Lenten Station. The Basilica Of Saint Laurence-Without-The-Walls. Third Sunday In Lent.

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.

Semi-Double.
Privilege of the First Class.
Violet Vestments.

The spelling of this Saint's name can be either Laurence or Lawrence.

English: Papal Basilica of Saint Laurence-without-the-Walls.

Italian: Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura.

Photo: February 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: User:Panairjdde

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station, today, is made at Saint Laurence-without-the-Walls, one of the first Patriarchal Basilicas of Rome, where are buried the bodies of the two Deacons, Laurence and Stephen. In the Collect for Saint Laurence's Feast (10 August), we pray that the flame of our sins may be quenched within us, as the Saint overcame the fire of his torments; while, in that for Saint Stephen's Day, we undertake to love our enemies, like this Saint who prayed for his persecutors.

Here are two virtues, Chastity and Charity, which were especially practised by the Patriarch, Joseph, whose history the Church gives us this week in the Breviary. For Joseph resisted the evil solicitation of Potiphar's wife, while, on the other hand, he loved his brethren to the extent of rendering them good for evil.

When Joseph told his brethren the dreams, which foreshadowed his future greatness, they became filled with hatred against him, and at the first opportunity got rid of him by throwing him into a disused pit. After which, they sold him to some Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt and, after, sold him to an Egyptian noble named Potiphar. It was in this man's house that Joseph strenuously resisted the advances of his wife, thus becoming a great model of purity.

Artist: Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1783–1853).

Title: The Cloisters, San Lorenzo fuori le mura.

Date: 1824.

Current location: Art Institute of Chicago,

(Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection).

Photo: April 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: user:Rlbberlin

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Ambrose says: "Today, it is the history of the pious Joseph which invites our attention. He possessed many virtues, yet he shone especially by his conspicuous Chastity. Rightly, therefore, is this holy Patriarch set before us as a mirror of Chastity" (Matins).

When Joseph was cast into prison, having been unjustly accused by Potiphar's wife, turning to God in prayer, he asked to be freed from his bonds. In similar terms, we say in the Introit: "My eyes are ever towards the Lord; for He shall pluck my feet out of the snare." And the Tract continues: "Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until He have mercy on us." 

And, in the Collect, we speak of Almighty God, who regards the desires of those who humble themselves, as stretching forth in our defence the right hand of His majesty. In this event, Pharao took Joseph from his prison, made him sit on his right hand and entrusted to him the government of his whole kingdom; and when, through his gift of foreknowledge he predicted the famine which should last seven years, Pharao gave him the title "Saviour of the people." [only once in the Gospels is this title given to Our Lord, namely, when He was speaking to the Samaritan woman, at Jacob's well. The incident is recorded in the Gospel for Friday of this week, devoted, liturgically-speaking, to the history of Joseph.]

Interior of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura.

[taken from: http://papastronsay.blogspot.com]

Then, Joseph's brethren came to Egypt and he told them: "I am Joseph, whom you sold. Be not afraid. God has brought everything to pass that I may be the means of preserving you from death." Jacob's happiness, at seeing his son again, was unbounded; and he came and lived with his sons in the land of Gessen, which Joseph gave them.

Saint Ambrose says: "The jealousy of Joseph's brethren is at the bottom of all the facts which make up his history. Besides, it is recorded to teach us that a perfect man does not give the rein to to his desire to avenge an outrage or to render evil for evil" (Matins).

Italiano: Fotografia Anderson, Roma - "Roma - S. Lorenzo Fuori le Mura". 

Numero di catalogo: 110.

English: Fotografia Anderson, Rome - 
"Rome - Saint Laurence-without-the-Walls Church". Catalogue # 110.

Date: 1938.

Source: Own work (scan).

Author: Either James Anderson (1813-1877) 

or his son Domenico Anderson (1854-1938).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Surely, in all this, we can recognise a type of Christ and His Church. Jesus, the Blessed Virgin's Son, is in the highest degree the model of virginal purity. And, in today's Gospel, we see Him contending in a special way with the unclean spirit. For so do Saint Matthew and Saint Luke describe the Devil, whom Our Lord cast out of the dumb man by the finger of God, that is, by the Holy Ghost. 

So does the Church drive out the same unclean spirit from the Souls of the newly-baptised. Lent was a time of preparation for Baptism and, in administering this Sacrament, the Priest breathes three times on the person to be baptised with the words: "Go out of the child, unclean spirit, and give place to the Holy Ghost." 

Saint Bede, in his commentary on this Gospel, says: "What then took place, visibly, is every day accomplished, invisibly, in the conversion of those who become believers. First, the Devil is driven out of their Soul, then they perceive the light of faith; and, finally, their mouth, until then dumb, opens to praise God" (Matins).

Pope Saint Pius X 
is buried at the Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura.

Date: between 1880 and 1900.

Source: Library of Congress, U.S.A.

Author: Tryphosa Bates Batcheller.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the same sense, in today's Epistle, Saint Paul says: "No fornicator or unclean or covetous person . . . hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Fornication and all uncleanness, let it not so much as be named among you." 

And it is especially at this season of combat against Satan that we must imitate Christ, of whom Joseph was only the type.

With regard to the virtue of Charity, of which this Patriarch has set us an example, the likeness to Christ and His Church is obvious enough. Our Lord, too, was hated by His own people and sold by one of His Apostles, and when He was dying on the cross, He prayed for His enemies.

He had recourse to God and God glorified Him, making Him sit on His right hand in His kingdom. As Joseph distributed the corn of nature, so, at Easter, Jesus will distribute the wheat of the Eucharist. We know that, as a condition of receiving Holy Communion, the Church requires that Charity, of which an example was set by Saint Stephen when he pardoned his enemies, and whose relics are kept in the Church where today's Station is held, the same Charity above all, which Our Lord practised in an heroic degree when He "delivered Himself for us" on the Cross, of which the Eucharist is the constant memorial.

Thus, Joseph, as a type of Our Lord, and today's Station, perfectly illustrate the Paschal mystery for which the Liturgy prepares us at this Season.

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

Pope Pelagius II (579 A.D. - 590 A.D.) ordered the construction

of the Basilica of Saint Laurence-without-the-Walls.

The Papal Basilica of Saint Laurence-without-the-Walls (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura) is a Roman Catholic Parish Church and Minor Basilica, located in Rome, Italy. 

The Basilica is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and one of the five Patriarchal Basilicas, each of which is assigned to a Patriarchate. Saint Laurence-without-the-Walls is assigned to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The Papal Basilica is the shrine tomb of the Church's namesake, Saint Laurence, one of the first seven Deacons of Rome, martyred in 258 A.D. Pope Pius IX, awaiting Canonisation into Sainthood, is also buried at the Basilica.

Basilica of  Saint Laurence-without-the-Walls,
Rome, Italy.
(pre-1943 bombing raid of Rome).

[The following three paragraphs are taken from the web-site of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer at http://papastronsay.blogspot.com]

The Laurentian Basilica owes its foundation to Emperor Constantine, but, being considered too small, a large upper Aula was added to it by Pope Pelagius II (578 A.D. - 590 A.D.) and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

For this reason, Pope Leo IV (847 A.D. - 855 A.D.) decreed that the Station for the Octave of the Assumption should be held here.

The Gospel of today alludes to this dedication by praising the great Mother of God, who not only gave Her own substance to form the sacred humanity of the Lord's Anointed, but was, on Her part, nourished spiritually by the divine Word and lived thereby.

Sub Tuum Praesidium. Prayer To The Blessed Virgin Mary After Confession.

The Virgin At Prayer.

Artist: Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato

(1609–1685).

Current location: National Gallery, London.

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Lent is a time for going to Confession and the Sub Tuum Praesidium is a Prayer to The Blessed Virgin Mary after having made your Confession.

Sub Tuum Praesidium.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/QrK8xn31Ing.

Sub tuum praesidium confugimus,

sancta Dei Genitrix:

nostras deprecationes ne despicias

in necessitatibus (nostris);

sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper,

Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.

We have recourse to thy protection,

Holy Mother of God:

reject not the Prayers we send

up to thee in our necessities,

but deliver us always from all dangers,

O glorious and Blessed Virgin.

The following Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Beneath Thy Protection (Greek: Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν; Latin: Sub tuum praesidium) is the oldest preserved extant Hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Theotokos God-Bearer).

This Marian Hymn is known by heart in many Catholic countries and is often used along with Salve Regina.

The earliest text of this Hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas Liturgy of the 3rd-Century. It is written in Greek and dates to approximately 250 A.D. It is used in the Coptic Liturgy to this day, as well as in the Byzantine, Ambrosian, and Roman Liturgies. It was part of Sulpician custom that all classes ended with a recitation of this Prayer.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Marcellinus And Saint Peter. Saturday Of The Second Week In Lent.

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.
Violet Vestments.

Interior of the Basilica of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter, 
Rome, Italy.

Photo: April 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is in the Basilica founded by Saint Helen, where were buried the bodies of Saint Marcellinus, Priest, and Saint Peter, Exorcist, martyred at Rome during the Diocletian Persecution. Their names are mentioned in the Canon of the Mass. This Church was one of the twenty-five Roman Parish Churches in the 5th-Century.

Isaac had two sons. Esau represents the people of God who sell their birthright to gratify their carnal appetite. Jacob represents the Gentiles, who check their passions and are blessed by Heaven.

Jesus, in the same way, said: "A man had two sons: The elder is the Jewish element of the primitive Church, which is scandalised at the vocation of the Gentiles and is loathe to associate with them; the prodigal is the pagan element. After having wasted all the gifts of God, these unhappy people mourn their sins and atone for them; they come to Jesus, who opens His arms to them, presses them to His Heart, and satisfies their hunger with His Sacred Body and Precious Blood in the Eucharistic Feast.

Let us ask God to bless our Lenten Fast, so that the mortification of our flesh may bring health to our Souls (Collect).

The Basilica of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter.

Photo: October 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano is a Roman Catholic Parish and Titular Church in Rome. It is dedicated to Saints Marcellinus and Peter, 4th-Century Roman martyrs, whose relics were brought here in 1256.

The first Church on the site was built by Pope Siricius in the 4th-Century, close to the Via Labicana's Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter, with an adjoining hospice which became a centre for pilgrims. This Church was restored by Pope Gregory III in the 8th-Century. [Ever since these early centuries, it has been among Rome's Stational Churches (for Saturday of the Second Week in Lent). In the 9th-Century, when Christian Churches began to be built in Germany and were in need of relics, the remains of Saints Marcellinus and Peter were transferred from the Catacomb, where they still rested, to Seligenstadt, Germany.]

The Church was again restored in 1256 [by Pope Alexander IV, and the martyrs' relics were returned.] (Also, under the High Altar is an urn containing relics of Saint Marcia.) On the left side is an Altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, with a copy of Guido Reni's "The Virgin in Glory with Angels, Saint Joseph and Saint Rita". Next to it, is the Chapel of Reconciliation.

Interior view of the Church of 
Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano in Rome.

Photo: March 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT

(Wikimedia Commons)

An image of the dedicatees was placed on the first Column on the left from the entrance, during this restoration, with an inscription recording the restoration. The hospice and Church were then given in 1276 to the Confraternity of those Commended to the Saviour.

The present Church is the result of Pope Benedict XIV's 1751 rebuild, leaving it with its present cube-shaped exterior, divided by pilaster strips in a style close to Neo-Classicism, Borromini-influenced Dome, façade by Girolamo Theodoli, and Altarpiece by Gaetano Lapis, depicting the dedicatees' martyrdom. 

After that restoration, the Church was given to the Discalced Carmelites, who served it until 1906. A small Chapel to Our Lady of Lourdes was dedicated at the South-East (next to a Chapel of Saint Gregory the Great), with a new Ceiling painting of Our Lady, by N. Caselli, in 1903. Since 1911, it has been a parochial Church served by Diocesan Clergy.

Introibo Ad Altare Dei. I Will Go In Unto The Altar Of God. Antiphon To Psalm 42. Prayers At The Foot Of The Altar.

Prayers at the foot of the Altar

in the Usus Antiquior Mass.

Čeština: Tridentská mše v Benátkách (Itálie).

English: Tridentine Mass in Venezia (Italia).

Esperanto: Tridentina meso en Venecio (Italujo).

Latina: Missa tridentina Venetiis (Italia).

Date: 2007.

Source: http://fssp.org/album/VPVE2007/webp1080469.jpg.

Author: FSSP – Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri

by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter,

available from http://fssp.org.

(Wikipedia Commons)

Introibo ad altare Dei.

The Prayers at the foot of the Altar.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/aTMdWupJCgo.

Elevation of the Chalice,

after the Consecration,

during a Solemn High Mass,

(Usus Antiquior Mass).

Čeština: Tridentská mše – pozdvihování.

English: Tridentine mass—elevation.

Esperanto: Tridentina meso – hostilevado.

Latina: Missa tridentina – elevatio.

Polski: Msza trydencka - podniesienie.

Date: 2008.

Source: http://fssp.org/album/VPVE2007/webp1080469.jpg.

Author: FSSP – Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri

by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter,

available from http://fssp.org.

(Wikipedia Commons)

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Vitalis. Friday Of The Second Week In Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text is taken from http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/San Vitale, unless otherwise stated.

Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

The High Altar,
Santi Vitale,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: November 2006.

Photo taken by BruceJWebber; 

Transferred from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here.

Author: Bruce J Webber. Original uploader was BruceJWebber at en.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Station is made in the Basilica, one of the twenty-five Roman Parishes in the 5th-Century, which was dedicated Saint Vitalis by Pope Innocent I. Saint Vitalis shed his blood at Ravenna, Italy. He was the father of the glorious Milanese Martyrs, Saint Gervasius and Saint Protasius.

The Epistle and Gospel describe to us, the one in figure, the other in parable, the destiny of the heathen and that of the Jews. The Catechumens saw in Joseph, Christ, denied by His own people, transferring to the Church, formed henceforth by all peoples, the abundance of His blessings. They, likewise, saw in the Parable of the rebellious workers in the vineyard, the reprobation of the Jews and the election of the Gentiles. The brothers of Joseph and the unfaithful workers of the vineyard uttered the same death cries: “Come, let us kill him.” But, whilst the first repented and obtained the pardon of their victim, the second persisted in rejecting Christ, the Corner Stone, and were crushed by it (Gospel).

Let us purify ourselves by the salutary Fast of Lent, in order that we may prepare ourselves to celebrate, in a holy way, the coming Easter Festivals (Collect).

The Basilica of San Vitale (Rome), with a Christmas Crib set up in the middle of the Nave. 

This Church is 5th-Century in origin, but underwent renovations in the 15th- and 17th-Centuries.

Photo: January 2006.

Source: s. vitale, interior

Author: Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

San Vitale is a Minor Basilica, as well as a Parish and Titular Church, dedicated to the legendary martyrs, Saint Vitalis, his wife Saint Valeria, and his sons, Saint Gervase and Saint Protase. It is located at Via Nazionale 194/B, in the rione Monti, Rome, and amounts to a fragment of an early-5th-Century Basilica.

The full name of the Church is Santi Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio or, alternatively, Santi Vitale e Compagni Martiri in Fovea, which is its official name.

The Church used to stand on the ancient Roman street known as the Vicus Longus, which ran between the Forum of Augustus and the Baths of Diocletian. It arrived at the latter establishment just where the Church of San Bernardo alle Terme now stands, and ran down the valley between the Quirinal and Viminal hills. There were two Tituli on it, this Church and San Ciriaco, which was near the Baths.

In the Middle Ages, the area became completely depopulated and amounted to a pocket of countryside right up to the Late-19th-Century. The Vicus Longus became the Via di San Vitale, which only ran from Via Mazzarino near Sant'Agata dei Goti to Via delle Quattro Fontane and on which the Church was the only building. However, when the Via Nazionale was built, this street was mostly destroyed. A short length survives at the Eastern end, and also towards the West, where it is known as Vicolo dei Serpenti.

  

English: Entrance to the Basilica of San Vitale, Rome.

Italiano: Roma, porta d'accesso alla basilica di San Vitale.

Photo: June 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gregorovius

(Wikimedia Commons)

The original dedication was to Saints Gervase and Protase, alleged Martyrs of Milan. In the 4th-Century, there were no Martyrs recorded as having suffered in that city in the time of persecution, and this caused a problem when it became the standard practice to consecrate the Altar of a new Church over the relics of a Martyr or Martyrs. St Ambrose, the famous bishop of Milan, claimed to have had a dream in the year 386 A.D., informing him of the existence of these two early Martyrs, and two skeletons were dug up in the locality indicated in the dream. According to a letter that the Saint wrote, there was "much blood" on the bones, and this has led to the suggestion that what was found was a Palaeolithic burial dressed in red ochre. The existence of the Martyrs rests entirely on Saint Ambrose's dream and on subsequent miracles, and they are now listed in the revised Roman Martyrology as Martyrs of an uncertain date, venerated from early times.

After the discovery of the bones, a completely un-historical legend was fabricated to give the Martyrs a biography. According to it, their parents were Saints Vitalis and Valeria. The former was actually a Martyr of Ravenna, where the Basilica of San Vitale commemorates him, and the latter was a very obscure Martyr of the 4th-Century, who may have been a virgin and whose place of Martyrdom is unknown.

It seems that a small Church was built on the site at the end of the 4th-Century, perhaps for Milanese expatriates (the city was the Western capital of the Roman Empire at the time). As a result of a benefaction by a lady called Vestina, who gave her name to the Titulus, it was rebuilt about 400 A.D., as a Basilica with Nave and Aisles. This was consecrated by Pope Innocent I in 402 A.D. The dedication to Saint Vitalis was first recorded in 499 A.D., when it was referred to as Titulus Sancti Vitalis.

 

Pope Saint Innocent I (401 A.D. - 417 A.D.) 

consecrated the Basilica of San Vitale in 402 A.D.

The Church has been restored several times. The first restoration on record was that of Pope Leo III, about 800 A.D., during which he donated many precious items to the Basilica.

The most comprehensive rebuilding was that of Pope Sixtus IV before the 1475 Jubilee. The Aisles of the Nave were demolished and the Arcades walled up, to create the rather elongated Single-Nave Church which exists now. The Apse was left untouched, but the ancient Narthex was also enclosed and converted into a Vestibule. After this, the Church was then granted to the Theatines after they were founded in 1525 A.D. However, it was then transferred to the Jesuits in 1598 A.D., by Pope Clement VIII. They carried out a complete restoration, and used it mainly an a subsidiary Church for their Noviciate based at Sant'Andrea al Quirinale. It is clear that the Church lacked a pastoral function at the time.

It was restored again in 1859 A.D., and has been served by Diocesan Clergy since 1873 A.D. After the construction of the Via Nazionale, the previous, very quiet, area became rapidly and completely built-up and, as a result, the Church was made parochial by Pope Leo XIII in 1884 A.D. The new road was actually the result of a proposal by Pope Pius IX in response to the obvious need for proper access to the city centre from the train station, but the Italian government after 1870 mutated this into a typical straight and level 19th-Century civic boulevard. As a result, the Church in its valley was left well below the new road level, and is now accessed by a rather alarming flight of steps.

The Church was renovated in 1937-38, the Narthex being restored to its original condition, and was again renovated in 1960.

English: Basilica of Saints Vitalis, Valeris, Gervase and Protase.

Italian: Basilica di Santi Vitale e Compagni Martiri in Fovea.

Latin: Basilica Ss. Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio.

Photo: September 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gobbler

(Wikimedia Commons)

The first Cardinal Priest of the Church was Gennaro Cardinal Celio, appointed in 494 A.D., by Pope Saint Gelasius I. Saint John Cardinal Fisher, who was martyred by Henry VIII of England during the Reformation, was the Titular of Saint Vitale in 1535 A.D. The current Titular is His Eminence, Adam Joseph Cardinal Maida, Archbishop Emeritus of Detroit in the USA.

The Portico, or Narthex, is the most ancient part of the Church, possibly dating back to the 5th-Century. It was altered at the end of the 16th-Century, but restored to its presumed original condition in 1938. The inscription over the entrance, with the arms of Pope Sixtus IV, was, however, preserved.

The façade is very simple. The Narthex is of brick, and has solid walls at the sides and corners. In front, there are five Arches with voussoirs of tiles on edge, and these are separated by four marble Columns. These have debased Composite Capitals, carved in travertine when the Narthex was built, and above these are Imposts.

Armorial Bearings of His Eminence, 
Cardinal Maida, 
Titular of Saint Vitale.

Date: January 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: SajoR.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The two outer Arches have Imposts only where they meet the walls, which looks odd. The roof of the Narthex is pitched and tiled, and slopes up to the absolutely plain Nave frontage, which contains a rectangular window, the sill of which is in line with the upper roofline of the Narthex. This window was apparently once an oculus.

The finely carved wooden entrance doors have two relief panels depicting the martyrdoms of Saints Cosmas and Damian, one on each door.

The Church has a single Nave with no Arcades, but with two Pilasters, without Capitals, near the triumphal Arch. There are two Side-Altars either side of the Nave, which are not recessed into Chapels but are enclosed in aedicules, formed of a pair of marble Corinthian Columns, supporting an entablature and triangular Pediment. The modern Ceiling is flat and of varnished wood, and was inserted in 1938.

John Fisher, 
by en:Hans Holbein the Younger.

Date: 1497 - 1543.

Source: Historical Portraits.

Author: Hans Holbein the Younger. 

(Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia)

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Apse has been preserved from the original building. The painting it contains depicts The Ascent to Calvary, and was executed by Andrea Commodi. To the left, Saint Vitalis is depicted being racked, and, to the right, he is being buried alive. These frescoes are by Agostino Ciampelli.

The High Altar is decorated with the Arms of the Della Rovere family, and a painting of the Saints to whom the Church is dedicated. In front of this is the modern Altar, used for Masses facing the people, a high-quality sculptural work depicting the Triumph of the Lamb of God.

The walls are painted with scenes of martyrdoms painted in the 17th-Century, which, when you first see them, appear to be merely bucolic landscapes with views and trees. The scenes are separated by trompe-l'oeil columns painted on the flat wall. There are inscriptions on each scene, explaining whose martyrdom is depicted. An amusing anachronism can be seen in the Martyrdom of St Ignatius of Antioch - he faces the lions in a meadow, with the Colosseum in ruins in the background. This cycle of frescoes is by Tarquinio Ligustri and Andrea Comodo.

The Feast of Saint Agnes is celebrated on 21 January, with a Triduum starting on 19 January. Saint Vitalis and Companions are celebrated on 28 April. Saint Giuseppe Cottolengo is celebrated on 30 April - the new Calendar places his Feast on 29 April but, since that would mean celebrating two major Feasts in a row, the old date is used.

Traditional Missa Solemnis For Easter Sunday, 1941. Our Lady Of Sorrows, Chicago. Narration By, Then, Rt. Rev. Mgr. Fulton Sheen.

English: Photo of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, the Roman Catholic Bishop

of the Diocese of Rochester, New York. Sheen had a radio and television programme,

called Life Is Worth Living, which aired from 1951 to 1957.

Français: Photo de Mgr Fulton J. Sheen

évêque de Rochester en octobre 1956.

Photo: 23 October 1956.

Sources: eBay item.

photo front.

photo back.

Author: ABC Radio.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"It is a long-established principle of the Church,

never to completely drop from her public worship,

any Ceremony, Object or Prayer,

which once occupied a place in that worship"

- Rt. Rev. Mgr. Fulton Sheen (1941).

English: Interior of Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica & National Shrine,

Chicago, Illinois,

United States of America.

Français: Vue intérieure de la basilique Notre-Dame des Douleurs

(Our Lady of Sorrows) de Chicago, en Illinois (États-Unis).

Italiano: Il santuario della Madonna Addolorata a Chicago.

Photo: 2 February 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: User:JeremyA. © 2008, Jeremy Atherton.

(Wikimedia Commons)

WATCH THE TRADITIONAL MISSA SOLEMNIS

FOR EASTER SUNDAY, 1941,

AT OUR LADY OF SORROWS, CHICAGO,
HERE.

or enter the following into your Search Engine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6AOvStZS64&list=PLAF659A667AEFE6A9&feature=share

Traditional Latin Mass, filmed on Easter Sunday, in 1941, at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, in Chicago. The film presents the Ceremonies of the Missa Solemnis, or Solemn High Mass, in full detail, with narration by, then, Mgr. Fulton J. Sheen.

Celebrated by Rev. J. R. Keane, of the Order of Servites (hence the White Habits and Cowls), the Ceremonies are accompanied by a full polyphonic Choir, orchestra, and fifty Gregorian Chanters.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Di Santa Maria In Trastevere (Saint Mary's Beyond The Tiber). Thursday Of The Second Week In Lent.

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.
Violet Vestments.

Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome.

Photo: July 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jensens

(Wikimedia Commons)

Today's Station takes place in a Basilica erected shortly after the Peace of Constantine by Pope Saint Julius I and which is one of the first Churches in Rome dedicated to the Mother of God. Mary is represented seated among the wise Virgins who hold their lamps. This is an allusion to the spring of oil which gushed out at this spot shortly before the birth of Him Whom she had the happiness of carrying in her arms and Who is called Christ or the Anointed of the Lord. This was one of the twenty-five Parishes of 5th-Century Rome.

Jeremias speaks to us in the Epistle of two men, one of whom put his trust in himself and the other in God. The first dries up like the heather in the desert, and the second bears the abundant fruits of his good works.

In like manner, says the parable of the Gospel, there were two men, one of whom enjoyed life instead of doing Penance and the other suffered. The first went to Hell, whilst the second was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosom.

This is a symbol of Israel, who rejected Christ and was cast out, whilst the Gentiles, through Baptism and Penance, enter into the Kingdom of God.

Let us implore the Lord to grant us, by His grace, perseverance in Prayer and Fasting, in order that we may be delivered from the enemies both of Soul and body (Collect).

The Apse, Basilica of Santa Maria Trastevere, 
Rome, Italy.

Photo: April 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Goldmund100

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere (Italian: Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere) is a Titular Minor Basilica, one of the oldest Churches of Rome, perhaps the first in which Mass was openly celebrated. The basic floor plan and wall structure of the Church date back to 340 A.D. The first Sanctuary was built between 221 A.D. and 227 A.D. by Pope Calixtus I and Pope Julius I.

The inscription on the Episcopal Throne states that it is the first Church dedicated to Mary, Mother of Jesus, although some claim that privilege belongs to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. In its founding it is certainly one of the oldest Churches in the city. 

A Christian House-Church was founded here about 220 A.D. by Pope Saint Callixtus I (217 A.D. - 222 A.D.) on the site of the Taberna Meritoria, an asylum for retired soldiers. The area was given over to Christian use by Emperor Alexander Severus, when he settled a dispute between the Christians and tavern-keepers, saying, according to the Liber Pontificalis: "I prefer that it should belong to those who honour God, whatever be their form of worship." 

In 340 A.D., Pope Julius I (337 A.D. - 352 A.D.) rebuilt the Titulus Callixti on a larger scale, and it became the Titulus Iulii, commemorating his patronage. It was one of the original twenty-five Parishes in Rome.

The Altemps Chapel, 
Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, 
Rome, Italy.

Photo: October 2005.

Picture taken by User:Torvindus.

(Wikimedia Commons)

It underwent two restorations in the 5th- and 8th-Centuries. In 1140-43, the Church was re-erected on its old foundations, under Pope Innocent II. He razed the Church to the ground, along with the recently completed tomb of his former rival, Pope Anacletus II, and arranged for his own burial on the spot formerly occupied by that tomb.

The richly carved Ionic Capitals, reused along its Nave, were taken either from the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla or the nearby Temple of Isis on the Janiculum. When scholarship during the 19th-Century identified the faces in their carved decoration as Isis, Serapis and Harpocrates, a restoration under Pope Pius IX in 1870 hammered off the offending faces.

The predecessor of the present Church was probably built in the early 4th-Century, although that Church was the successor to one of the Tituli, those Early-Christian Basilicas that were ascribed to a patron and perhaps literally inscribed with his name. The remains of Pope Callixtus I (died 222 A.D.) are preserved under the High Altar.

Artist: Pasquale Cati.
Showing Pope Pius IV promulgating the Bull "Benedictus Deus".

Fresco (1588). 
The Altemps Chapel, 
Santa Maria in Trastevere, 
Rome, Italy.

Photo: June 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: Torvindus

(Wikimedia Commons)

Inside the Church are a number of Late-13th-Century mosaics by Pietro Cavallini, on the subject of the Life of the Virgin (1291), centreing on a "Coronation of the Virgin" in the Apse. Domenichino's octagonal ceiling painting, "Assumption of the Virgin" (1617) fits in the coffered ceiling that he designed.

The fifth Chapel, to the Left, is the Avila Chapel, designed by Antonio Gherardi. This, and his Chapel of Santa Cecilia in San Carlo ai Catinari, are two of the most architecturally-inventive Chapels of the Late-17th-Century in Rome. The lower order of the Chapel is fairly dark and employs Borromini-like forms. In the Dome, there is an opening, or oculus, from which four Putti emerge to carry a central tempietto, all of which frames a light-filled Chamber above, illuminated by windows not visible from below.

The Avila Chapel (designed by Antonio Gherardi) 

in The Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome.

Photo: October 2005.

Picture taken by Torvindus.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Church keeps a relic of Saint Apollonia (her head, as well as a portion of the Holy Sponge). Among those buried in the Church are the relics of Pope Callixtus I, Pope Innocent II, Anti-Pope Anacletus II, Cardinal Philippe d'Alençon and Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio.

The Romanesque Campanile is from the 12th-Century. Near the top, a niche protects a mosaic of the Madonna and Child.

The mosaics on the façade are probably from the 12th-Century. They depict the Madonna enthroned and suckling the Child, flanked by ten women holding lamps. This image on the façade, showing Mary nursing Jesus, is an early example of a popular Late-Mediaeval and Renaissance type of image of the Virgin. The motif itself originated much earlier, with significant 7th-Century Coptic examples at Wadi Natrun in Egypt.

The façade of the Church was restored by Carlo Fontana in 1702, who replaced the ancient Porch with a sloping tiled Roof. The octagonal Fountain, in the Piazza in front of the Church (Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere), which already appears in a map of 1472, was also restored by Carlo Fontana.

English: The Ceiling of The Basilica of Our Lady's in Trastevere, Rome.

Italiano: Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, Roma (soffitto, un particolare).

Polski: Bazylika Najświętszej Maryi Panny na Zatybrzu w Rzymie (fragment kasetonowego sufitu).

Photo: September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fczarnowski

(Wikimedia Commons)

Ancient sources maintain that the Titulus Santa Mariae was established by Pope Alexander I around 112 A.D. Later traditions give the names of the early patrons of the Tituli and have retrospectively assigned them the title of Cardinal: thus at that time, the Cardinal-Patron of this Basilica, these traditions assert, would have been Saint Calepodius. Pope Calixtus I confirmed the Titulus in 221 A.D. To honour him, it was changed into Ss. Callisti et Iuliani; it was re-named S. Mariae Trans Tiberim (Saint Mary's Beyond The Tiber) by Pope Innocent II.

By the 12th-Century, Cardinal Deacons, as well as the Presbyters, had long been dispensed from personal service at the Tituli. Among the past Cardinal Priests holding the honorary Titulus of Santa Maria in Trastevere, have been the Cardinal Duke of York (whose coat of arms, topped by a crown rather than a galero (red hat), is visible over the screen to the Right of the Altar), James Gibbons and Pope Leo XII. Józef Glemp was the most recent Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Mariae Trans Tiberim, until his death in January 2013.

Saint Joseph. Feast Day 19 March.

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Joseph.

Sermon on Saint Joseph,

using the book "The Life & Glories of St Joseph"

that has what the Church Fathers and Doctors

said about this great Saint.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/FECq5zhJ220.

Saint Joseph and the Christ Child.

Artist: Guido Reni (1575–1642).

Details of artist on Google Art Project.

Date: 1640.

Current location: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

Notes: More info at museum site.

Source/Photographer: Google Art Project: Home - pic.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Lenten Station At Santa Cecilia In Trastevere. Wednesday Of The Second Week In Lent.

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.
Violet Vestments.

Interior of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome.

Photo: 2007-05-19 (original upload date).

Source: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here.

Author: Original uploader was Dreamword at en.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is at the Sanctuary where the body of the illustrious Roman Virgin, Saint Cecilia, rests. It was there she lived and died a Martyr. In the 5th-Century, this Church was mentioned as one of the most celebrated Parochial or Titular Churches of Rome. It is situated in Trastevere. It was customary to read in this Church the Gospel in which Jesus tells a woman it is necessary to drink His chalice, if one is to participate in His glory.

We read, at the Epistle, the Prayer of Mardochai, in favour of the Jewish people, whom the impious Aman had determined to destroy. He implored the Lord to turn their sadness into joy. The Christian people, in the same way, are mourning in their Lenten Penance and are looking forward to the holy Paschal joys. But, to deserve them, as the Gospel tells us, we must first drink the chalice of the One who came to shed His blood to redeem us and who will make us sharers in His resurrection, if we die to our sins.

Let us abstain from the food which sustains our bodies, and from the vices which poison our Souls (Collect).

Basilica di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.

Photo: January 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: MarkusMark.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia, 
by Stefano Maderno (1575 - 1636), 

Church of Saint Cecilia, Rome.

One of the most famous examples of Baroque sculpture.

Photo: January 2005.

Source: Flickr

Author: Sébastien Bertrand from Paris, France.

Reviewer: Andre Engels.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Ciborium,
Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere,
Rome, Italy.
Attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio.

Photo: June 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ktulu.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Crypt Chapel of Santa Cecilia.

Photo: December 2006.

Source: Porkister

Author: Claudiu Georgescu.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The first Church on this site was founded probably in the 3rd-Century, by Pope Urban I; it was devoted to the Roman martyr, Cecilia, martyred it is said, under Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander.

By the Late-5th-Century, at the Synod of 499 A.D. of Pope Symmachus, the Church is indicated with the Titulus Ceciliae. Tradition holds that the Church was built over the house of the Saint. 

The Baptistery associated with this Church, together with the remains of a Roman house of the early Empire, was found during excavations under the Chapel of the Relics. On 22 November, 545 A.D., Pope Vigilius was celebrating the Saint in the Church, when the emissary of Empress Theodora, Antemi Scribone, captured him.

Pope Paschal I rebuilt the Church in 822 A.D., and moved here the relics of Saint Cecilia from the catacombs of Saint Calixtus. More restorations followed in the 18th-Century.

The Crypt of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.

Photo: 2005-06-01.

Photographer: tieseb

Original Source: Flickr.com

Original Photo: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

With the death of Carlo Maria Martini in 2012, there is currently no Cardinal Priest assigned to the Titulus S. Caeciliae. Among the previous Titulars are Pope Stephen III, Adam Easton, Thomas Wolsey and Giuseppe Maria Doria Pamphili.

Among the artefacts remaining from the 13th-Century are a mural painting, depicting the Final Judgment (1289-93) by Pietro Cavallini, in the Choir of the Monks, and the Ciborium (1293) in the Presbytery by Arnolfo di Cambio. The Gothic Ciborium is surrounded by four marble columns, white and black, decorated with statuettes of Angels, Saints, Prophets, and Evangelists. The Apse has remains of 9th-Century mosaics, depicting the Redeemer with Saints Paul, Cecilia, Paschal I, Peter, Valerian, and Agatha.

Italiano: Roma, Santa Cecilia in Trastevere: 

Interno verso l'ingresso e coretti delle monache in luogo dell'organo.

English: Interior of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. 
Looking towards the Organ Loft.

Photo: December 2006.

User: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

Among the most remarkable works, is the graphic Altar sculpture of Saint Cecilia (1600) by the Late-Renaissance sculptor, Stefano Maderno. The pavement in front of the statue encloses a marble slab, with Maderno's sworn statement that he has recorded the body as he saw it when the tomb was opened in 1599. 

The statue depicts the three axe strokes described in the 5th-Century account of her martyrdom. It also is meant to underscore the incorruptibility of her body (an attribute of some Saints), which miraculously still had congealed blood after centuries. 

The Crypt is also noteworthy, decorated in the Cosmatesque style, containing the relics of Saint Cecilia and her husband, Saint Valerian.