Saturday Of The Fourth Week In Lent. Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Nicholas-In-Prison (San Nicola-In-Carcere).

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

Saturday of The Fourth Week in Lent.
   Station at Saint Nicholas-in-Prison (San Nicola-in-Carcere).

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica of Saint Nicholas-in-Prison (San Nicola-in-Carcere), Rome, Italy.

Català: San Nicola in Carcere és una església a Roma, Italia.

Italiano: San Nicola in Carcere è una chiesa di Roma.

Español: San Nicola in Carcere es una iglesia en Roma, Italia.

Deutsch: San Nicola in Carcere ist eine Kirche in Rom.

Photo: March 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: sailko.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is at a Church built on the ruins of three pagan temples and Consecrated to Saint Nicholas. It is called "in Carcere" because, in former times, it had a dungeon.

Here are Venerated the Remains of The Holy Martyrs; Mark, Marcellinus, Faustinus, Simplicius, Beatrice. The Remains are contained in an ancient urn, placed under The High Altar. The Interior of the Church, in the form of a Basilica, is very harmonious.

Interior of San Nicola-in-Carcere.

Photo: http://www.romaspqr.it/ROMA/CHIESE/

FOTO%20Medievali/s_nicola_carcere003.htm

Interior of Saint Nicholas-in-Prison

(San Nicola-in-Carcere).

Photo: http://www.romaspqr.it/roma/CHIESE/

FOTO%20Medievali/s_nicola_in_carcere007.htm

However, before the 8th-Century A.D., The Lenten Station was kept at Saint Laurence "in Lucina"; this is why so many allusions to "Light" are made in this Mass. Water is also often mentioned; it reminds the Catechumens of The Water of Baptism for which they are longing; besides, it alludes also to the fact that The Stational Procession, coming from the Church of Sant'Angelo "Piscium Venditor" (at Castel Sant'Angelo) had to walk along the River Tiber.

A side-view of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas-in-Prison (San Nicola-in-Carcere).

Photo: August 2007.

Source: San Nicola-in-Carcere

Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de

Author: Cristian Martinez

from Mexico City, Mexico.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Isaias, from whom the Introit and the Epistle of the Mass are taken, sees hastening from all sides the Catechumens and Public Penitents who are waiting with Holy Impatience for The Easter Feast, when, at last, their Souls may quench their thirst in The Springs of Grace through The Sacraments of Baptism and Penance.

They were in darkness and Jesus gives them Light (Epistle), for He tells us, in the Gospel, that He is The Light of The World and that he who follows Him walketh not in darkness, but in The Light of Life.

[Jesus was at Jerusalem, at the beginning of the third year of His public ministry, to assist at The Feast of Tabernacles. Two large "Sconces" [Editor: A Sconce is a type of Light Fixture affixed to a wall, in such a way that it uses only the wall for support, and the Light is usually directed upwards, but not always], lighted in the temple, could be seen from the whole City of Jerusalem. It was then that Jesus declared Himself to be The Light of The World].

Let us also, by Penance, cast out sin from our hearts, and let us ask Christ to fill them with The Light of His Grace.

Mass: Sitiéntes.

The Minor Basilica of Saint Nicholas-in-Prison

(San Nicola-in-Carcere), Rome, Italy.

Photo: April 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/San_Nicola_in_Carcere

San Nicola-in-Carcere, Rome, is a Church Dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, the Patron Saint of Sailors and of Children, and the remote cause of the phenomenon of Santa Claus. It is a Minor Basilica and a Titular Church, and is also the Regional Church for those people from Puglia and Lucania living in Rome. However, it is no longer a Parish Church. The address is Via del Teatro di Marcello 46 in the rione Ripa, just north of the Bocca del Verità.

The Left Aisle of the Minor Basilica of Saint Nicholas-in-Prison

(San Nicola-in-Carcere, Rome, Italy.

Photo: http://www.romaspqr.it/roma/CHIESE/

FOTO%20Medievali/s_nicola_in_carcere009.htm

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Church, is that it incorporates the remains of three temples of The Republican Era (2nd-Century B.C.), which used to stand in a row, side by side in the ancient Forum Holitorium, with their entrances facing East. It is difficult to determine, from the extant sources, which temple was dedicated to which divinity, but the consensus is as follows.
The Northernmost was dedicated to Janus, and had two rows of six Ionic Columns of Peperino at the Entrance and eight Columns down each side. Two Columns survive to the North, and seven Columns to the South, embedded with their Architrave in the Church's North Wall. Well-preserved parts of the Podium also survive in the Crypt.

Basilica of Saint Nicholas-in-Prison (San Nicola-in-Carcere), Rome, Italy.

The two Columns, standing on the Left of the picture, are "Peperino Columns".

Photo: July 2008.

Source: Own Work.

Author: Jensens.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The site of the middle temple is occupied by the Church; the temple was dedicated to Juno Sospita and was in the Ionic Style. Three Columns survive (out of six Columns), embedded in the façade, and other Remains exist in the Crypt and also at the end of the Left Aisle.

The Southern, much smaller, temple was dedicated to Spes ("Hope" personified as a goddess). It was in the Doric Style, with six Columns at the Entrance and eleven Columns down each side. Seven Columns of the North Side are embedded in the South Wall of the Church.

There used to be a fourth temple, just to the North, the temple of Pietas, built by Manius Acilius Glabrio, who was Consul in 191 B.C., but this was demolished for the construction of the Theatre of Marcellus.

English: The Minor Basilica of Saint Nicholas-in-Prison

(San Nicola-in-Carcere), Rome, Italy, with Roman Relics attached.

German: San Nicola-in-Carcere (Rom) mit altrömischen Relikten.

Photo: May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

How the three temples became a Church is completely obscure. A surmise is that the middle temple was converted into a Church in the 6th-Century A.D., but there is no documentary evidence at all. The name "Carcere", meaning "prison", is also puzzling. There is a reference, in Pliny, which reads: " . . . Templo Pietatis exstructo in illius carceris sede ubi nunc Marcelli theatro est" ("The Temple of Piety was built on the site of the prison, where the Theatre of Marcellus now is"), but, if this is the same prison, it requires a memory of it to have persisted for at least seven hundred years.

The High Altar,

Basilica of San Nicola-in-Carcere,

Rome, Italy.

Photo: http://www.romaspqr.it/roma/CHIESE/

FOTO%20Medievali/s_nicola_in_carcere011.htm

Alternatively, one of the temples could have been used as a prison during periods of civic disorder during the Early-Dark Ages, such as the Sacking of the City by Barbarians in the 5th-Century A.D., or The Gothic Wars in the 6th-Century A.D. Citizens may have been imprisoned in order to extort ransoms. However, these theories again have no documentary evidence. The puzzle of the name caused people in The Middle Ages to mistake the Church for the site of The Mamertine Prison.

The first certain reference is from 1128 A.D, attested by a Plaque in the Church recalling its rebuilding and Consecration. The Inscription is not easy to read, and the Diocese has the year as 1088 A.D. The Dedication to Saint Nicholas was perhaps as a result of the Greek population, then living in the area, as the Saint has always been popular in The Byzantine Rite. However, he has long been popular in The West, as well, and his Shrine is at Bari (which is why this is the Puglian Regional Church).

Basilica of Saint Nicholas-in-Prison

(San Nicola-in-Carcere), Rome, Italy.

Photo: July 2006.

Source: Flickr

Author: Patrick Denker

Reviewer: Mac9.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 11th-Century, the Church was known as San Nicola Petrus Leonis, referring to the Convert Jewish Pierleoni family, who rebuilt the nearby Theatre of Marcellus as a fortress. (They became famous Roman Patricians in The Middle Ages.) It was re-modelled in 1599, when the present Mannerist façade was added, and restored in the 19th-Century on the orders of Pope Pius IX.

In the 20th-Century, the edifice almost succumbed to the nationalist passion for excavating and exposing the surviving architectural Remains of The Roman Empire. The surrounding buildings, many of them Mediaeval, were demolished, leaving the Church isolated. When Mussolini 's grandiose Via del Mare road scheme was executed, the present wide road was pushed through at a much lower level than the original street, and hence the Church is now only accessible in front by steps.

An engraving, by Vasi, shows the "Streetscape" before all this destruction (see the "Romeartlover" external link at "Romeartlover" web-page with Vasi engraving "Roma Sotteranea" web-page). A further unfortunate result was that the surrounding area was depopulated (few people live around here, even now), and this left the ancient Parish unviable. The Parish was Suppressed in 1931, and the Church made dependent on Santa Maria-in-Campitelli.

An image depicting the position of the present Basilica

in relation to the original three Roman Republican-era temples.

Image: REVEALED ROME

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.

Laetare Sunday. Church Of The Holy Cross, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Rose Vestments in use at Divine Holy Mass

on Laetare Sunday 

at the 

Church of The Holy Cross, Vilnius, Lithuania

Illustration: NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

Church of The Holy Cross, Vilnius, Lithuania.

To the West of the President’s Office, in Vilnius, is the Church of The Holy Cross, built on the site of the Martyrdom of a group of Franciscan Friars in the 14th-Century. In the 16th-Century, a Gothic Chapel of The Holy Cross was built here by the Bishop of Vilnius, Povilas Alšėniškis.

Soon, the adjoining house was converted into a Baroque Church, which was given to The Bonifari.

The Bonifari Church was famous for the Well in its basement, whose water had wonder-working healing powers (especially for eyes) and the painting of Saint Mary Snow (Bonifari Mother of God) on The High Altar, which was said to have miracle –working powers.

In 1976, under the Communists, the Church was converted into a concert hall, and known as the Small Baroque Hall. Nowadays, the Church has been returned to The Catholic Church.

Caption and Illustration: VILNIUS - TOURISM

Friday Of The Fourth Week In Lent. Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Eusebius.

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

Friday of The Fourth Week in Lent.
   Station at Saint Eusebius's.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica of Saint Eusebius, Rome.

Français: Eglise de Sant'Eusebio all'Esquillino

sur la via Napoleone III à Rome.

Photo: April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Lenten Station is at the Sanctuary erected on the site of the house where Saint Eusebius, an ardent defender of The Faith against Arius, died a Martyr. In the 5th-Century A.D., it was one of the twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome. This Sanctuary may have been chosen in which to read the Epistle and Gospel relating to Resurrections, since it is situated near the Great Cemetery of The Esquiline.

As in The Mass of yesterday, the Epistle and Gospel tell us of a Double Resurrection, an image of that which was to operate in the Souls of Catechumens and Public Penitents at The Easter Festival, and in the Souls of sinners during The Season of Lent.

The Glory of Saint Eusebius.

Artist: Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779).

Date: 1757.

Current location: The Ceiling of Chiesa di Sant'Eusebio,

Rome (Church of Saint Eusebius, Rome).

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Both the widow of Sarepta, who went to Eliseus, and the mother who had recourse to Elias, represent the Gentiles, as they were both of heathen Race. Our Souls have, through the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance, shared in The Resurrection of Him Who is "The Life" (Gospel).

English: The High Altar, 

Basilica of Saint Eusebius, Rome.

Italiano: Roma, sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino: 

altar maggiore.

Photo: October 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the same way, the bodily death of the son of the widow of Naim, and that of Lazarus represent the Spiritual death of our Souls, caused by grievous sin. Penance restores them to life and brings them under the supernatural influence of Him Who is "The Resurrection" (Gospel).

By Prayer and Penance, let us provide for our Spiritual interests (Collect).

Mass: Meditátio cordis.

English: Basilica of Saint Eusebius, Rome, Italy.

Deutsch: Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino, Kirche in Rom, Italien.

Italiano: Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino, chiesa a Roma, Italia.

Français: Sant'Eusebio all'Esquilino, église à Rome, Italie.

Photo: November 2010.

Source: Own work.

Original Image: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sant%27

Eusebio_interno_01_(Claudius_Ziehr).jpg

Uniform Resource Identifier http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/legalcode

Author: © Claudius Ziehr.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Sant'Eusebio is a Basilica Church in Rome, devoted to Saint Eusebius of Rome, a 4th-Century A.D. Martyr, and built in the Monti rione, District of Rome.

The Church is first mentioned in 474 A.D., by an inscription in The Catacombs of Saints Marcellino e Pietro ad duas Lauros, and recorded as the "Titulus Eusebii" in The Acts of The 499 A.D. Synod. It was Consecrated "in honorem beatorum Eusebii et Vincentii" by Pope Gregory IX, after the restoration of 1238. The Romanesque Style, dating back to this restoration, survived the restorations of the 17th-, 18th- and 20th-Centuries. The Titulus S. Eusebii is held by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston in Texas, USA.

The Interior is separated into a Nave with two flanking Aisles. The present design dates to 1600, by Onorio Longhi, who restored the Presbytery, High Altar, and Choir. The Ceiling fresco is a Neo-Classical masterpiece of Anton Raphael Mengs, depicting The Glory of Sant’Eusebio (1757). Other paintings in the Church are attributed to Giuseppe Passeri (Central Nave Window), Andreas Ruthart (Choir), Baldassarre Croce (Jesus, Mary, and Saints near The High Altar), Cesare Rossetti (Crucifix at The High Altar, facing Choir), Pompeo Bastoni (Madonna and Bambino near The High Altar) and Francesco Solimena.

"Bless The Lord, O My Soul". "Blahoslovy Dushe Moya Hospoda".

Chapel Court, Jesus College, Cambridge.

Photo: 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jesusgreen.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Jesus College Choir, Cambridge,

sings "Blahoslovy Dushe Moya Hospoda".

Composer: Kirill Stetsenko (1882-1922).

The Mixed Choir of Jesus College Cambridge sing 'Blahoslovy dushe moya hospoda'

(Bless The Lord, O My Soul), by the Ukrainian composer Kirill Stetsenko.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

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

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

Thursday of The Fourth Week in Lent.
   Station at The Church of Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica of Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin, 

Rome, Italy,

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

Italiano: San 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 A.D. In the 6th-Century A.D., 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 Saint Charles Borromeo

(San Carlo Borromeo).

Artist: Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (1548 - 1608).

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

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

Source/Photographer: http://www.arteecarte.it/archivio/

arteecarte_n.13/diocesano.php

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

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 the Basilica of Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin

(San Martino-ai-Monti).

Artist:

 François Marius Granet (1806).

(Permission from www.wga.hu)

Date: 19 November 2005 (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).

Mass: Laetétur cor.

Interior of the Basilica of Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin

(San Martino-ai-Monti,)

Rome, Italy.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia -the free encyclopaedia.

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 Equitius (hence the name of Titulus Equitii), in the 4th-Century A.D. 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.

The Basilica of Saint Sylvester and Saint Martin

(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 A.D. 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 have 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 Commons)

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 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 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 the Tiara of Pope Saint Sylvester I. Under The High Altar are preserved the Relics of Saint Artemius, Saint Paulina, and Saint Sisinnius, brought here from the Catacomb of Priscilla. A mosaic, portraying The Madonna with Pope Saint Sylvester I, is from the 6th-Century A.D.

Solemn High Mass In The Dominican Rite. Feast Day Of Saint Vincent Ferrer. Wednesday, 5 April 2017. 1900 hrs. Church Of Saint Vincent Ferrer, New York City.

Text and Illustration: NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

In honour of The Patronal Feast Day of Saint Vincent Ferrer, a Solemn High Mass in The Dominican Rite will be offered on Wednesday, 5 April 2017 at 7:00 p.m., at the Church of Saint Vincent Ferrer, New York City, located at 869 Lexington Avenue and East 66th Street, New York City 10065.

The Church’s Schola Cantorum will sing a very nice selection of polyphony:

Missa Sancti Wilhelmi devotio, by John Taverner (1490-1545);

In dedicatione templi, by Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594);

Quod autem cecidit, by Manuel Cardoso (1566-1650).