Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Saturday 18 March 2017

The 1960s. A Blast From The Past !!! A Time Without Equal. They Were Halcyon Days. Never To Be Repeated. "Rock On Tommy".


"Mods" in The 1960s.
"The Smooth Guys".
Illustration: PINTEREST


English: 1960s' "Mods".
Italiano: Mods a bordo di Lambretta 175 TV 3ª serie del 1962, ampiamente modificata.
Date: 19 February 2006.
Source; originally posted to Flickr as MODS.
(Wikipedia Commons)



"Pinball Wizard".
The Who.
The Who's music was a "Mods" favourite in the 1960s.
Available on YouTube at


"Rockers" in The 1960s.
"The Rough Guys".
The Mods and Rockers were two conflicting British youth sub-cultures of the
Early- to Mid-1960s. Media coverage of Mods and Rockers fighting in 1964 sparked a
moral panic about British youths, and the two groups became labelled as folk devils.
The Rockers considered Mods to be weedy, effeminate snobs,
and Mods saw Rockers as out of touch, oafi-ish and grubby.
[Editor: All in all. Great fun].


"Jumping Jack Flash".
The Rolling Stones.
Available on You Tube at


"California Dreaming".
The Mamas and Papas.
Available on YouTube at


1960's Fashion.
Illustration: VIPME FASHION DISCOVERY


"He's So Fine".
The Chiffons.
Available on YouTube at


"Big Girls Don't Cry".
The Four Seasons.
Available on You Tube at


"Wouldn't It Be Nice".
The Beach Boys.
Available on YouTube at


"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow ".
The Shirelles.
Available on YouTube at


"Working My Way Back To You, Babe".
The Four Seasons.
Available on YouTube at


"One Fine Day".
The Chiffons.
Available on YouTube at


"The Night Has A Thousand Eyes".
Bobby Vee.
Available on YouTube at


"Angel Of The Morning".
P. P. Arnold.
Available on YouTube at


"Mrs Robinson".
Simon and Garfunkel.
Available on YouTube at


"Angel Of The Morning".
Merrilee Rush and The Turnabouts.
Available on YouTube at



"He's A Rebel".
The Crystals.
Available on YouTube at
YOU TUBE



"Dance, Dance, Dance".
The Beach Boys.
Available on YouTube at
YOU TUBE



"I'll Never Find Another You".
The Seekers.
Available on YouTube at

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




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

Saturday of The Second Week in Lent.
   Station at Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.



English: Basilica of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter.

Italiano: Basilica Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano,
Rome, Italy.
Photo: 23 March 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: LPLT.
(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 A.D.

As yesterday, the Epistle and Gospel repeat, in figure and Parable, lessons to The Catechumens and Public Penitents.

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.



English: Church of Saints Marcellino and Peter, Cremona, Italy.
Italiano: Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro Location Cremona, Lombardy, Italy.
Photo: 26 September 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Mattana.
(Wikimedia Commons)

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).

Mass: Lex Dómine.




The Basilica of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter,
Rome, Italy.
Photo: October 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Lalupa.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

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 A.D. Roman Martyrs, whose Relics were brought here in 1256.

The first Church on the site was built by Pope Siricius in the 4th-Century A.D., 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 A.D. [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 A.D., 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.]




Church of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter,
Seligenstadt, Germany.
Photo: 5 September 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Agridecumantes.
(Wikimedia Commons)




Seligenstadt, Germany.
Photo: 15 November 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: © 1971markus.
Attribution: © 1971markus@wikipedia.de
(Wikimedia Commons)

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.



English: My parents' wedding.
Inside the "Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro"
[Church of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter],
Imbersago, Lombardy, Italy.
Italiano: Matrimonio dei miei genitori.
Interno della "Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro"
a Imbersago, Italia (prima del restauro).
Photo: 12 September 1972.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jalo.
(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.

Friday 17 March 2017

Stations Of The Cross. Every Friday During Lent. When Was The Last Time You Followed The Way Of The Cross ?



Taken from: FR. Z's BLOG


This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at, FR. Z's BLOG

Since it is a Friday of Lent, a First Friday, do please Pray The Act of Reparation.

Here also are my audio projects of The Way of The Cross.

What we need right now is PRAYER, especially at the end of this hard week. And remember to
GO TO CONFESSION !!!

Also, these days, we especially need to Pray for Priests, which includes Bishops and everyone up the hierarchy


There are many Priests, today, who  – for one reason or another  –  are failing in their duty to teach with clarity what The Church has always taught.

There are other Priests who are becoming discouraged and afraid concerning what might befall them if they remain clear and faithful. Yet other Priests are mired in sins. And always there are those Priests who are infirm, old, nearing their judgment.

Hence, this year, I’ve added a new version, The Way Of The Cross For Priests from The Benedictines of Silverstream Priory. HERE.

Would you consider getting copies of this for your Priests where you are ?

They also have beautiful Altar Cards HERE.


 In my reading, I left out the references to the Scripture passages which are quoted, for they would not be read in a public recitation. I urge you, however, to obtain a hard copy so that, if you wish, you can find them. Even more, I urge you Lay People to get a copy and then Pray with it for Priests.

Below are readings of The Via Crucis, The Way of The Cross, composed by
Joseph Card. Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, for the 2005 Good Friday observance at The Colosseum in Rome.
Saint Alphonus Liguori.
Blessed John Henry Newman.
Saint Francis of Assisi (according to the method . . . )
Silverstream Priory – The Way Of The Cross For Priests.

There are two versions of "The Way" by Saint Alphonsus Liguori. One is plain with just my voice. The other is the same voice recording, but with The Gregorian Chant Sequence Stabat Mater interlaced between The Stations.

There are two versions of "The Way", by Saint Alphonsus Liguori. One is plain, with just my voice. The other is the same voice recording but with the Gregorian chant Sequence Stabat Mater interlaced between The Stations.


 The Way Of The Cross For Priests [ 24:00 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (80)

 Stations of the Cross - Joseph Ratzinger (Good Friday 2005) [ 1:05:40 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (28051)

 Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori [ 35:43 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (14045)

 Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori (with chant) [ 34:16 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (23256)

 Stations of the Cross by Bl. John Henry Newman [ 50:42 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (7490)

 Stations of the Cross according to the method of St Francis of Assisi [ 42:43 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (268)


You can gain a Plenary Indulgence, under the usual conditions of Confession and Communion, within a few days of the work, and detachment even from Venial Sin. From The Handbook of Indulgences:

63. Exercise of The Way of The Cross (Viae Crucis exercitium).

A Plenary Indulgence is granted to The Faithful, who make the pious exercise of The Way of The Cross.

The gaining of the Plenary Indulgence is regulated by the following norms:

The pious exercise must be made before Stations of The Way of The Cross, legitimately erected.

For the erection of The Way of The Cross, Fourteen Crosses are required, to which it is customary to add Fourteen Pictures, or, Images, which represent The Stations of Jerusalem.


According to the more common practice, the pious exercise consists of Fourteen Pious Readings, to which some vocal Prayers are added. However, nothing more is required than a pious Meditation on The Passion and Death of The Lord, which need not be a particular consideration of the individual Mysteries of The stations.

A movement from one Station to the next is required.

I believe that, if you follow The Holy Father’s Way of The Cross on Good Friday, even by television, the Indulgence is available.

If the pious exercise is made publicly and if it is not possible for all taking part to go in an orderly way from Station to Station, it suffices if, at least, the one conducting the exercise goes from Station to Station, the others remaining in their place.


Those who are “impeded” can gain the same Indulgence, if they spend at least one half an hour in pious Reading and Meditation on The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

For those belonging to Eastern Rites, among whom this pious exercise is not practiced, the respective Patriarchs can determine some other pious exercise in memory of The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ for the gaining of this Indulgence.


Meanwhile, from a reader last year . . .

Just a quick note to say thank you for providing your recordings of The Stations of The Cross. I am completely blind and had committed to making this part of my Lenten practices, only to have the Braille display, from which I read promptly, die. I had been struggling to find a recording of Saint Alphonsus’ version.

May God bless you !

If these recordings are helpful to you, please say a Prayer for me, especially if you use The Way Of The Cross For Priests.

Friday Of The Second Week In Lent. The Lenten Station Is The Basilica Of Saint Vitalis (San Pietro-in-Vincoli).




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

Friday of The Second Week in Lent.
   Station at Saint Vitalis's.


Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.




The High Altar,
Santi Vitalis,
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 A.D., which was dedicated to 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).

Mass: Ego autem.



The Basilica of San Vitalis (Rome), with a Christmas Crib set up in the middle of the Nave.
This Church is 5th-Century A.D. in origin, but
underwent renovations 
in the 15th-Century and 17th-Century.
Photo: January 2006.
Author: Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is taken from http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/San Vitale.

San Vitalis 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 A.D. 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 de-populated 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 Vitalis, Rome.
Italiano: Roma, porta d'accesso alla basilica di San Vitale.
Photo: June 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Gregorovius
(Wikimedia Commons)

It seems that a small Church was built on the site at the end of the 4th-Century A.D., 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 Vitalis in 402 A.D.
Date: 5th-Century A.D.
Source: http://cckswong.tripod.com/pope1_50.htm ("Pope's Photo Gallery")
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)

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. However, it was then transferred to The Jesuits, in 1598, by Pope Clement VIII. They carried out a complete restoration, and used it mainly as a subsidiary Church for their Novitiate, based at Sant'Andrea al Quirinale. It is clear that the Church lacked a Pastoral Function at the time.



English: Interior of the Basilica of Saint Vitalis, Rome.
Italiano: Roma, interno della basilica d San Vitale.
Photo: 23 May 2016.
Source: Own work.
Author: Gaux.
(Wikimedia Commons)

It was restored again in 1859 and has been served by Diocesan Clergy since 1873. 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.

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 1937-1938, the Narthex being restored to its original condition, and was again renovated in 1960.



English: Basilica of Saints Vitalis, Valeris, Gervase and Protase.
Italiano: 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 King 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 A.D. 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 Coat-of-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 roof line 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.


who was Martyred by King Henry VIII of England during The Reformation,
was the Titular of Saint Vitalis in 1535 A.D.
Date: 1497 - 1543.
(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.


Coat-of-Arms.

English: The House of Della Rovere.
Royal Family.
Rulers of Urbino, Italy.
Motto: Fortune Favours The Bold
(Latin: Audaces juvat).
The High Altar of the Basilica of Saint Vitalis is decorated with
The Arms of The Della Rovere Family.
Français: la famille Della Rovere souverains d'Urbin en Italie.
Italiano: famiglia Della Rovere, signori di Urbino, Italia.

Blazon:

English: Azure, a durmast oak Or with the branches put in saltire.
Français: d'azur au rouvre d'or aux rameaux passés en sautoir.
Italiano: d'azzurro, al rovere d'oro con i rami passati in decusse.
Date: 18 March 2007.
Image created for The Blazon Project of the French Wikipedia.
Source: Own work.
Author: ℍenry.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The House of Della Rovere (literally "Of The Oak Tree") was a noble family of Italy. Coming from modest beginnings in Savona, Liguria, the family rose to prominence through nepotism and ambitious marriages arranged by two Della Rovere Popes, Francesco Della Rovere (Pope Sixtus IV )
(1471–1484) and his nephew, Giuliano (Pope Julius II) (1503–1513). Pope Sixtus IV built The Sistine Chapel, which is named after him. The Basilica San Pietro-in-Vincoli, in Rome, is The Family Church of The Della Rovere.

Guidobaldo da Montefeltro adopted Francesco Maria I Della Rovere, his sister's child and nephew of Pope Julius II.

Guidobaldo I, who was heirless, called Francesco Maria to his Court, and named him as heir of
The Duchy of Urbino, in 1504, this through the intercession of Pope Julius II. In 1508, Francesco Maria inherited the Duchy, thereby starting The Line of Rovere Dukes of Urbino. That dynasty
ended in 1626, when Pope Urban VIII incorporated Urbino into The Papal Dominions.


As compensation to the last Sovereign Duke, the Title only could be continued by Francesco Maria II, and, after his death, by his heir, Federico Ubaldo.

Vittoria, last descendant of The Della Rovere family (she was the only child of Federico Ubaldo), married Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. They had two children: Cosimo III, Tuscany's longest reigning Monarch, and Francesco Maria de' Medici, a Prince of The Church.

The walls of the Basilica 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 Saint 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.

Thursday 16 March 2017

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




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

Thursday of The Second Week in Lent.
   Station at Saint Mary's-Beyond-The-Tiber.

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 A.D. 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 in 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).

Mass: Deus, in adjutórium.




The Apse,
Basilica of Santa Maria-in-Trastevere,
Rome, Italy.
Photo: April 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Goldmund100
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia.

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 A.D.. In 1140-1143, 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, re-used 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 depictions.

The predecessor of the present Church was probably built in the Early-4th-Century A.D., 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 mortal remains of Pope Callixtus I (+222 A.D.) are preserved under The High Altar.




Pope Pius IV promulgating The Bull "Benedictus Deus".
Artist: Pasquale Cati.
Fresco (1588).
The Altemps Chapel,
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 A.D. 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.
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