Saturday, November 18
We started off going back to The Basilica of St Mary Major for the third time! Why three times? Well, the first time we were there we tried to buy tickets to the archaeological site below the church and were told that the tours were not available in the afternoon. The second time we arrived bright and early, around 8:30 am, only to be told that a Russian diplomat was touring the archaeological site and the public tours might start again around 11:00 am. In Italy waiting around for something that might happen is like saying you might become a little bit pregnant. We decided not to waste our time and went off to do other things. Apparently the third time was the charm. We arrived bright and early and were told that the next tour would be in 45 minutes. We started to get excited.
Some years ago the artwork in the church was suffering from the high humidity. They determined that the humidity was coming from the levels below ground so they decided to create a series of passages below the church that could be sealed and prevent the elements from invading the upper levels. This required some excavation under the church.
While excavating they discovered artifacts from previous incarnations of the church as well as remnants of an ancient Roman house that the church had been built on top of. The tour was fun and interesting and had been worth visiting the church three times.
(Fresco from the ancient Roman house)
Next we visited something really special: the Scala Sancta or Sacred Stairs. These were the stairs on which Jesus walked on his way to his trial before Pontius Pilate. The marble stairs have been covered in walnut. Constantine I’s mother had the stairs moved from Jerusalem around 326 A.D. Today the stairs lead to the church of St Lawrence which abuts the same piazza where the Basilica of St John of the Lateran is located.
Tradition requires that penitents may only ascend the stairs on their knees. It is not permitted to walk on the stairs at all. When we were there we saw people stopping on each step to pray. The entire ascent took about 30 minutes. I would like to have climbed the stairs but in the absence of a passing lane I didn’t think my knees could take it.
(Penitents climbing the Scala Sancta on their knees)
The first historical reference to the Church of St Lawrence is in 772 A.D.; most likely it is older than that. It is sometimes referred to as the Sancta Sanctorum because it used to house the bones of at least 13 saints. The bones have since been moved to other locations.
Our last visit of the day was a tour of Domus Aurea also known as Nero’s Golden House. After the famous fire in 64 A.D. which destroyed much of the city Emperor Nero built a gigantic villa that encompassed most of Esquiline Hill, a large part of the Palatine Hill and the entire area that the Coliseum stands upon today. Apparently Nero never lived in the house. He lived in a more fashionable neighborhood. The villa had no bedrooms. It was simply a place to entertain.
Fun fact: Nero built an enormous artificial lake in the area where the Coliseum stands today.
After Nero’s death Emperor Trajan repurposed most of the land and buildings that the villa stood upon. On the Esquiline Hill he built a public bath directly over the domus, using the house as a foundation. He stripped the house of all of its valuable statues and precious objects before filling the rooms with dirt. He also drained the artificial lake and began construction on the Coliseum.
The excavation work on the villa is ongoing. Many parts will never be recovered because they lie under modern day housing.
The best part of the tour: it came with hats!
(The entire tour was underground. We were required to wear hard hats.)
The portion of the villa we saw lies under the ruins of Trajan’s Baths and a public park. The roots of the trees have penetrated the roof of the villa causing all sorts of damage and instability in the structure. The excavations and restoration are on hold until the trees are removed and the park is replanted. In the meantime only small portions of a few walls have been restored to give visitors an idea of how the villa had been decorated.
(A section of wall only partially restored)