The Collegiate Church Of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

English: Tower of the Collegiate Church of  Neuchâtel, Switzerland, from the Cloisters.

Français: Flèche de la collégiale de Neuchâtel depuis la cloitre.

Photo: 9 November 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Martouf.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Deutsch: Die Kollegiatskirche Neuenburg vom ehemaligen

Gefängnisturm aus gesehen.

English: The Collegiate Church Of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Photo: 7 July 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ikiwaner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Interior of the Collegiate Church of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Français: Vue de l'intérieur de la collégiale de Neuchâtel.

Photo: 9 November 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Martouf.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Aelred Of Rievaulx Abbey. Part Two.

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia,
unless otherwise accredited.

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Very atmospheric on a foggy Autumn day.

Photo: 15 October 2009.

Source: From geograph.org.uk.

Author: Simon Palmer.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Photo: 8 September 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: mattbuck.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Mediaeval Floor Tile

depicting the Latin word for Mary,

"Mariae".

Photo: April 2000.

Source: Own work.

Author: Zephyrinus.

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Image: CELTIC STRAITS

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Image: CELTIC STRAITS

Ruins of the Chapter House,

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Photo: 28 November 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mandala Heaven.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Aelred (1110 - 12 January 1167), also Ailred, Ælred, Æthelred, etc., was an English writer, Abbot of Rievaulx Abbey (from 1147 until his death), and Saint.

He was born in Hexham, Northumbria, in 1110, one of three sons of Eilaf, Priest of Saint Andrew's at Hexham, and himself a son of Eilaf, Treasurer of Durham.

Aelred spent several years at the Court of King David I of Scotland in Roxburgh, possibly from the age of fourteen, rising to the rank of Echonomus (often termed 'Steward' or 'Master of the Household') before leaving the Court, aged twenty-four in 1134, to enter the Cistercian Abbey of Rievaulx, in Yorkshire, England. He may have been partially educated by Lawrence of Durham, who sent him a hagiography of Saint Brigid.

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Photo: 8 September 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: mattbuck.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Rievaulx Abbey
in Winter.
Author: Unknown.

From 1142 - 1143, Aelred was Novice Master at Rievaulx Abbey. In 1143, he became the first Abbot of a new Daughter House of Rievaulx Abbey, at Revesby, Lincolnshire. In 1147, he was elected Abbot of Rievaulx Abbey, a position he was to hold until his death. Under his administration, the Abbey is said to have grown to some 140 Monks and 500 "Conversi" (Lay Brothers).

His role as Abbot also involved an amount of travel. Cistercian Abbots were expected to make Annual Visitations to Daughter-Houses, and Rievaulx Abbey had five Daughter-Houses in England and Scotland (including Melrose Abbey) by the time Aelred was Abbot. Moreover, presumably for the first ten years of his term as Abbot, at least until he was granted various Indulgences in these matters, Aelred had to make the long sea journey to the Annual General Chapter of the Order at Cîteaux Abbey, France.

English: The Library,

Cîteaux Abbey, France.

Français: L'abbaye de Cîteaux la bibliothèque du XVIe siècle.

Classée monument historique. Restaurée.

Photo: 14 July 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: G CHP.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Ruins of the former Cistercian Monastery,

which was founded in 1132.

Photo: 15 November 2007.

Source: From geograph.org.uk.

Author: Dennis Turner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Alongside his role as Abbot, Aelred was involved throughout his life in political affairs. In 1138, when Rievaulx's Patron, Walter Espec, was to surrender his Castle at Wark to King David of Scotland, Aelred accompanied Abbot William of Rievaulx Abbey to the Scottish border to negotiate the transfer. In 1142, Aelred travelled to Rome, alongside Walter of London, Archdeacon of York, to represent, before Pope Innocent II, a group of Northern Prelates who opposed the election of King Stephen's nephew, William, as Archbishop of York.

The result of the journey was that Aelred brought back a Letter from Pope Innocent II summoning the superiors, that Aelred represented, to appear in Rome, the following March, in order to make their deposition in the required Canonical form; the resulting negotiations would drag on for many years.

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tilman2007/Dr. Volkmar Rudolf.

Tilman2007.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The 14th-Century version of the Peterborough Chronicle states that Aelred's efforts, during the 12th-Century Papal Schism, brought about King Henry II's decisive support for the Cistercian candidate, resulting, in 1161, in the formal recognition of Pope Alexander III. [The Papal Election of September 1159 followed the death of Pope Adrian IV. It resulted in a double election. A majority of the Cardinals elected Cardinal Rolando of Siena as Pope Alexander III, but a minority refused to recognise him and elected their own candidate, Ottaviano de Monticelli, who took the name Victor IV, creating a Schism which lasted until 1178.]

Aelred wrote several influential books on Spirituality, among them Speculum caritatis ("The Mirror of Charity," reportedly written at the request of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux) and De spiritali amicitia ("On Spiritual Friendship"). He also wrote seven works of history, addressing three of them to King Henry II of England, advising him how to be a good King and declaring him to be the true descendant of Anglo-Saxon Kings.

English: Saint Aelred of Rievaulx wrote

"Speculum Caritatis"  ("The Mirror of Charity"), circa 1142.

España: Fragmento del manuscrito medieval «De Speculo Caritatis»,

en el que aparece un retrato de Elredo de Rieval.

Français: Enluminure médiévale, extraite du «De Speculo Caritatis»

(le miroir de la charité) d'Ælred de Rievaulx.

Source: Cropped from http://www.valyermo.com/chronicle/

2006_03/2006_03.html.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In his later years, he is thought to have suffered from kidney stones (hence his patronage of these sufferers) and arthritis. Walter of London, Archbishop of York, reports that, in 1157, the Cistercian General Council allowed Aelred to sleep and eat in Rievaulx Abbey's Infirmary; later, he lived in a nearby hut.

Aelred died in the Winter of 1166 - 1167, probably on 12 January 1167, at Rievaulx Abbey.

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Photo: 8 September 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: mattbuck.

(Wikimedia Commons)

For his efforts in writing and administration, Aelred has been called, by David Knowles, the "Saint Bernard of the North." Knowles, a historian of Monasticism in England, also described him as "a singularly attractive figure . . . No other English Monk of the 12th-Century so lingers in the memory."

All of Aelred's Works have appeared in translation, most in English, and all in French.

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England,

showing (from Right to Left): The Presbytery (Right);

South Transept and Chapter House foundations (Middle):

and the wall of the Infirmary (Left).

Mist at Dawn.

Photo: 2011.

Source: http://www.wyrdlight.com.

Author: Antony McCallum.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Extant works by Aelred include:

Histories and Biographies.

Vita Davidis Scotorum regis ("Life of David, King of the Scots"), written circa 1153.
Genealogia regum Anglorum ("Genealogy of the Kings of the English"), written 1153 - 1154.
Relatio de standardo ("On the Account of the Standard"), also De bello standardii ("On the Battle of the Standard"), 1153 - 1154.
Vita S. Eduardi, regis et confessoris ("The Life of Saint Edward, King and Confessor"), 1161 - 1163.
Vita S. Niniani ("The Life of Saint Ninian"), 1154 - 1160.
De miraculis Hagustaldensis ecclesiae ("On the Miracles of the Church of Hexham"), circa 1155.
De quodam miraculo miraculi ("A Certain Wonderful Miracle") (also wrongly known, since the 17th-Century, as De sanctimoniali de Wattun ("The Nun of Watton")), circa 1160.

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Photo: 31 August 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Rob Bendall (Highfields).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Spiritual Treatises.

Speculum caritatis ("The Mirror of Charity"), circa 1142.

De Iesu puero duodenni ("Jesus as a Boy of Twelve"), 1160 - 1162.
De spiritali amicitia ("Spiritual Friendship"), 1164 - 1167.
De institutione inclusarum ("The Formation of Anchoresses"), 1160 - 1162.
Oratio pastoralis ("Pastoral Prayer"), circa 1163 - 1167.
De anima ("On the Soul"), circa 1164 - 1167.

Majestic ruin of Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Started in 1132

by twelve Monks from

Clairvaux Abbey, France.

Photo: 26 May 2009.

Source: From geograph.org.uk.

Author: martin dawes.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Sermons.

These Sermons mainly relate to the Fifteen Liturgical Days on which Cistercian Abbots were required to Preach to their Communities.

Several Non-Liturgical Sermons survive, as well, including one Sermon he apparently Preached to the Clerical Synod at Troyes, presumably in connection with a journey to the General Chapter at Citeaux Abbey, France, and one Sermon devoted to Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

In 1163 - 1164, he also wrote a Thirty-One-Sermon Commentary on Isaiah 13-16, Homeliae de oneribus propheticis Isaiae ('Homilies on the Prophetic Burdens of Isaiah"), dedicating the work to Gilbert Foliot, who became Bishop of London in 1163.

Aelred was never formally Canonised, but became the centre of a cult in the North of England, which was officially recognised by the Cistercians in 1476. As such, he was Venerated as a Saint, with his body kept at Rievaulx Abbey.

Rievaulx Abbey,

Yorkshire, England.

Photo: 7 July 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Wehha.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 16th-Century, before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, John Leland saw Aelred's Shrine at Rievaulx Abbey, containing Aelred's body, glittering with gold and silver. His Feast Day is 12 January, the traditional date of his death, in the Roman Martyrology and the Calendars of various Churches.

Much of Aelred's biography is known because of the "Life" written about him by Walter Daniel, shortly after his death.

Until the 20th-Century, Aelred was generally known as an historian, rather than as a spiritual writer; for many centuries his most famous work was his Life of Saint Edward, King and Confessor.

Aelred's work, private letters, and his "Life", by Walter Daniel, another 12th-Century Monk of Rievaulx Abbey, have led historians, such as John Boswell of Yale University and Brian Patrick McGuire of Roskilde University, in Denmark, to suggest that he was homosexual. All of his works, nevertheless, encourage Virginity, among the unmarried, and Chastity, in marriage and widowhood, and warn against any sexual activity outside of marriage.

In all his works in later life, he treats of extra-marital sexual relationships as forbidden and condemns "unnatural relations" as a rejection of Charity and the Law of God. He criticised the absence of Pastoral Care for a young Nun, who experienced rape, pregnancy, beating, and a miraculous delivery, in the Gilbertine Community of Watton.

THIS COMPLETES THE ARTICLE ON SAINT AELRED OF RIEVAULX ABBEY.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Prisca. Tuesday In Holy Week.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.
Privileged Feria.

Violet Vestments.

The Basilica of Saint Prisca,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: February 2006.

Source: s. prisca, afternoon light at flickr.com.

This image was originally posted to Flickr by antmoose at http://www.flickr.com/photos/antmoose/102131372/

Author: Anthony Majanlahti

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Lenten Station is at the Church of Saint Prisca, of whom Saint Paul speaks: “Salute Prisca and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, and the Church which is in their house”. This was one of the twenty-five Parishes of Rome in the 5th-Century.

The Epistle, Gradual, Offertory and Communion are a perfect adaptation of the passages in the Old Testament to Christ persecuted. He is “the meek Lamb that is carried to be a victim”, and which God, by a striking revenge on them (Epistle), “delivers from the hand of the sinner” (Offertory). The Gospel of Saint Mark describes the death of Christ. The Introit and the Collects show that the Church, which continues the saving work of Christ, revives the mysteries of His Passion (Collect) and “glories in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection” (Introit).

English: Interior of the Basilica of Saint Prisca,
Rome, Italy.

Italiano: Roma, Santa Prisca: Interno.

February 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Like the Catechumens, who formerly were Baptised, and public penitents, who were reconciled at Easter, the Faithful are about to participate, by their Easter Confession and Holy Communion, “in the mysteries of Our Lord’s Passion in such a manner as to deserve to obtain pardon” (Collect).

“May our healing Fasts, in union with the sacrifices of Christ” (Secret), “purify us from all remains of our old nature, and enable us to be formed anew unto holiness” (Prayer Over The People).

Pope John XXIII
(Latin: Ioannes PP. XXIII; Italian: Giovanni XXIII),
born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, 25 November 1881 – 3 June 1963), headed the Catholic Church and ruled the Vatican City from 1958 until his death in 1963. He is the most recent Pope, to date,
to take the name "John" upon being elected as Pope.

In 1953, he was appointed Patriarch of Venice and, accordingly, raised to the rank of
Cardinal-Priest of Santa Prisca by Pope Pius XII. As a sign of his esteem, the
President of France, Vincent Auriol, claimed the ancient privilege possessed,
by French Monarchs, and bestowed the Red Hat on Roncalli at a
Ceremony in the Elysee Palace.

Santa Prisca is a Basilica Church in Rome, devoted to Saint Prisca, a 1st-Century Martyr, on the Aventine Hill. It was built in the 4th- or 5th-Century, over a temple of Mithras, and is recorded as the "Titulus Priscae" in the Acts of the 499 A.D. Synod.

The Mithraeum, under Santa Prisca, was first excavated in 1952-59, through Dutch excavations. The original building was erected circa 95 A.D., and served as Trajan’s Town House until his death. One hundred years later, a member of the Imperial Family took over the building and built a Mithraeum in one part of the Basement, while a Christian Meeting Place was established in the other part.

The original Mithraeum had a Central Aisle, a Niche and Side Benches. Fine frescoes were found on the Mithraeum walls, as well as a stucco Mithras the Bull Slayer, one of the main images of the Mithras cult. Renovations in 220 A.D., yielded a larger central cult room, and the addition of new ones, while the frescoes were covered with new, more elaborate paintings.

The Apse of the Basilica of Saint Prisca,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: February 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

These paintings were important to the development of understanding the Mithraic cult. Along with the typical bull slaying scene, so common amongst the cult, other paintings depicted different cult rituals. For example, one painting shows a procession of figures, wearing masks and different coloured tunics, holding what has been presumed to be a piece of liturgical equipment. These paintings have been incorporated in the long standing debate about the admittance of women into the cult.

Around 400 A.D., the Christians took over the Mithraeum, destroyed it and built Santa Prisca on top of it. Damaged in the Norman Sack of Rome, the Church was restored several times. The current aspect is due to the 1660 Restoration, which included a new facade by Carlo Lombardi.

His Eminence, Justin Francis Rigali, 

Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia. 

Currently, Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Priscae.

In the Interior, the Columns are the only visible remains of the ancient Church. Also, a Baptismal Font, allegedly used by Saint Peter, is conserved. The Altar in the Crypt contains the Relics of Saint Prisca; the frescoes in the Crypt are by Antonio Tempesta. Anastasio Fontebuoni frescoed the walls of the Nave with Saints and Angels with the instruments of passion. In the Sacristy is a painting of the Immaculate Conception with Angels by Giovanni Odazzi, and, on the High Altar, a Baptism of Santa Prisca by Domenico Passignano.

The Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Priscae is Justin Francis Rigali, Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia (US). Previous Cardinal-Priests include: Angelo Roncalli (1953), later Pope John XXIII.

Pope John XXIII was the last Pope to use full Papal Ceremony, some of which was abolished after Vatican II, while the rest fell into disuse. His Papal Coronation ran for the traditional five hours (Pope Paul VI, by contrast, opted for a shorter ceremony, while later Popes declined to be Crowned). However, as with his predecessor, Pope Pius XII, he chose to have the Coronation take place on the Balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica, in view of the crowds assembled in Saint Peter's Square, below.

English: Pope John XXIII's Coat-of-Arms.

Polski: Herb Jana XXIII.

Date: August 2007.Source: Own work.

Author: User:mAgul.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Upon his Election, Roncalli chose "John" as his Regnal Name. This was the first time in over five hundred years that this name had been chosen; previous Popes had avoided its use since the time of the Anti-Pope, John XXIII, during the Western Schism.

On the choice of his name, Pope John said: "I choose John ... a name sweet to us because it is the name of our father, dear to me because it is the name of the humble Parish Church where I was Baptised, the Solemn Name of numberless Cathedrals scattered throughout the world, including our own Basilica [Saint John Lateran]. Twenty-two Johns of indisputable legitimacy have [been Pope], and almost all had a brief Pontificate. We have preferred to hide the smallness of our name behind this magnificent succession of Roman Popes."

English: The Organ in the Basilica of Saint Prisca,
Rome, Italy.

Italiano: Roma, santa Prisca: controfacciata e organo.

Photo: February 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Upon his choosing the name, there was some confusion as to whether he would be known as John XXIII or John XXIV; in response, John declared that he was John XXIII, thus affirming the Anti-Papal status of Anti-Pope, John XXIII.

Before this Anti-Pope, the most recent Popes, called John, were John XXII (1316–1334) and John XXI (1276–1277). However, there was no Pope John XX, owing to confusion caused by Mediaeval historians misreading the Liber Pontificalis to refer to another Pope John between John XIV and John XV.

Saint Aelred Of Rievaulx Abbey. Part One.

The Text for this Article can be found at ENLARGING THE HEART

Aelred of Rievaulx (1110 – 1167): In Hebd. Sancta, sermon 36.1-2.4 (CCM 2A:294-295); from the Monastic Office of Vigils, Palm Sunday, Year 2.

AELRED OF RIEVAULX

Be careful . . . to reflect not only on the fact of this Redemption, but also on two other points: The manner in which this Redemption was wrought, and the place in which it was wrought.

The manner of Redemption is the suffering of the Cross; the place, outside the City.

Rievaulx Abbey,

where Saint Aelred was Abbot

from 1147 A.D. - 1167 A.D.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tilman2007/Dr. Volkmar Rudolf.

Tilman2007.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Let us then learn, from the Cross of Jesus, our proper way of living.

Should I say ‘living’ or, instead, ‘dying’? Rather, both living and dying.

Dying to the world, living for God.

Dying to vices and living by the virtues.

Dying to the flesh, but living in the spirit.

Thus, in the Cross of Christ there is death, and, in the Cross of Christ, there is life.

The death of death is there, and the life of life.

The death of sins is there and the life of the virtues.

The death of the flesh is there, and the life of the spirit.

But why did God choose this manner of death ?

He chose it as both a Mystery and an example.

In addition, he chose it because our sickness was such as to make such a remedy appropriate.

It was fitting that we. who had fallen because of a tree, might rise up because of a tree.

Fitting, that the one who had conquered by means of a tree, might also be conquered by means of a tree.

Fitting, that we, who had eaten the fruit of death from a tree, might be given the fruit of life from a tree.

And, because we had fallen from the security of that most Blessed place on Earth into this great, expansive sea, it was fitting that wood should be made ready to carry us across it.

For no-one crosses the sea except on wood, or this world except on the Cross.

Let me say something now about the Mystery contained in the manner of our Redemption.

[...] When a Cross is set upright, the head is directed to Heaven and the feet to Earth, and the outstretched arms to what is located between Heaven and Earth.

[...] Do you see, now, the Mystery in the kind of death Christ chose?

[...] Saint Paul says: He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the Cross.

And, revealing the Mystery, he says: Therefore God exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above all names, so that, at the name of Jesus, every knee might bend of those who are in Heaven, on Earth, and under the Earth.

Since, then, He was to take possession of Heaven and Earth, through the Cross, on the Cross, He embraced Heaven and Earth.

Aelred of Rievaulx (1110 – 1167): In Hebd. Sancta, sermon 36.1-2.4 (CCM 2A:294-295); from the Monastic Office of Vigils, Palm Sunday, Year 2.

"I Will Go Before You". "So You Have Sorrow Now, But I Will See You Again And Your Hearts Will Rejoice, And No-One Will Take Your Joy From You".

This Article can be read, in full, at VULTUS CHRISTI

There You Shall See Me

The bright eighth mode intervals of last evening’s Magnificat Antiphon still echo in our hearts: “It is therefore written: I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be dispersed; but after I shall be risen, I will go before you into Galilee. There you shall see me, says Lord.” Over the words, postquam autem resurrexero — “but after I shall be risen” the melody leaped upward in an uncontainable burst of paschal triumph, ringing out an irrepressible joy.

No One Will Take Your Joy From You

Yesterday, we were in Jerusalem, the holy city of the sufferings of Christ, but the Magnificat antiphon at Second Vespers already promised us a reunion with the risen Lord in Galilee. “There you shall see me.” Through the text and melody of the antiphon one hears that other promise of the Lord in Saint John’s gospel: “So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22).

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Praxedes. Monday In Holy Week.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.
Privileged Feria.

Violet Vestments.

Basilica of Saint Praxedes,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: December 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Lenten Station was originally held at 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 under 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.

Interior of the Basilica di Sante Prassede,
Rome, Italy.

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.

Pope Paschal I,
wearing a Zuchetto and Pallium,
depicted in the Apsidal 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 of mosaic: 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.

English: Saint Praxedes'
Ciborium and Apse mosaics.

Deutsch: Santa Prassede, Rom;
Triumphbogen und Apsis.

Photo: May 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Welleschik.

(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 Basilica of Saint Praxedes ( Latin: Basilica Sanctae 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. The current Cardinal Priest of Titulus Sancta Praxedis is Paul Poupard.

The Church, in its current form, was commissioned by Pope Hadrian I around the year 780 A.D., and built on top of the remains of a 5th-Century structure. It was designed to house the bones of Saint Praxedes (Italian: S. Prassede) and Saint Pudentiana (Italian: S. Pudenziana), the daughters of Saint Pudens, traditionally Saint Paul's first Christian convert in Rome. The two female Saints were murdered for providing Christian burial for early Martyrs, in defiance of Roman Law. The Basilica was enlarged and decorated by Pope Paschal I, circa 822 A.D.

Pope Paschal, who reigned 817 A.D. - 824 A.D., was at the forefront of the Carolingian Renaissance, started and advocated by the 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.

The Church provided the inspiration for Robert Browning's poem, "The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed's Church."

Saint Charles Borromeo
(one-time Titular of the Basilica).

Artist: Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (1548–1608).

Source/Photographer: http://www.arteecarte.it/
archivio/arteecarte_n.13/diocesano.php

(Uploaded by User:Lupo to en.wikipedia).

This Photo: December 2009.

User: Thomas Gun.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The main Altarpiece is a canvas of Saint Praxedes Gathering the Blood of the Martyrs (circa 1730 - 1735) by Domenico Muratori.

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.

English: The Triumphal Arch.
Interior of Basilica of Saint Praxedes,
Rome, Italy.

Deutsche: Santa Prassede, Rom;
Triumphbogen (Panorama).

Photo: May 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Welleschik.

(Wikimedia Commons)

On the Apsidal Arch, are twelve men on each side, holding wreaths of victory, welcoming the Souls into Heaven. Above them, are symbols of the four Gospel writers: Mark, the lion; Matthew, the man; Luke, the bull; and John, the eagle, as they surround a Lamb on a Throne, a symbol of Christ's eventual return to Earth.

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. The frescoes depict, probably, the life-cycle of the Saint of the Church, Praxedes.

Representation of 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 

with three alleged Thorns from the Holy Crown.

Photo: December 2007.

User: Michaelsanders.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Santa Prassede also houses a segment of the alleged Pillar, upon which Jesus was flogged and tortured before his Crucifixion in Jerusalem. The Relic is alleged to have been retrieved in the Early-4th-Century A.D., by Saint Helena (mother of the Roman Emperor, Constantine I), who, at the age of eighty, undertook a Pilgrimage to Golgotha, in the Holy Land, to found Churches for Christian worship and to collect Relics associated with the Crucifixion of Jesus.

English: Basilica of Saint Praxedes.

Italiano: Roma, Santa Prasede.

Photo: May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Among these legendary Relics, retrieved by Helena, which included pieces of the True Cross (now housed in the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, also in Rome) and wood from Jesus' Crib, was the segment of the Pillar, now housed in Santa Prassede. The authenticity of these Relics, including the Santa Prassede Pillar, is disputed by historians and Christians, alike, due to lack of forensic evidence and the massive proliferation of fake Relics during the Middle Ages.

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), Rafael Merry del Val (1903 - 1930).

Lenten Station At The Papal Arch-Basilica Of Saint John Lateran. Palm Sunday.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 25 years and 25 Quarantines.

Semi-Double.

Privilege of the First Class.

Violet Vestments.

Papal Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris et Sanctorum Iohannes Baptistae et
Evangelistae in Laterano Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput.

English: Main façade of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran
(by Alessandro Galilei, 1735).

Italiano: Facciata principale della Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Roma), 

progettata da Alessandro Galilei (1735).

Français: Façade principale de la basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran 

(Rome) par Alessandro Galilei, 1735.

Photo: 2006/09/07.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jastrow.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In today's Liturgy, the two-fold point of view, from which the Church regards the Cross, is expressed in two Ceremonies. One is marked with joy and the other by sadness.

First, comes the Blessing and Procession of Palms, in which everything overflows with a Holy Joy, which enables us, after two thousand years, to revive the spirit of the magnificent scene of Our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Then follows the Mass, whose Chants and Lessons relate exclusively to the sorrowful memory of Our Redeemer's Passion.

The Pope's Chair,
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: October 2005.

Source: Flickr.

Author: Ern.

Reviewer: Mac9.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Blessing and Procession of Palms.

At Jerusalem, in the 4th-Century, on the very spot where the event took place, was read the Gospel narrative in which we see Christ hailed as King of Israel and taking possession of His capital, Jerusalem, which is really no more than the type of Jerusalem, above.

After this, a Bishop, mounted on an ass, rode up to the Church of the Resurrection on the summit of the Mount of Olives, surrounded by a multitude carrying Palms and singing Anthems and Hymns. This Ceremony was preceded by the Solemn Reading of the passage from Exodus, in which the Flight from Egypt is related.

English: Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
With its length of 400 feet, this Basilica ranks fiteenth among the largest Churches in the world.

Français: Basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran, Vatican, située à Rome, Latium, Italie. Avec sa longueur de 121,84 mètres, cette Basilique se classe au 15è rang parmi les plus grandes églises au monde.

Photo: September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174.

(Wikimedia Commons)

God's people, encamped under the shadow of the palm trees, near the twelve fountains where Moses promised them the Manna, is a type of the Christian people, who, breaking off branches from the trees, bear witness that God's Son, Jesus, comes to deliver Souls from sin, leading them to the Baptismal Font and nourishing them with the Manna of the Eucharist.

English: Saint Peter, by Pierre-Étienne Monnot.
Nave of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy.

Français: Saint Pierre, par Pierre-Étienne Monnot.
Nef de la basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran (Rome).

Photo: 2006/09/07.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jastrow.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Church of Rome, it would seem, adopted this practice about the 9th-Century and added to it the Rite for the Blessing of the Palms, which has given to this Sunday the name of "The Easter of Flowers".

In this Benediction, the Church prays for health of mind and body for those who dwell in houses where the Palms are preserved.

This procession of Christians, who, with Palm in hand and songs of Hosanna on their lips, proclaim Christ's Kingship every year, throughout the whole world and in all generations, is composed of all Catechumens, of public penitents and of the Faithful. All of whom will be united at the Easter Feast to this glorious Victor, through the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Penance.

The decorated Coffered Ceiling 

of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: March 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Grenouille vert.

(Wikimedia Commons)

It is this that is represented by the Procession of Palms, when it stops at the door of the Church, into which some members of the Choir have already found their way. They chant, alternately with the Clergy; on the one side, "the Angelic Choir", and, on the other, Christ's soldiers, still plunged in the strife of battle, hailing the King of Glory each in his turn.

Soon, the door opens, after the Sub-Deacon has knocked on it three times with the foot of the Cross, and the Procession enters the Church; so does the Cross of Christ open Heaven to us and so will the Elect, one day, enter with their Lord into eternal glory.

We should carefully keep a Blessed Palm in our home. It is a Sacramental, which will obtain for us Graces in virtue of the Church's Prayer and strengthen our faith in Christ, who, full of mercy, has conquered sin, death and the devil in a victory of which these sacred Palms are the type.

English: The Choir and Apse
in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy.

Deutsch: Chorraum und Apsis
von San Giovanni in Laterano, Rom

Photo: September 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Stefan Bauer, http://www.ferras.at

(Wikimedia Commons)

Mass for Palm Sunday.

The Blessing of Palms takes place at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), which, in Rome, represents Bethlehem, the birthplace of Him whom the Magi hailed as "King of the Jews." Thence, the Procession goes to Saint John Lateran, in which Church, in former times, the Lenten Station took place, since, by its dedication to Saint Saviour, it calls up memories of the Passion, which is the subject of today's Mass.

The Redeemer's triumph must be preceded by His humiliation "even to the death of the Cross" (Epistle), which is to serve as a model for us, that, "instructed by His patience", we may "partake in His Resurrection".

Every Parish Priest celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.