Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Sylvester And Saint Martin. Thursday Of The Fourth 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.

English: Basilica of Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin,
Rome, Italy.

Italiano: San Martino ai Monti, 

also known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti - 
Titolo Equizio.

Photo: June 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: FlagUploader (User:Panairjdde).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The first Christians, for the honour of their Martyrs, built Sanctuaries over their tombs and placed their bodies under the High Altar. From this, the custom is taken of placing Relics in the Altar Stone. From Rome, the veneration of these Martyrs spread throughout the Church. Saint Martin was one of the first Confessors (a Saint, not a Martyr) to whom universal devotion was accorded in the West.

The Lenten Station is a Sanctuary on the Esquiline. A holy Priest had given his house to Pope Saint Sylvester to turn into a Church. It was one of the twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome in the 5th-Century. In the 6th-Century, Pope Saint Symmachus built a new Church, next to the first, on a higher level, and dedicated both to Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin of Tours. Since a thorough restoration was ordained in the 16th-Century by Saint Charles Borromeo, the Church is called “San Martino ai San Monti”.

Portrait of San Carlo Borromeo.

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).

Saint Charles Borromeo,

Cardinal Archbishop of the Arch-Diocese of Milan
(1564 - 1584).

Restored the Basilica of 
Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin 
in the 16th-Century.

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Church was chosen wherein to read the Gospel, which speaks of resurrection, because, in the name of the Blessed Trinity, Saint Martin raised three persons from the dead; a symbol of the baptised, who are born to a new life in the name of the Blessed Trinity.

The Epistle and Gospel announce to us the great mystery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is drawing nigh, and in the celebration of which, at Easter, public penitents participated. The Sunamite woman and the widow of Naim had lost their sons. Eliseus, who is a figure of Jesus, raises the first to life and Christ gives back the second to his mother.

The Crypt 
of San Martino ai Monti, 
by François Marius Granet (1806).

(Permission from www.wga.hu)

Date: 2005-11-19 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia; 
transferred to Commons by 

User:Kurpfalzbilder.de using CommonsHelper.

Author: Original uploader was Attilios at en.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

This is what God in His mercy will do in the holy Sacrament of Penance for Souls which have died by sin. He restores them to the life of grace and gives them back to the Church, their mother. Let us prepare ourselves for the Easter Confession, which will more abundantly fill our Souls with supernatural life.

Let us moderate by Fasting our Earthly appetites in order that we may better enjoy Heavenly things (Collect).

Interior of San Martino ai Monti, 
Rome, Italy.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

San Martino ai Monti, also known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti - Titolo Equizio, is a Basilica Church in Rome, in the Rione Monti neighbourhood of Rome.

The Basilica was founded by Pope Saint Sylvester I, over land donated by one, Equitius (hence the name of Titulus Equitii), in the 4th-Century. At the beginning, it was an Oratory devoted to all the Martyrs. It is known that a preparation meeting for the Council of Nicaea was held here in 324 A.D.

San Martino ai Monti,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: San Martino ai Monti: Navata Centrale

Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de

Author: Francesco Gasparetti from Senigallia, Italy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The current Church of San Martino ai Monti dates from the Carolingian era, but a 3rd-Century Pillared Hall has been located below and adjacent to the later Church. This has caused some scholars to identify it with the Titulus Equitii, but, according to Hugo Brandenburg, it is "most unlikely that it could have served as a place of worship for any larger community and its Liturgy: The original purpose of this fairly modest Hall . . . was probably to serve as a storage space for commercial purposes."

In 500 A.D, the Church was rebuilt and dedicated to Saints Martin of Tours and Pope Saint Sylvester I by Pope Symmachus. On this occasion, the Church was elevated and the first Oratory became subterranean.

Pope Symmachus,

from the Basilica of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura, Rome.

Pope Saint Symmachus (498 A.D. - 514 A.D.) rebuilt the Basilica

of Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin in 500 A.D.

Source: http://www.santagnese.org/galleria_foto.htm

Author: Parrocchia di Santa Agnese fuori le Mura.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pope Saint Symmachus was Pope from 498 A.D. to 514 A.D. His tenure was marked by a serious Schism over who was legitimately elected Pope by the citizens of Rome.

He was born on Sardinia, the son of Fortunatus; Jeffrey Richards notes that he was born a pagan, and "perhaps the rankest outsider" of all the Ostrogothic Popes, most of whom were members of aristocratic families. Pope Saint Symmachus was baptised in Rome, where he became Arch-Deacon of the Church under Pope Anastasius II.

English: Interior of Church San Martino ai Monti,

Rome, Italy.

Česky: Interiér Kostela sv. Martina na hoře,

Řím, Itálie.

Photo: April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Karelj.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Basilica was reconstructed by Pope Hadrian I in 772 A.D., and by Pope Sergius II in 845 A.D. The structure of the present Basilica follows the ancient Church, and many pieces had been re-used.

The Church is served by the Order of Carmelites (O.Carm. - Ancient Observance). It was granted to them in 1299 by Pope Boniface VIII; their ownership was confirmed in 1559. The Church is the resting place of Blessed Angelo Paoli, O.Carm. (1642–1720), who was revered throughout Rome for his service to the poor; he was Beatified on 25 April 2010.

A lithography of Pope Sergius II, 
made before 1923.

Pope Sergius II (844 A.D. - 847 A.D.) 
reconstructed the Basilica in 845 A.D.

http://www.fatimachurchkodambakkam.
org/pope-9century.html

(Author: Unknown).

(Wikimedia Commmons)

The most recent Cardinal-Priest of the Titulus Ss. Silvestri et Martini in Montibus was Armand Razafindratandra (who died on 9 January 2010). The current Cardinal-Priest of the Titulus Ss. Silvestri et Martini in Montibus is Polish Archbishop of Warsaw, Kazimierz Nycz. Among the previous Titulars were Pope Pius XI, Pope Paul VI, and Alfonso de la Cueva, Marqués de Bedmar.

Further transformations were executed in the 17th-Century by Filippo Gagliardi. In the mid-17th-Century, a series of frescoes, architectural additions, and Altarpieces were commissioned including series landscape and architectural frescoes of typically biblical scenes by Gaspar Dughet and Galgliardi.

The High Altar.
Basilica of Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: San Martino ai Monti: Abside

Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de

Author: Francesco Gasparetti from Senigallia, Italy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

There is a fresco by Jan Miel of Saint Cyril baptising a Sultan. Fabrizio Chiari (now overpainted by Antonio Cavallucci) painted a Baptism of Christ. Giovanni Antonio Canini painted an Altarpiece of Holy Trinity with Saints Nicholas and Bartholemew. The mannerist, Girolamo Muziano, painted an Altarpiece of Saint Albert. Galeazzo Leoncino painted a fresco of Pope Saint Silvester I holding the Council of 324 A.D. in San Martino.

Interior of the Basilica of 
Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin,
Rome, Italy.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: San Martino ai Monti: una Parete

Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de

Author: Francesco Gasparetti from Senigallia, Italy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pietro Testa painted the Vision of Saint Angelo, the Carmelite, in the Wilderness. Filippo Gherardi painted an Altarpiece of San Carlo Borromeo. Cannini also painted the Martydom of Saint Stephen. Chiari also painted Saint Martin dividing his cloak with the beggar. Giovanni Battista Creppi painted "The vision of Saint Teresa". Matteo Piccione painted the Altarpiece of "Vision of Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi". Paolo Naldini painted the Saints on the upper register of the Nave (counter-clockwise starting with first on the Nave, to right, Ciriaca, Stephen, Fabianus, and Nicander, then left Nave, Theodore, Martin, Innocent, and Iusta. Daniele Latre painted Saint Anthony and John the Baptist on South Wall (counter-facade), while Naldini painted Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The interior has three Naves with ancient Columns. A Votive Lamp, made in silver sheet, is housed in the Sacristy; it was believed to be Pope Saint Sylvester I's Tiara. Under the High Altar, are preserved the relics of Saints Artemius, Paulina and Sisinnius, brought here from the Catacomb of Priscilla. A mosaic, portraying the Madonna with Pope Saint Sylvester I, is from the 6th-Century.

The Seven Penitential Psalms. Part Two.

Roman Text is taken from The Liturgical Year, by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Translated from the French by Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.
Volume 4. Septuagesima.

Bold Italic Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

English: Saint Augustine of Hippo.

Deutsch: Hl. Augustinus in betrachtendem Gebet.

Four of the Penitential Psalms
were well known to Saint Augustine of Hippo.

Artist: Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510).

Date: Circa 1480.

Current location: Florence, Italy.

Notes: Deutsch: Auftraggeber: wahrscheinlich aus der Familie der Vespucci (Wappen).

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1].

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Penitential Psalms, or Psalms of Confession, so named in Cassiodorus's commentary of the 6th-Century A.D., are Psalms 6, 32, 38, 50, 102, 130, and 143 (6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, and 142 in the Septuagint numbering).

Note: The Septuagint numbering system has been used throughout this Series of Articles.

Psalm 6.      Domine ne in furore tuo (Pro octava).
Psalm 31.    Beati quorum remissae sunt iniquitates.
Psalm 37.    Domine ne in furore tuo (In rememorationem de sabbato).
Psalm 50.    Miserere mei Deus.
Psalm 101.  Domine exaudi orationem meam et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Psalm 129.  De profundis clamavi.
Psalm 142.  Domine exaudi orationem meam auribus percipe obsecrationem meam.

A Setting by Lassus of Psalm 129,
"De profundis clamavi ad te Domine", 

("Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord").

Psalm 129 is one of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

Available on YouTube on
http://youtu.be/luLLO3c3LlE.

THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS.

Part Two.

David experiences the happiness felt by a Soul, whose sins have been forgiven her by God; he expresses his feelings, by comparing himself to a sick man, who was at the point of death, and is restored to health.

Psalm 31.      Beati, quorum remissae sunt iniquitates.

Beati, quorum remissae sunt iniquitates:
* et quorum tecta sunt peccata.

Beatus vir, cui non imputavit Dominus peccatum:
* nec est in spiritu ejus dolus.

Quoniam tacui, inveteraverunt ossa mea:
* dum clamarem tota die.

Quoniam die ac nocte gravata est super me manus tua:
* conversus sum in aerumna mea, dum configitur spina.

Delictum meum cognitum tibi feci:
* et injustitiam meam non abscondi.

Dixit Confiteabor adversum me injustitiam meam Domino:
* et tu remisisti impietatem peccati mei.

Pro hac orabit ad te omnis sanctus:
* in tempore opportuno.

Verumtamen in diluvio aquarum multarum:
* ad eum non approximabunt.

Tu es refugium meam a tribulatione, quae circumdedit me:
* exsultatio mea, erue me a circumdantibus me.

Intellectum tibi dabo, et instruam te in via hac qua gradieris:
* firmabo super te oculos meos.

Nolite fieri sicut equus et mulus:
* quibus non est intellectus.

In camo et freno maxillas eorum constringe:
* qui non approximant ad te.

Multa flagella peccatoris:
* sperantem autem in Domino misericordia circumdabit.

Laetamini in Domino, et exsultate justi:
* et gloriamini omnes recti corde.

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven:
And whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man, to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin:
And in whose spirit there is no guile.

Because I was silent, my bones grew old:
Whilst I cried out all the day long.

For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me:
I am turned in my anguish, whilst the thorn is fastened.

I have acknowledged my sin to Thee:
And my injustice I have not concealed.

I said, I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord:
And Thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.

For this shall every one that is holy Pray to Thee:
In a seasonable time.

And yet, in a flood of many waters:
They shall not come nigh unto him.

Thou art my refuge from the trouble which hath encompassed me:
My joy ! Deliver me from them that surround me.

Thou hast said to me: I will give thee understanding,
      and I will instruct thee in this way in which thou shalt go:
I will fix mine eyes upon Thee.

Do not become like the horse and the mule:
Who have no understanding.

With bit and bridle, bind fast their jaws:
Who come not near unto thee.

Many are the scourges of the sinner:
But mercy shall encompass him that hopeth in the Lord.

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye Just:
And glory, all ye right of heart.



The Seven Penitential Psalms are expressive of sorrow for sin. Four were known as 'Penitential Psalms' by Saint Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th-Century. Psalm 50 (Miserere) was recited at the close of daily Morning Service in the Primitive Church.

Translations of the Penitential Psalms were undertaken by some of the greatest poets in Renaissance England, including Sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Sir Philip Sidney. Before the Suppression of the Minor Orders and Tonsure, in 1972, by Pope Paul VI, the Seven Penitential Psalms were assigned to new Clerics after having been Tonsured.

Orlande de Lassus'

"Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales".

This is a Setting of Psalm 6, "Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me",

("O Lord, do not reprove me in Thy wrath, nor in Thy anger chastise me").

Psalm 6 is the first of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

Available on YouTube on

http://youtu.be/-0cILFy2sW4.

Perhaps the most famous musical setting of all the Seven Penitential Psalms is by Orlande de Lassus, with his Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales of 1584. There are also fine settings by Andrea Gabrieli and by Giovanni Croce. The Croce pieces are unique in being settings of Italian sonnet-form translations of the Psalms by Francesco Bembo. These were widely distributed. They were translated into English and published in London as Musica Sacra and were even translated (back) into Latin and published in Nürnberg as Septem Psalmi poenitentiales.

William Byrd set all Seven Psalms in English versions for three voices in his Songs of Sundrie Natures (1589). Settings of individual Penitential Psalms have been written by many composers. Well-known settings of the Miserere (Psalm 50) include those by Gregorio Allegri and Josquin des Prez. Settings of the De profundis (Psalm 129) include two in the Renaissance era by Josquin.


PART THREE FOLLOWS.

The Side-Altar Of Saint Anthony Of Padua. Ottobeuren Abbey.

Side-Altar of
Saint Anthony of Padua,

Ottobeuren Abbey,

Ottobeuren, Germany.

Photo: 18 April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Anthony of Padua, O.F.M. (born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231), also known as Anthony of Lisbon, was a Portuguese Catholic Priest and Friar of the Franciscan Order. Though he died in Padua, Italy, he was born and raised in a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal.

Noted by his contemporaries for his forceful Preaching and expert knowledge of Scripture, he was the second-fastest Canonised Saint (after Saint Peter of Verona) and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 16 January 1946. He is also the Saint of finding things or lost people.

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Paul-Without-The-Walls. Wednesday Of The Fourth 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.

English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls,
Rome, Italy.

Deutsch: Rom, Sankt Paul vor den Mauern.

Italiano: Statua di San Paolo di fronte alla facciata della
Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura a Roma.

Photo: May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station was held at Rome in the great Basilica of Saint Paul, on the Ostian Way. It was natural to assemble near the tomb of the Doctor of the Gentiles on this day, called the Feria of the Great Scrutiny, when they held the the examination upon which depended the admission of Catechumens to Baptism.

After the singing of the Introit, which announces the Baptism in which God “will pour on the Souls the water which will cleanse them from all stain,” the Catechumens were exorcised anew, were marked with the sign of the Cross and received the Imposition of Hands. This water has already purified us.

After having read the Epistle or the Lessons from the Prophets, Ezechiel and Isaias, who speak of this same purification, “when Souls shall be made white as snow,” the beginning of the four Gospels was read to them and the Apostles’ Creed and Pater Noster explained to them. Let us love to read the Gospels, let us often recite the Credo and the Pater Noster.

English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls,
Rome, Italy. With its length of 432 feet, this Basilica ranks
eleventh among the largest Churches in the world.

Français: Basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs, Vatican, située à Rome. Avec sa longueur 

de 131,66 mètres, cette Basilique se classe au 11è rang parmi les plus grandes églises au monde.

Photo: September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Gospel tells us of the healing of the man blind from birth, who was sent to wash himself in the Pool of Siloe. This is another symbol of Baptism and of the instructions preceding it, which conveyed to the Gentiles the supernatural light of which they were deprived, and gave Penance from the defilements which have unfortunately stained our baptismal innocence, and God will make our Souls white as snow.

Aware that fasting is, for the just man, a means of increasing his merits, and, for the guilty, of obtaining forgiveness for his sins (Collect), let us with courage mortify our bodies so that we may enjoy more readily the things that are of Heaven.

English: The statue of Saint Paul,
Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the Walls,
Rome, Italy.

Italiano: Facciata della Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura a Roma.

Photo: July 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Alberto Fernandez Fernandez.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Papal Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura), is one of Rome's four ancient Major Basilicas or Papal Basilicas: The Basilicas of Saint John Lateran; Saint Mary Major; Saint Peter's; Saint Paul-without-the Walls. James Michael Harvey was named Arch-Priest of the Basilica in 2012.

The Basilica was founded by the Roman Emperor, Constantine I, over the burial place of Saint Paul, where it was said that, after the Apostle's execution, his followers erected a memorial, called a "cella memoriae". This first edifice was expanded under Valentinian I in the 370s A.D.

In 386 A.D., Emperor Theodosius I began erecting a much larger and more beautiful Basilica, with a Nave and four Aisles, with a Transept; the work, including the mosaics, was not completed until Pope Leo I's Pontificate (440 A.D. – 461 A.D).

English: Facade of The Basilica of 
Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, Rome.

Polski: Bazylika św. Pawła za Murami

Italiano: Facciata della Basilica di San Paolo 
fuori le Mura a Roma.

Photo: June 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: [Piofol[1]]

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 5th-Century, it was larger than the Old Saint Peter's Basilica. The Christian poet, Prudentius, who saw it at the time of Emperor Honorius (395 A.D. – 423 A.D), describes the splendours of the monument in a few expressive lines. As it was dedicated also to Saints Taurinus and Herculanus, martyrs of Ostia in the 5th-Century, it was called the Basilica trium Dominorum ("Basilica of Three Lords").

Under Gregory the Great (590 A.D. – 604 A.D.), the Basilica was extensively modified. The Pavement was raised to place the Altar directly over Saint Paul's tomb.

English: The mosaic on the facade of 
the Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, Rome.

Italiano: Il grande mosaico della facciata della basilica 
di San Paolo fuori le Mura, a Roma.

Photo: March 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Luca Camellini.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In that period, there were two Monasteries near the Basilica: Saint Aristus's, for men, and Saint Stefano's, for women. Masses were celebrated by a special Body of Clerics, instituted by Pope Simplicius. Over time, the Monasteries and the Basilica's Clergy declined; Pope Saint Gregory II restored the former and entrusted the Monks with the Basilica's care.

As it lay outside the Aurelian Walls, the Basilica was damaged in the 9th-Century during the Saracen invasions. Consequently, Pope John VIII (872 A.D. – 882 A.D.) fortified the Basilica, the Monastery, and the dwellings of the peasantry, forming the town of Joannispolis (Italian: Giovannipoli), which existed until 1348, when an earthquake totally destroyed it.

Deutsch: Kreuzgang der Basilika San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rom. 

Blick vom Säulengang in den Innenhof.

English: Cloisters of the Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, Rome.

Photo: October 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: W.W.Thaler, Herbert Weber, Hildesheim.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 937 A.D., when Saint Odo of Cluny came to Rome, Alberic II of Spoleto, Patrician of Rome, entrusted the Monastery and Basilica to his Congregation and Odo placed Balduino of Monte Cassino in charge. Pope Gregory VII was Abbot of the Monastery and, in his time, Pantaleone, a rich merchant of Amalfi, who lived in Constantinople, presented the bronze doors of the Basilica Maior; the doors are inscribed with Pantaleone's Prayer that the "doors of life" may be opened to him. 

Polski: Herb opata.

English: Territorial Abbots'-Coat-of-Arms.

Pope Martin V (Papacy 1417 - 1431) entrusted the Basilica to the 

Monks of the Congregation of Monte Cassino. It was then made an Abbey Nullius (Territorial Abbot).

The Coat-of-Arms of a "Territorial Abbot" are distinguished by a Green Galero with Twelve Tassels 

and a Gold Crozier with a Veil attached.

Piotr Jaworski, PioM; 19 V 2005r., POLAND/Poznań;

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pope Martin V entrusted the Basilica to the Monks of the Congregation of Monte Cassino. It was then made an Abbey Nullius. The abbot's jurisdiction extended over the districts of Civitella San Paolo, Leprignano, and Nazzano, all of which formed parishes. But the Parish of San Paolo in Rome is under the jurisdiction of the Cardinal Vicar.

English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, 
Rome, Italy.

Français: Basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs, Vatican, 
située à Rome, Latium, Italie. 

Perspective du transept.

Photo: September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The graceful Cloisters of the Monastery were erected between 1220 and 1241. From 1215 until 1964 it was the seat of the Latin Patriarch of Alexandria.

On 15 July 1823, a fire, started through the negligence of a workman who was repairing the lead of the roof, resulted in the almost total destruction of the Basilica, which, alone of all the Churches of Rome, had preserved its primitive character for one thousand, four hundred and thirty-five years. 

It was re-opened in 1840, and re-consecrated in 1855 in the presence of Pope Pius IX and fifty Cardinals. Completing the work of reconstruction took longer, however, and many countries made their contributions. The Viceroy of Egypt sent Pillars of alabaster, the Emperor of Russia the precious malachite and lapis lazuli of the Tabernacle. The work on the principal facade, looking toward the Tiber, was completed by the Italian Government, which declared the Church a national monument. On 23 April 1891, an explosion at Porta Portese destroyed the Stained Glass.

The Cloisters, Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls,
Rome, Italy.

Source: Pierers Universal-Lexikon, 1891

Scanned by --Immanuel Giel 12:37, 1 Jun 2005 (UTC)

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Architectural elements of the Cloisters at
The Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.

Deutsch: Kreuzgang in der Basilika Major 
San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rom, 2005.

Photo: 2005.10.11.

Source: Own work.

Author: W.W.Thaler Herbert Weber, Hildesheim.

(Wikimedia Commons)

On 31 May 2005, Pope Benedict XVI ordered the Basilica to come under the control of an Arch-Priest and he named Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo as its first Arch-Priest.

The covered Portico that precedes the facade is a Neo-Classicist addition of the 19th-Century reconstruction. The 20th-Century door includes the remains of the "leaves" from the original Portal, executed by Staurachius of Chios, around 1070, in Constantinople, with scenes from the New and Old Testaments. On the right, is the Holy Door, which is opened only during the Jubilees.

English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls,
Rome, Italy.
The Tabernacle of the Confession.

Italiano: Basilica di San Paolo fuori le mura (Roma) - 
ciborio di Arnolfo di Cambio.

Polski: Bazylika św. Pawła za Murami w Rzymie - grób św. 
Pawła, przykryty gotyckim baldachimem.

Photo: May 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fczarnowski.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The new Basilica has maintained the original structure with one Nave and four Aisles. It is 131 metres (432 ft) long, 65 metres (213 ft) wide, 29 metres (97 ft) high, the second-largest Basilica in Rome. 

The Nave's eighty Columns and its stucco-decorated Ceiling are from the 19th-Century. All that remains of the ancient Basilica are the interior portion of the Apse with the Triumphal Arch. The mosaics of the Apse, by Pietro Cavallini, were mostly lost in the 1823 fire; only a few traces were incorporated in the reconstruction. 

The 5th-Century mosaics of the Triumphal Arch are original: an inscription in the lower section attest they were done at the time of Pope Leo I, paid for by Galla Placidia. The subject portrays the Apocalypse of Saint John, with the bust of Christ in the middle, flanked by the twenty-four Doctors of the Church [now, thirty-four Doctors of the Church], surmounted by the flying symbols of the four Evangelists. Saint Peter and Saint Paul are portrayed at the right and left of the Arch, the latter pointing downwards (probably to his tomb). The "Tabernacle of the Confession" of Arnolfo di Cambio (1285), belong to the 13th-Century.

Deutsch: Säulen des Kreuzgangs von San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rom.

English: The Cloisters, The Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.

Photo: October 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: W.W.Thaler - H. Weber, Hildesheim.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the old Basilica, each Pope had his portrait in a frieze, extending above the Columns separating the four Aisles and Nave. A 19th-Century version can be seen now. The Nave's interior walls were also redecorated with scenes from Saint Paul's life in two mosaics. The Sacristy contains a fine statue of Pope Boniface IX.

South of the Transept, are the Cloisters, considered "one of the most beautiful of the Middle Ages". Built by Vassalletto in 1205-1241, they have Double Columns of different shapes. Some Columns have inlays with golden- and coloured-glass mosaics; the same decoration can be seen on the Architrave and the inner frame of the Cloisters. Also visible, are fragments from the destroyed Basilica and ancient Sarcophagi, one with scenes of the myth of Apollo.

According to tradition, Paul's body was buried two miles away from the place of his martyrdom, in the sepulchral area along the Ostiense Way, which was owned by a Christian woman, named Lucina. A tropaeum was erected on it and quickly became a place of veneration.

English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls,
Rome, Italy. The Saint Lawrence Chapel.

Français: Basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs, Vatican, située à 
Rome, Latium, Italie. Chapelle de Saint-Laurent.

Photo: September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Emperor Constantine I erected a Basilica on the tropaeum's site, and the Basilica was significantly extended by Emperor Theodosius I from 386 A.D., into what is now known as Saint Paul-without-the Walls. During the 4th-Century, Saint Paul's remains, excluding the head, were moved into a Sarcophagus (according to Church tradition, the head rests at the Lateran). 

Saint Paul's tomb is below a marble tombstone in the Basilica's Crypt, at 1.3 metres (4.5 ft) below the Altar. The tombstone bears the Latin inscription "PAULO APOSTOLO MART" ("to Paul the Apostle and Martyr"). The inscribed portion of the tombstone has three holes, two square and one circular. The circular hole is connected to the tomb by a pipeline, reflecting the Roman custom of pouring perfumes inside the Sarcophagus, or to the practice of providing the bones of the dead with libations. The discovery of the Sarcophagus is mentioned in the chronicle of the Benedictine Monastery attached to the Basilica, in regard to the 19th-Century rebuilding. Unlike other Sarcophagi found at that time, this was not mentioned in the excavation papers.

On 6 December 2006, it was announced that Vatican archaeologists had confirmed the presence of a white marble Sarcophagus beneath the Altar, perhaps containing the remains of the Apostle. A Press Conference, held on 11 December 2006, gave more details of the excavation, which lasted from 2002 to 2006, and which had been initiated after pilgrims to the Basilica expressed disappointment that the Apostle's tomb could not be visited or touched during the Jubilee year of 2000. The Sarcophagus was not extracted from its position, so that only one of its two narrow sides is visible.

English: Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls. 
The Saint Benedict Chapel.

Italiano: Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura - 
capella di san Benedetto.

Polski: Bazylika św. Pawła za Murami w Rzymie - 
kaplica św. Benedykta.

Photo: May 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fczarnowski.

(Wikimedia Commons)

On 29 June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Carbon-14 dating of bone fragments in the Sarcophagus confirmed a date in the 1st- or 2nd-Century. "This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul,", Benedict announced at a Service in the Basilica to mark the end of the Vatican's Pauline Year in honour of the Apostle. With the bone fragments, archaeologists discovered some grains of incense, and pieces of purple linen with gold sequins and blue linen textiles.

A curved line of bricks, indicating the outline of the Apse of the Constantinian Basilica, was discovered immediately to the West of the Sarcophagus, showing that the original Basilica had its entrance to the East, like Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The larger 386 A.D. Basilica, that replaced it, had the Via Ostiense (the road to Ostia) to the East and so was extended Westward, towards the river Tiber, changing the orientation diametrically.

The Seven Penitential Psalms. Part One.

Roman Text is taken from The Liturgical Year, by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Translated from the French by Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.
Volume 4. Septuagesima.

Bold Italic Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

English: Saint Augustine of Hippo.

Deutsch: Hl. Augustinus in betrachtendem Gebet.

Four of the Penitential Psalms
were well known to Saint Augustine of Hippo.

Artist: Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510).

Date: Circa 1480.

Current location: Florence, Italy.

Notes: Deutsch: Auftraggeber: wahrscheinlich aus der Familie der Vespucci (Wappen).

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1].

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Penitential Psalms, or Psalms of Confession, so named in Cassiodorus's commentary of the 6th-Century A.D., are Psalms 6, 32, 38, 50, 102, 130, and 143 (6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, and 142 in the Septuagint numbering).

Note: The Septuagint numbering system has been used throughout this Series of Articles.

Psalm 6.      Domine ne in furore tuo (Pro octava).
Psalm 31.    Beati quorum remissae sunt iniquitates.
Psalm 37.    Domine ne in furore tuo (In rememorationem de sabbato).
Psalm 50.    Miserere mei Deus.
Psalm 101.  Domine exaudi orationem meam et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Psalm 129.  De profundis clamavi.
Psalm 142.  Domine exaudi orationem meam auribus percipe obsecrationem meam.

A Setting by Lassus of Psalm 129,
"De profundis clamavi ad te Domine", 

("Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord").

Psalm 129 is one of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

Available on YouTube on
http://youtu.be/luLLO3c3LlE.

THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS.

Part One.

David, struck down by sickness, asks pardon of God, and beseeches Him to heal the wounds of his Soul.

Psalm 6.

Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me:
* neque in ira tua corripias me.

Miserere mei, Domine, quoniam infirmus sum:
* sana me Domine, quoniam conturbata sunt ossa mea.

Et anima mea turbata est valde:
* sed tu Domine usquequo ?

Convertere, Domine, et eripe animam mean:
* salvum me fac propter misericordiam tuam.

Quoniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui:
* in inferno autem quis confitebitur tibi ?

Laboravi in gemitu meo, lavabo per singulas noctes lectum meum:
* lacrymis meis stratum meum rigabo.

Turbatus est a furore oculus meus:
* inveteravi inter omnes inimicos meos.

Discedite a me, omnes qui operamini iniquitatem:
* quoniam exaudivet Dominus vocem fletus mei.

Exaudivet Dominus deprecationem meam:
* Dominus orationem meam suscepit.

Erubescant et conturbentur vehementer omnes inimici mei:
* convertantur et erubescant valde velociter.


O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy indignation,
nor chastise me in Thy wrath.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.

And my Soul is troubled exceedingly:
But Thou, O Lord, how long ?

Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my Soul:
O save me, for Thy mercy's sake.

For there is no-one in death that is mindful of Thee:
And who shall confess to Thee in Hell ?

I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed:
I will water my couch with my tears.

My eye is troubled through indignation:
I have grown old among all mine enemies.

Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity:
For the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.

The Lord hath heard my supplication:
The Lord hath received my Prayer.

Let all mine enemies be ashamed and be very much troubled:
Let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.


The Seven Penitential Psalms are expressive of sorrow for sin. Four were known as 'Penitential Psalms' by Saint Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th-Century. Psalm 50 (Miserere) was recited at the close of daily Morning Service in the Primitive Church.

Translations of the Penitential Psalms were undertaken by some of the greatest poets in Renaissance England, including Sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Sir Philip Sidney. Before the Suppression of the Minor Orders and Tonsure, in 1972, by Pope Paul VI, the Seven Penitential Psalms were assigned to new Clerics after having been Tonsured.

Orlande de Lassus'

"Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales".

This is a Setting of Psalm 6, "Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me",

("O Lord, do not reprove me in Thy wrath, nor in Thy anger chastise me").

Psalm 6 is the first of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

Available on YouTube on

http://youtu.be/-0cILFy2sW4.

Perhaps the most famous musical setting of all the Seven Penitential Psalms is by Orlande de Lassus, with his Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales of 1584. There are also fine settings by Andrea Gabrieli and by Giovanni Croce. The Croce pieces are unique in being settings of Italian sonnet-form translations of the Psalms by Francesco Bembo. These were widely distributed. They were translated into English and published in London as Musica Sacra and were even translated (back) into Latin and published in Nürnberg as Septem Psalmi poenitentiales.

William Byrd set all Seven Psalms in English versions for three voices in his Songs of Sundrie Natures (1589). Settings of individual Penitential Psalms have been written by many composers. Well-known settings of the Miserere (Psalm 50) include those by Gregorio Allegri and Josquin des Prez. Settings of the De profundis (Psalm 129) include two in the Renaissance era by Josquin.


PART TWO FOLLOWS.

Altar Of Saint Anne. Ottobeuren Abbey.

Altar of Saint Anne,

Ottobeuren Abbey,

Ottobeuren, Germany.

Photo: 18 April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Laurence's-In-Damaso. Tuesday Of The Fourth 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 San Lorenzo-in-Damaso,

Rome, Italy.

One of the Lenten Stational Churches.

(Google Images)

(encyclopedia.mitrasites.com)

The Nave,

Basilica of Saint Laurence's-in-Damaso,

Rome, Italy.

Photo: http://www.abcroma.com/Monumento.asp?N=48

The Lenten Station is at the Church built in the 4th-Century by Pope Saint Damasus in honour of the celebrated Deacon, the Martyr, Saint Laurence. This Sanctuary, in the 5th-Century, was one of the twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome. The Palace adjoining contained the archives of the Church in Saint Damasus' time; it is now the Pontifical Cancellaria.

The Epistle carries us to Sinai. God had seen, with indignation, His people prostrated at the foot of the golden calf: He announced to Moses His intention of destroying this ungrateful race. Moses prayed and his prayer appeased the Divine anger. He descended from the mountain, chastised the idolaters and brought the Israelites to repentance. Let us do Penance and God will hear our Prayers, since we are, henceforth, part of the people of God.

The Gospel introduces us into the Temple, where Jesus is accused by His perfidious enemies. He confounds them by appealing to the authority of Moses, but fails to change their hearts. Rejected by Jerusalem, He will found a new people, the Church, which spreads over the whole world and will soon have the joy of seeing increased numbers of her children at the Paschal festivities. Let us rejoice that we are members of this Church.

The prayer of Moses, upon the idolatry of his people (Epistle), has been interpreted as an allusion to the Schism that occurred in Rome on the election of Pope Damasus. This act of rebellion was like that which was evoked by the opposition that Our Lord encountered on the Feast of Tabernacles (Gospel).

The entrance door 
of San Lorenzo in Damaso,
Rome, Italy,
incorporated into the 

Palazzo della Cancelleria.

Photo: September 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

San Lorenzo in Damaso (Saint Lawrence in the House of Damasus) is a Basilica Church in Rome, one of several dedicated to the Roman Deacon and Martyr, Saint Lawrence. Known since antiquity (Synod of Pope Symmachus, 499 A.D.) as "Titulus Damasi", according to tradition, San Lorenzo-in-Damaso was built by Pope Damasus I in his own house, in the 380s A.D.

Pope Damasus is known to have been raised in the service of the Basilica of Saint Lawrence-outside-the-Walls in Rome, and, following the death of Pope Liberius, he succeeded to the Papacy amidst factional violence. A group of Damasus' supporters, previously loyal to his opponent, Felix, attacked and killed rivals loyal to Liberius' Deacon, Ursinus, in a riot that required the intervention of the Emperor, Valentinian I, to quell.

Pope Saint Damasus I 

(Pope from 366 A.D. - 384 A.D.)

Source: http://centros5.pntic.mec.es/ies.carreno.

miranda/juan/index.htm#1646-1657

Artist: Juan Carreño de Miranda (1614–1685).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Donato Bramante rebuilt the church in the 15th-Century, by order of Cardinal Raffaele Riario, within the restoration works of the neighbouring Palazzo della Cancelleria. The last restoration was necessary after a fire that damaged the basilica in 1944.

Immediately to the right of the entrance is the memorial of Alessandro Valtrini, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1639.

The first Chapel, to the right, houses a "Virgin with Saints Filippo Neri and Nicolò" by Sebastiano Conca, while the Ceiling is frescoed with "Eternity appears to San Nicola" by Corrado Giaquinto. The first Chapel, to the left, has a "Last Supper" by Vincenzo Berrettini.

Façade of the Palazzo della Cancelleria,
Rome, Italy.

The smaller door is the entrance to the 
Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo-in-Damaso.

Photo: January 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the first Nave to the left, are statues of Saints Francesco Saverio and Carlo Borromeo by Stefano Maderno. In the right Nave, there is a monument to Gabriella di Savoia Massimo by Pietro Tenerani. The Presbytery, modified by Bernini, is the "Altarpiece of Saints" and "Coronation of Mary" by Federico Zuccari. 

In the Nave, to the left of the Presbytery, is the Chapel of the Santissima Concezione, completed and frescoed (1635-1638) by Pietro da Cortona. Other works include the monument of Cardinal Trevisan (1505), the Madonna delle Gioie, attributed to Nicolò Circignani, and the monument of Annibal Caro (1566), by Giovanni Antonio Dosio.

The Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Laurentii-in-Damaso is Antonio Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid.