplation for this Lenten station. -Note by Dante P.
A wonderful resumé of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran by Our Architectural Correspondent, Dante P, for which we are most grateful.
Dante P is very prescient when he comments that: “The Gospel for the 1st Sunday of Lent is that of the Temptations of Christ (Mt. 4:1-11): So perhaps the contrast with the worldly splendour and power used by the Devil to tempt Our Lord, represented by the massive Lateran Palace, and His rejection of it instead for the self-abasing servant role of Our Lord, is a perfect contemplation for this Lenten station”.
There is enough in that last paragraph for us all to contemplate deeply for the remainder of Lent, itself.
Thank you, Zephyrinus, for the charming presentation by the trio of pilgrims in the provided video, it displaying the magnificent facade by Alessandro Galilei (d. 1737, only two years after completing it; Galilei, a distant relative of the astronomer Galileo, but like him a mathematician and theoretical scientist as well as an architect).
ReplyDeleteThough some dislike its magnificence and grandeur, considering this basilica front more fit for a palace than a sanctuary, it perfectly is framed (as the video shows at the end) by the ancient walls [laterani] and eternal pines of Rome on the left, and the massive Lateran Palace on the right, at least in the opinion of this humble Roman pilgrim.
The Gospel for the 1st Sunday of Lent is that of the Temptations of Christ (Mt. 4:1-11): So perhaps the contrast with the worldly splendor and power used by the Devil to tempt Our Lord, represented by the massive Lateran Palace, and His rejection of it instead for the self-abasing servant role of Our Lord, is a perfect contemplation for this Lenten station. -Note by Dante P.
A wonderful resumé of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran by Our Architectural Correspondent, Dante P, for which we are most grateful.
DeleteDante P is very prescient when he comments that:
“The Gospel for the 1st Sunday of Lent is that of the Temptations of Christ (Mt. 4:1-11): So perhaps the contrast with the worldly splendour and power used by the Devil to tempt Our Lord, represented by the massive Lateran Palace, and His rejection of it instead for the self-abasing servant role of Our Lord, is a perfect contemplation for this Lenten station”.
There is enough in that last paragraph for us all to contemplate deeply for the remainder of Lent, itself.
Thank you, Dante P.