"When I Walked Into Penn Station, I Felt Like A Queen". The Rise And Fall Of Penn Station, New York.

Penn Railroad Station From Gimbel's N.Y. (LOC) Bain News Service, publisher.

Pennsylvania Station from Gimbel's in 1911. Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress). Subjects:N.Y. Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

Repository: Library of Congress,

Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

General information about the Bain Collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain.

Date: 1941.

This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's.

Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ggbain.09705.

Author: Bain News Service.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Rise And Fall Of Penn Station, New York.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

PBS American Experience is a Documentary on American history,

consistently among the best shows on television.

The Pennsylvania Railroad successfully accomplished the enormous engineering feat of building tunnels under New York City's Hudson and East Rivers, connecting the Railroad to New York

and New England, knitting together the entire Eastern half of The United States.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station, or Penn Station, is the main Inter-City Railroad Station in New York City. Serving more than 600,000 Commuter Rail and Amtrak passengers a day, it is the busiest passenger transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere.

Penn Station is in the Mid-Town area of Manhattan, close to Herald Square, The Empire State Building, Koreatown, and Macy's Department Store. Entirely underground, it sits beneath Madison Square Garden, between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue, and between 31st and 34th Streets.

Penn Station has twenty-one Tracks, fed by seven Tunnels (the two Hudson River Tunnels, the four East River Tunnels, and the single Empire Connection Tunnel).

The main Waiting Room at Penn Station, New York City.

Date: Circa 1911. Uploaded by User:Morven on 26 November 2004.

Source: Unknown.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

It is at the centre of The Northeast Corridor, a Passenger Rail Line that connects New York City with Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and intermediate points. Inter-City Trains are operated by Amtrak, which owns the Station, while Commuter Rail Services are operated by The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and New Jersey Transit. Connections are available within the complex to The New York City Subway, and Buses. The old "Hilton Corridor", formerly provided Indoor Connection with PATH Trains.

The original Pennsylvania Station was built from 1901 to 1910 by The Pennsylvania Railroad, and featured an ornate marble and granite Station House and Train Shed, inspired by The Gare d'Orsay, Paris (the World's first electrified Rail Terminal).

After a decline in passenger usage during the 1950s, the original Station was demolished and

re-constructed from 1963 to 1969, resulting in the current Station. Future plans for Penn Station include The Gateway Project, and the possibility of shifting some Trains to the adjacent Farley Post Office, a building designed by the same architects as the original 1910 Station.

Tuesday Of The Fourth Week In Lent. The Lenten Station Is At The Basilica Of Saint Laurence's-in-Damaso.

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

Tuesday of The Fourth Week in Lent.

Station at Saint Laurence's-in-Damaso.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

Basilica of Saint Laurence's-in-Damaso (San Lorenzo-in-Damaso), 

Rome, Italy.

The Lenten Stational Church for 

The Tuesday of The Fourth Week in Lent.

(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 A.D., by Pope Saint Damasus, in honour of the celebrated Deacon, the Martyr, Saint Laurence. This Sanctuary, in the 5th-Century A.D., 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).

Mass: Exáudi, Deus.

The Entrance

of San Lorenzo-in-Damaso, 

Rome, 

incorporated into the Palazzo della Cancelleria.

Photo: September 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

San Lorenzo-in-Damaso (Saint Laurence in the House of Damasus) is a Basilica Church in Rome, one of several Dedicated to the Roman Deacon and Martyr, Saint Laurence. Known since antiquity (The 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 Laurence-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. 

he smaller door, in the centre,

is the entrance to

The Minor Basilica of Saint Laurence's-in-Damaso (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. To the Right of the 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.

Monday Of The Fourth Week In Lent. Lenten Station At The Basilica Of The Four Holy Crowned Martyrs (Santi Quattro Coronati).

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

Monday of The Fourth Week in Lent.

Station at The Four Holy Crowned Martyrs.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

The First Courtyard, with The Guard Tower, 

of The Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati

(The Four Holy Crowned Martyrs), 

Rome, Italy.

Photo: November 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is on Mount Caelius, in a Church erected in the 7th-Century A.D. in honour of The Four Officers of The Roman Army, who, having refused to adore a statue of Aesculapius, received The Crown of Martyrdom. These were "The Four Crowned Ones", whose Relics are Venerated in this Sanctuary, together with the head of the Martyr, Saint Sebastian, an Officer of The Army of Emperor Diocletian. This Basilica was one of twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome in the 5th-Century A.D.

The Epistle relates to us the famous Judgement of Solomon. One of the two women who appealed to his justice, having suffocated her child, whilst asleep, was jealous of her rival, whose son was living. She represents the Synagogue, whose rulers, by their indifference, had stifled Religious Life in Israel and who were jealous of the Gentiles, to whom the Church had given life through Baptism and Penance. Penitents and Catechumens prepared themselves for Baptism and Penance during Lent. Let us also prepare ourselves for our Easter Confession.

The Wisdom of Solomon, admired by the whole World, is a figure of the wisdom of the true Solomon, whose doctrine comes to regenerate the world. The Gospel of today establishes another superiority of Jesus over His Royal Ancestor: Solomon had built a Temple, rich beyond compare. Jesus, speaking of His Own Body, throws this challenge to His enemies: "Destroy this Temple, and in Three Days I will raise It up." He Rises, indeed, The Third Day after His Death. From The Church, His Mystical Body, He drives out the unworthy, as He had driven out The Sellers from the Temple, and receives into it all those who believe in Him.

Let us make ourselves pleasing to God, in body and in Soul, by the Religious Observance of The Holy Practices of Lent.

Mass: Deus, in nómine.

The Internal Courtyard 

of The Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati

(The Four Holy Crowned Martyrs), 

Rome, Italy.

Photo: September 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Santi Quattro Coronati is an ancient Minor Basilica in Rome. The original Church dates back to the 4th- or 5th-Century A.D., and is devoted to four anonymous Saints and Martyrs. The complex of the Basilica, with its two Courtyards, the fortified Cardinal Palace with the Saint Sylvester Chapel, and the Monastery, with its cosmatesque Cloister, is built in a silent and green part of Rome, between the Colosseum and San Giovanni-in-Laterano.

"Santi Quattro Coronati" means "The Four Holy Crowned Ones" [i.e. Martyrs], and refers to the fact that the Saints' names are not known, and therefore referred to with their number, and that they were Martyrs, since the Crown, together with the Branches of Palm, is an ancient symbol of Martyrdom.

According to The Passion of Saint Sebastian, The Four Saints were Soldiers, who refused to sacrifice to Aesculapius, and therefore were killed by order of Emperor Diocletian (284 A.D. - 305 A.D.). The bodies of the Martyrs were buried in the Cemetery of Santi Marcellino e Pietro, on the fourth mile of via Labicana, by Pope Miltiades and Saint Sebastian (whose Skull is preserved in the Church). Pope Miltiades decided that the Martyrs should be Venerated with the names of Claudius, Nicostratus, Simpronianus and Castorius. The bodies of the Martyrs are kept in four ancient Sarcophagi in the Crypt. According to a lapid, dated 1123, the Head of one of The Four Martyrs is buried in Santa Maria-in-Cosmedin.

Tradition holds the first Church was begun by Pope Miltiades in the 4th-Century A.D., on the North Side of The Caelian Hill. One of the first Churches of Rome, it bore the Titulus "Aemilianae", from the name of the Foundress, who probably owned the elaborate Roman villa, whose structure is evident under the Church. The Church was completed at the end of the 6th-Century A.D., and, because of its proximity to the Mediaeval Papal residence of The Lateran Palace, it became prominent in its day.

The first renovations occurred under Pope Leo IV (847 A.D. - 855 A.D.), who built the Crypt under the Nave, added Side Aisles, enclosed the Courtyard before the facade, and built the Bell-Tower and the Chapels of Saint Barbara and Saint Nicholas. The Basilica, Carolingian in Style, was ninety-five metres long and fifty metres wide.

The Basilica of 

The Four Holy Crowned Martyrs, 

Rome, Italy.

Photo: May 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Church, however, was burned to the ground by Robert Guiscard's Troops during the Norman Sack of Rome (1084). Instead of re-building the original Basilica to scale, Pope Paschal II built a smaller Basilica with two Courtyards, one in front of the other; the first corresponding to the original 9th-Century A.D. Courtyard, while the second was sited over the initial part of the Nave. The two Aisles were included in The Cardinal Palace and in The Benedictine Monastery, Founded by Pope Paschal II. The original Apse of The Basilica, however, was preserved, and seems over-sized for the new Church, whose Nave was divided into three parts by means of Columns. The new Church was Consecrated on 20 January 1116. In 1338, it was a possession of Sassovivo Abbey.

English: Sassovivo Abbey, Perugia, Italy.

This Abbey owned The Basilica of 

The Four Holy Crowned Martyrs in 1338.

Italiano: Abbazia di Sassovivo,

Foligno, Perugia, Umbria, Italy.

Photo: September 2007.

Source: File:Vista abbazia.JPG.

This File: 29 September 2007.

User: Cantalamessa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 13th-Century, a Cosmatesque Cloister was added. Cosmatesque, or Cosmati, is a Style of geometric decorative inlay stonework, typical of Mediaeval Italy, and especially of Rome and its surroundings. It was used most extensively for the decoration of Church floors, but was also used to decorate Church Walls, Pulpits, and Bishop's Thrones. The name derives from the Cosmati, the leading family workshop of Marble Craftsmen in Rome, who created such geometrical decorations. The style spread across Europe, where it was used in the most prestigious Churches; The High Altar of Westminster Abbey, for example, is decorated with a Cosmatesque Marble Floor.

The Cardinal Palace was enlarged by Cardinal Stefano Conti, a nephew of Pope Innocent III. Cardinal Conti also transformed the Palace into a Fortress, to shelter Popes in The Lateran during the Conflict with the Hohenstaufen Emperors. In 1247, the Chapel of Saint Sylvester, on the Ground Floor of the Fortress, was Consecrated; it contains frescoes depicting stories of Pope Silvester I and Emperor Constantine I. Painted in the backdrop of political struggles between Pope Innocent IV and the freshly-Excommunicated Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, the frescoes are meant to underscore the desired Sovereignty of The Church (Pope Silvester I) over the Empire (Emperor Constantine).

In the 13th-Century, a Cosmatesque Cloister was added 

to The Basilica

of The Four Holy Crowned Martyrs (Santi Quattro Coronati).

Above, a Cosmatesque Screen, 

Basilica di San Giovanni-in-Laterano, 

Rome, Italy.

Photo: September 2005.

Source: http://flickr.com/photos/antmoose/42276311/.

Author: Anthony Majanlahti.

(Wikimedia Commons)

When the Popes moved to Avignon (14th-Century), the Cardinal Palace fell into ruin. Thus, upon the return of the Popes to Rome, with Pope Martin V, a Restoration was necessary. However, when The Papal Residence moved from The Lateran to The Vatican Palace, this Basilica lost importance. In 1564, Pope Pius IV entrusted The Basilica and the buildings to The Augustinians, who still serve it.

The interest in the history of this complex renewed in 1913, thanks to the work of The Fine Arts Superintendent Antonio Muñoz. Once the building became an orphanage, The Augustinian Nuns put a revolving drum by its entrance, which was used as a "Deposit Box" for unwanted babies.

The Apse contains the frescoes (1630) by Giovanni da San Giovanni of The Four Patron Martyr Saints. The Altarpiece on the Left Nave, of San Sebastiano curato da Lucina e Irene, was painted by Giovanni Baglione. The Second Courtyard holds the Entrance to The Oratorio di San Silvestro, with frescoes of Mediaeval origin, as well as others by Raffaellino da Reggio.

Pope Pius IV 

(Pope from 1559-1565) 

entrusted The Basilica to The Augustinians.

Source: English Wikipedia.

Santi Quattro Coronati has belonged to The Titular Churches of Rome from at least the end of the 6th-Century A.D. Among the previous Titulars are Pope Leo IV (847 A.D.), King Henry of Portugal, who, in 1580, donated the magnificent Wooden Ceiling, and Pope Benedict XV (1914). The full list is known only from The Pontificate of Gregory VII (1073-1085).

In 2002, art historian Andreina Draghi discovered an amazing display of frescoes, dating back to the 13th-Century, while restoring The Gothic Hall of The Monastery. Most of the scenes were well preserved under a thick layer of plaster, and represented The Twelve Months, The Liberal Arts, The Four Seasons and The Zodiac. The image of King Solomon, a pious judge, painted on the Northern Wall, led scholars to argue the room was meant to be a Hall of Justice. Plaster was possibly laid after the 1348 Black Death for hygienic reasons, or, perhaps in the 15th-Century, when the Camaldolese left the Monastery.

The Fourth Sunday In Lent. Lenten Station At The Basilica Of The Holy Cross-In-Jerusalem.

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

The Fourth Sunday in Lent.

Station at The Church of The Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Semi-Double.

Privilege of The First Class.

Violet, or Rose, Vestments.

English: Basilica of The Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem.

Italiano: Basilica di Santa Croce-in-Gerusalemme, Rome.

Latin: Basilica Sanctae Crucis-in-Hierusalem.

One of the masterpieces of the "Barochetto Romano",

by Pietro Passalacqua and Domenico Gregorini, from 1743.

Photo: February 2006.

Source: facade, s. croce in gerusalemme.

Author: Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

During this week, the history of Moses is read by The Church in The Divine Office, in which two main lines of thought are summarised. On the one hand, we see Moses rescuing God's people from the bondage of Egypt and bringing them safely across The Red Sea. On the other, we see him nourishing them with Manna in the desert; foretelling to them that God will send "The Prophet" (Gospel), in other words, The Messias; giving them The Law of Sinai; and leading them towards The Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey. There, one day, Jerusalem (Communion) will rise from the ground with its Temple made after the pattern of The Tabernacle in the desert, and thither will the tribes of Israel go up to sing of what God has done for His people (Introit, Gradual, Communion). "Let my people go, that they may sacrifice to Me in the desert," said God to Pharao, through Moses.

In today's Mass, we see how these types have been fulfilled. For the true Moses is Christ, Who has delivered us from the bondage of sin (ibid.); and made us pass through The Waters of Baptism; Who feeds us with His Eucharist, of which the multiplication of the loaves is a type, and Who has brought us into the true Jerusalem, The Church, Figure of Heaven, where we shall sing forever the "Canticle of Moses and of The Lamb (Apocalypse) in thanksgiving to The Lord for His Infinite Mercies to us.

It is, therefore, quite natural that The Station, today, should be made in Rome at The Church of The Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem. For Saint Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, who lived on Mount Coelius, in a Palace known as The Sessorian Mansion, with the purpose of placing there some Relics of The True Cross, converted it into a Sanctuary, which in some sense represents Jerusalem in Rome.

Basilica di Santa Croce-in-Gerusalemme, 

Rome, Italy.

Photo: September 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Introit, Communion, and Tract, speak to us of Jerusalem, compared to Mount Sinai by Saint Paul in the Epistle for today. There, will the Christian people best raise their song of joy, "Laetare" (Introit, Epistle) on account of the victory won by Our Lord on The Cross at Jerusalem, and there, most easily, will be roused the memory of The Heavenly Jerusalem, whose Gates have been opened to us by The Death of Christ.

It is for this reason, that, formerly on this day, it was the custom, in this same Church, Solemnly to Bless a Rose, the Queen of Flowers. For, as we are reminded by the forms used for the Blessing, in the Traditional practice of Christian iconography, Heaven is usually represented by a Garden, beautiful with flowers. For this Blessing, Rose-Coloured Vestments were used, and on this day a Priest may Celebrate Mass and The Office in Vestments of this colour.

Rose-coloured Vestments can be worn on Laetare Sunday

(Fourth Sunday in Lent) and Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday in Advent).

Image: BLESSED JOHN HENRY NEWMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Hence, this custom was extended to The Third Sunday of Advent, "Gaudete", or, "Rejoicing" Sunday, which, coming in the middle of Advent, stimulates us with a Holy Joy, to continue with courage our toilsome preparation for The Coming of The Lord. And, in its turn, "Laetare", also "Rejoicing" Sunday, is a halting place in the midst of The Lenten Observance.

English: The Ceiling, 

Basilica of The Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem, 

Rome, Italy.

Italiano: Santa Croce-in-Gerusalemme (Rome).

Painting by Corrado Giaquinto, from 1744,

"The Virgin presents Saint Helena and Emperor Constantine to The Trinity".

Photo: February 2006.

Source: nave painting, s. croce in gerusalemme

Author: Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Here, in The Church of Calvary at Rome, that is, of The Cross, our hope, The Church, sends a Ray of Light upon our Souls to stir us up to persevere in the struggle against the World, the flesh and the devil, until The Great Feast of Easter is reached.

"Rejoice, rejoice with joy," we are told in the Introit, for, having died to sin with Our Lord during Lent, we are shortly to rise with Him by The Paschal Confession and Communion. The Gospel speaks at one and the same time of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes, symbols of The Eucharist and of Baptism, which were formerly received on the same occasion at Easter, and, in the Epistle, allusion is made to our deliverance by The Sacrament of Baptism, which The Catechumens formerly received at this Season.

And, if we have had the misfortune to grievously offend Almighty God, we shall recover our freedom by means of our Easter Confession. In the Epistle, the story of Sara and Agar becomes thus an allegory, reminding us that Christ has freed us from the bondage of sin.

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

Mass: Laetáre, Jerúsalem.

Pope Lucius II (1144 - 1145) 

restored the Basilica of The Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Basilica of The Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem (Latin: Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem, Italian: Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme) is a Roman Catholic Parish Church and Minor Basilica in Rome. It is one of The Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome.

According to Tradition, the Basilica was Consecrated around 325 A.D., to house the Passion Relics brought to Rome from The Holy Land by Saint Helena of Constantinople, mother of The Roman Emperor, Constantine I. At that time, the Basilica floor was covered with soil from Jerusalem,
thus acquiring the Title "in Hierusalem" - it is not Dedicated to The Holy Cross, which is in Jerusalem, but the Church itself is "in Jerusalem" in the sense that a "piece" of Jerusalem was moved to Rome for its Foundation. The current Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Crucis in Hierusalem is Miloslav Vlk.

The Church is built around a room in Saint Helena's Imperial Palace, Palazzo Sessoriano, which she adapted to a Chapel, around the year 320 A.D. Some decades later, the Chapel was turned into a true Basilica, called the Heleniana or Sessoriana. After falling into neglect, the Church was restored by Pope Lucius II (1144-1145). It assumed a Romanesque appearance, with a Nave and two Aisles, a Belfry and a Porch.

The Church was also modified, in the 16th-Century, but it assumed its current Baroque appearance under Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758), who had been The Titular of the Basilica, prior to his elevation to The Papacy. New streets were also opened to connect the Church to two other Major Roman Basilicas, San Giovanni in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore. The façade of Santa Croce, designed by Pietro Passalacqua and Domenico Gregorini, shares the typical Late-Roman Baroque taste with these other Basilicas.

Archduke Albert. 

Archduke of Austria, Albrecht der Fromme, Erzherzog von Österreich München, 

Duke of Lothier, Brabant, Limburg, Luxemburg and Guelders; Count of Flanders, 

Artois, 

Count Palatine of Burgundy; Hainaut and Namur.

Peter Paul Rubens, who arrived in Rome in 1601, 

was commissioned by Albert of Austria to paint an 

Altarpiece for The Chapel of Saint Helena.

Artist: Juan Pantoja de la Cruz.

Source: Alte Pinakothek.

Author: Juan Pantoja de la Cruz (1553 - 1608).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Relics at Santa Croce were once in the ancient Saint Helena's Chapel, which is partly under Ground Level. Here, the Founder of the Church had some earth from Calvary dispersed, whence the name "in Hierusalem" of the Basilica. In the Vault, is a mosaic designed by Melozzo da Forlì (before 1485), depicting Jesus Blessing, Histories of The Cross and various Saints. The Altar has a huge statue of Saint Helena, which was obtained from an ancient statue of Juno, discovered at Ostia. Mediaeval Pilgrim Guides noted that the Chapel was considered so holy, that access to the Chapel by women was forbidden.

The Apse of the Church includes frescoes telling the Legends of The True Cross, attributed to Melozzo, to Antoniazzo Romano and Marco Palmezzano. The Museum of the Basilica houses a mosaic icon from the 14th-Century. According to the Legend, Pope Gregory I had it made after a vision of Christ. Notable is the tomb of Cardinal Francisco de los Ángeles Quiñones, by Jacopo Sansovino (1536).

Peter Paul Rubens, who had arrived in Rome by way of Mantua in 1601, was commissioned by Archduke Albert of Austria to paint an Altarpiece with three panels for the Chapel of Saint Helena. Two of these paintings, Saint Helena with The True Cross and The Mocking of Christ, are now in Grasse, France. The third, The Elevation of The Cross, is lost. Before his marriage, The Archduke had been made a Cardinal in this Church.

Saturday Of The Third Week In Lent. Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Susanna-At-The-Baths-Of-Diocletian (Santa Susanna-Alle-Terme-Di-Diocleziano).

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

Saturday of The Third Week in Lent.

Station at Saint Susanna's.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

Basilica of Saint Susanna 

(Santa Susanna-alle-Terme), 

Rome, Italy.

Photo: May 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is at the Basilica of Saint Susanna, a Roman Virgin who was Martyred under Emperor Diocletian. This Sanctuary was one of the twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome in the 5th-Century A.D. The analogy between the circumstances of the Martyrdom of Saint Susanna (Feast Day is on the 11 August), and the account of the test of the chaste Susanna of The Old Testament, has decided the choice of the Epistle of The Mass for today.

As is often seen in The Lenten Liturgy, both Epistle and Gospel illustrate the same thought.

Today, both the Epistle and Gospel recall an accusation of adultery which falls back upon its authors. The Epistle speaks to us of the chaste Susanna, who is innocent, and the Gospel of a woman who is guilty. God avenges the rights of justice, with regard to the first, by rewarding her virtue, whilst He opens the treasures of His Mercy, towards the second, by Pardoning her because of her Repentance.

Moreover, the choice of the Gospel is explained by the fact that The Stational Procession must pass through one of the most infamous Quarters of Rome, i.e., the Vicus Suburranus.

Mass: Verba mea.

English: Basilica of Saint Susanna, 

Rome, Italy.

Français: Église Sainte-Suzanne, 

Rome, Latium, Italie.

Photo: September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Church of Saint Susanna at The Baths of Diocletian (Italian: Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano) is a Roman Catholic Parish Church located on The Quirinal Hill in Rome, Italy. There has been a Titular Church associated with this site as far back as 280 A.D. The current Church was rebuilt, from 1585 to 1603, for a Monastery of Cistercian Nuns, Founded on the site in 1587, which still exists.

The Church has served as the National Parish, for residents of Rome from The United States, since that was established at the Church, in 1921, by The Paulist Fathers, a Society of Priests Founded in The United States. They have continued to serve at Santa Susanna since then.

About 280 A.D., an Early-Christian House of Worship was established on this site, which, like many of the earliest Christian meeting places, was in a house (Domus Ecclesiae). According to the 6th-Century A.D. Acta of Susanna, the Domus belonged to two brothers, named Caius and Gabinus, prominent Christians.

Caius has been identified both with Pope Saint Caius and with Caius the Presbyter, who was a Prefect and who is a source of information on Early Christianity. Gabinus, or Gabinius, is the name given to the father of the semi-legendary, Saint Susanna. Her earliest documented attestations identify her as The Patron of the Church, not as a Martyr, and, previously, the Church was identified in the earliest 4th-Century A.D. documents, by its title "of Gaius", "by The Baths of Diocletian", or as "Ad Duas Domos" ("Near The Two Houses"). It is mentioned in connection with a Roman Synod of 499 A.D.

The Coffered Ceiling, designed by Carlo Maderno (1556 - 1629), 

who created

the facade of 

Saint Peter's Basilica. 

This Church is off the beaten track, but beautiful inside.

Photo: April 2007.

Source: Rome: Chiesa Santa Susanna.

Author: Addictive Picasso from England.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Church of Santa Susanna is one of the oldest "Titulii" in the City of Rome. The Early-Christian Church, built on the remains of three Roman villas, still visible beneath the Monastery, was situated immediately outside The Wall of The Baths, built by Diocletian, and The Servian Wall, the first walls built to defend the City.

According to Tradition, the Church was erected on Susanna's House, where the same Saint was Martyred. In the 4th-Century A.D., it was marked with the designation "ad duas domos" (at the two houses). This first Three-Aisled-Basilica was almost certainly built under the Pontificate of
Pope Leo III (795 A.D. - 816 A.D.).

Pope Sixtus IV (1475-1477) proceeded to rebuild the Church, probably a single Nave with two Side Chapels. In 1588, it became the last great rebuilding effort of Cardinal Girolamo Rusticucci, Cardinal Protector of The Cistercian Order, with construction running from 1595 to 1603. One of the objectives pursued with greater commitment from Rusticucci, as The Vicar General of Pope Sixtus V, was to renew The Life of The Religious Orders.

A reflection of that action can be seen in a figurative programme decorating the walls of the Church. The main themes are: Defence of Chastity, against corruption of morals, and the victory of The True Faith over any temptation to idolatry and heresy. They were joined by the exaltation of the Virginal choice of Saint Susanna and her Prayerful attitude. Rusticucci wanted to highlight and connect these themes to the inseparable bond that his Church had with The Cistercian Nuns, whose Monastery occupied the site.

Pope Sixtus IV commenced rebuilding 

of the Church of Saint Susanna.

Artist: Justus van Gent and Pedro Berruguete.

Title: Pope Sixtus IV (1414-1484).

Date: Circa 1473 - 1475.

Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris.

Source/Photographer: cartelen.louvre.fr

(Wikimedia Commons)

Rusticucci, a lover of "Tradition", chose from the best of that time, which came from the fruitful artistic outpouring from The Counter-Reformation. Consequently, he gave the assignment to Carlo Maderno (1556-1629) for architectural renovations made to the Church. It was he who was the designer of its Travertine facade.

The frescoes of The Central Hall (six scenes from The Life of The Chaste Susanna) are by Baldassare Croce of Bologna (1563-1638). To Cesare Nebbia, a native of Orvieto (1536-1614), can be attributed the frescoes in the Dome and Apse, in which are reproduced some scenes from The Life of The Saint.

The Altarpiece of The High Altar, depicting The Beheading of Saint Susanna, is by Tommaso Laureti of Palermo (1530-1602). Camilla Peretti, sister of Pope Sixtus V, was a great benefactor of The Cistercian Nuns, and helped build their Residential Quarters, including The Chapel of Saint Laurence, whose frescoes are the work of Giovan Battista Pozzo (1563-1591).

The Painting of the Altar, depicting the Martyrdom of The Holy Deacon (Saint Laurence), is also by Nebbia. Large statues of the major Prophets, and two of Saints Peter and Paul, are attributed to Giovanni Antonio Paracea, called Valsoldo.

In The Sacristy of the Church, you can see, through the glass floor, part of the Early-Christian Church and the remains of the Roman house, which is said to be the home of the father of The Saint. A Roman sarcophagus with fragments of painted plaster was discovered in modern times. The excavations also unearthed a Tympanum, depicting: The Lamb of God on a Blue background and flanked by Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist; a Madonna and Child between Saints Agatha and Susanna; plus five beautiful busts of other Saints.

Isaac Hecker, 

Founder of The Paulist Fathers.

Photo: 1890 (approximately).

Source: Paulist Fathers Archives.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Behind The Chancel, separated by an Iron Grating, is located the splendid Monastic Choir, a large rectangular room. It was built in 1596 by Cardinal Rusticucci, as attested by The Coat-of-Arms in the centre of The Choir's rich, carved, wooden-coffered floor. The Choir Stalls were donated by Pope Sixtus V and are repeatedly mentioned in the Old Guides as one of the finest Choirs extant in Roman Monasteries.

The walls are adorned with frescoes depicting Saints and scenes from The Old Testament. The artist who created these paintings was Francesco Di (1676-1702). Also in The Choir, in the four branches of the two Niches that preserve the Reliquaries, appear Saint Benedict of Nurcia and Saint Scholastica (on the Left) and Saint Bernard and Saint Susanna (on the Right). all by the Umbrian painter Avanzino Nucci (1599). Filippo Fregiotti painted the frescoes in a Chapel inside the Enclosure in 1719.

According to Tradition, the structure became a Church around 330 A.D., under the Emperor Constantine I, when the Basilicas of numerous House Churches came to be adapted for Liturgical use. The Basilica was T-shaped with a central Nave with twelve Columns on each side, flanked by Side Aisles. All that is left of these two Side Aisles, after the Late-16th-Century rebuilding, are the two Side Chapels of The Basilica Church.

In The Synod of 565 A.D., the Church is first referred to by the Title of Susanna; the Church has been dedicated to her Veneration ever since. In the Acta, Susanna is Martyred with her family, when the girl refuses to marry the son of Emperor Diocletian; the occasion of Susanna's Martyrdom is a literary Trope that is familiar in other "Passions" of Virgins in The Roman Martyrology.

English: Pope Benedict XV, 

who met The Superior General of 

The Paulist Fathers in 1921.

Français: Photo de Benoît XV prise vers 1915.

Date: Circa 1915.

Source: Library of Congress.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

After World War I, The Paulist Fathers, Founded in New York City in 1858, had grown to such an extent that they felt the time had come to seek approval of their Religious Institute, from The Holy See, in order to be able to work throughout the Worldwide Church. They also wanted to establish a Procurator-General, in Rome, to co-ordinate their work with The Vatican.

To this end, The Superior General of The Society, The Right Reverend Thomas Burke, C.S.P., went to Rome in January 1921 to meet with Pope Benedict XV. During this trip, they noticed the Church of Santa Susanna, as it was adjacent to The American Embassy to Italy at the time. Its location made it of interest to the Americans.

The Paulists opened The Office of The Procurator-General, in the City, the following Spring, headed by Thomas Lantry O'Neill, C.S.P. In the meantime, Burke's brother, also a member of The Society, had approached President Warren Harding, to make him aware of their interest in making use of The Church to serve the growing American population of Rome. Harding made a request for this to The Apostolic Nuncio to The United States, Archbishop Giovanni Bonzano, during the course of a meeting they held that June. Bonzano transmitted the request to The Vatican Secretary of State, with the recommendation that it be granted as a gesture of goodwill to The United States.

Accordingly, in December 1921, Pope Benedict XV authorised The Paulist Fathers to administer Santa Susanna as The National Church in Rome for The American Residents of Rome and visitors from The United States of America. The Abbess of the Monastery gave the Keys to the Church to the new Pastor on 1 January 1922. Cardinal William Henry O'Connell of Boston presided at the first Public Mass for The American Community of the City on 26 February 1922.

His Eminence Cardinal [William Henry] O'Connell, 

Archbishop of Boston.

Presided at the first Public Mass 

at Saint Susanna's in February 1922.

Photo: Date unknown.

Source: Library of Congress.

Author: Bain News Service.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Some controversy arose from the Establishment of the Parish. The first was the fact that the Cardinal, who held the Title to the Church, had died during the Summer of 1921, leaving the Church with no legal owner according to Italian Law. Another, was the installation of electrical lights in the Church, to which Americans were accustomed, but was shocking to The Roman People. Further, there was a claim on the Church, by The Ambassador of Romania, for use as a National Church for the people of his Country. The ownership issue was not settled until the end of 1924, when Bonzano, the former Apostolic Nuncio, and now a Cardinal, requested a Transfer of his Title to this Church. Once in his hands, he formally appointed O'Neill as The Rector of the Parish.

The High Altar frescoes, 

Basilica of Santa Susanna, 

Rome, Italy.

Photographer: Dave Dwyer.

Illustration: FLICKR

Since 1958, the Post of Cardinal Priest, with the Title "Sanctae Susannae", has been given to the Archbishop of Boston, upon his creation as a Cardinal. The most recent such appointment was that of Bernard Francis Law, who, in 2002, resigned the Archbishopric but kept the Title of "Santa Susanna".

Pope Sergius I restored it at the end of the 7th-Century A.D., but Pope Saint Leo III, the fourth Pope who had been Pastor of this Church, rebuilt it from the ground in 796 A.D., adding the great Apse and conserving the Relics of The Saints in the Crypt. A vast mosaic of Christ, flanked by Pope Saint Leo III and the Emperor Charlemagne and Saints Susanna and Felicity, was so badly damaged in the 12th-Century, by an earthquake, that the Interior was plastered over in the complete renovation that spanned the years 1585–1602 and frescoed by Cesare Nebbia.

Pope Saint Leo III (750 A.D. - 816 A.D.) 

was the fourth Pope who had been 

Pastor of Saint Susanna's. 

He rebuilt the Church in 796 A.D. 

These Mosaics of Pope Leo III 

are in the Hall (Triclinium) of the 

Lateran Palace (798 A.D. - 799 A.D.)

(Wikimedia Commons)

A façade, in Travertine, remained to be constructed. The present Church of Santa Susanna, on its ancient foundations, was the first independent commission in Rome for Carlo Maderno, who had trained as an assistant to his uncle, Domenico Fontana, the Chief Architect of Pope Sixtus V. In 1603, Maderno completed the façade, a highly influential Early-Baroque design. The Entrance and roof are surrounded by Triangular Pediments. The windows are replaced by Niches. The statues of the higher level (Pope Saint Caius and Saint Genesius of Rome) are by Giovanni Antonio Paracea, those of the lower level (Saint Susanna and Saint Felicitas of Rome) are by Stefano Maderno.

The Church of Santa Susanna was accounted so successful that, in 1605, Pope Paul V named Maderno architect of Saint Peter's Basilica, where he completed the Nave and constructed the great façade.

The Church consists of a single Nave, with a circular Apse forming two Side Chapels. The frescoes of the Central Nave, by Baldassare Croce, represent six scenes from The Life of Susanna, found in The Book of Daniel. The frescoes, on the curved side of the Apse, show Saint Susanna being threatened by Maximian, but defended by The Angel of God and, to the Right, Susanna refusing to worship the idol, Jupiter. Nebbia's frescoes, of the Dome of the Apse, depict Saint Susanna flanked on either side by Angels with musical instruments. Behind The High Altar, the Painting, depicting The Beheading of Saint Susanna, is by Tommaso Laureti.

A 17th-Century replica Church of Santa Susanna in Lviv, Ukraine.

The Carmelite Convent was established in Lviv, by Jakub Sobieski. Many particulars of its design (decorative vases, Andreas Schwaner's statues) were patterned after the Roman Church of Santa Susanna. Its construction, commenced in 1642, was greatly delayed by the events of The Deluge.

The Carmelites departed from The Nunnery in 1792. It was later used as a Metrology Office.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church recently re-Consecrated the Church to

Christian Worship and Dedicated it to The Presentation of Our Lord.

Photo: June 2007.

Source: ru:Image:Костел бенедиктинок Львов2.jpg

Author: User:Russianname.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Chapel of Our Lady of Graces (a former Painting on the Altar) has, on its walls, two recent frescoes of Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard.

Domenico Fontana constructed the second Side Chapel to the Left, Dedicated to Saint Laurence, commissioned by Camilla Peretti, sister of Pope Sixtus V. The Paintings are by the Milanese artist, Giovanni Battista Pozzo (1563–1591). The Altar Painting, by Cesare Nebbia, depicts the Martyrdom of Saint Laurence. In this Chapel are Venerated Saint Genesius of Rome, Patron of actors, in the act of receiving Baptism, and the Bishop, Pope Saint Eleuterus.

The Presbytery is decorated with two frescoes. To the Left, Baldassare Croce depicts the Martyrdom of Saint Gabinius, while, to the Right, Paris Nogari shows the Martyrdom of Saint Felicitas of Rome and her seven sons.

Rev. Fr. Greg Apparcel, CSP.

Rector of the Church of Santa Susanna.

Illustration: SANTA SUSANNA

The valuable Ceiling of the Nave and of the Presbytery is made in polychromed gilt wood, carved to the design of Carlo Maderno.

Entombed in the Church are five Early-Church Martyrs and Saints: Susanna; her father, Gabinius; Saint Felicitas of Rome; Pope Saint Eleuterus; and Genesius of Rome.

The Commemoration of Saint Susanna has been linked in The Roman Calendar with Saint Tiburtius, 11 August (See Saints Tiburtius and Susanna).

Among the previous Cardinal Priests of Santa Susanna is Pope Nicholas V (1446).