Catching Up Christmas Week

Thursday, December 21

In the morning we went over to the Bishops’ Office for United States Visitors to the Vatican and picked up our tickets for Christmas Mass.  Deborah had some ideas about doing a blog post about drinking fountains (already posted) so we walked about and took pictures and did some research.  Not surprisingly, along the way we stopped in a few churches that we hadn’t seen before.  Finding new churches to visit is getting harder and harder.

Total distance walked: 7.1 miles

Friday, December 22

We received an email from the Bishops’ Office for United States Visitors to the Vatican about a lecture that they were  sponsoring on the iconography of the Nativity Scene.  We thought that we might learning something interesting so we arrived at the appointed hour only to be told that the priest who was to give the talk got tied up.  We also advised that it probably wasn’t worth waiting around so we decided to leave and do some grocery shopping.  It seemed expedient as stores close early on Christmas Eve and are closed on December 25 and 26.

Total distance walked: 4.2 miles

Saturday, December 23

Surprisingly, we received an email informing us that the lecture was rescheduled for today.  We had low expectations but decided, given the season, that faith was called for.  This time Father William was on time and even had delicious chocolate covered cookies as an inducement to keep us awake.

The lecture had little to do with iconography.  It started with Father William reading that day’s scripture (Luke 1:28) and discussing its meaning in the context of Christmas.  He detailed the different meanings of the text when read in English, Greek and Latin.  He made some interesting points.  The lecture ended after 30 minutes and we were off to do some sightseeing.

First we saw ‎⁨Church of the Gesù⁩.  Founded in 1551 by Saint Ignatius Loyola it is the mother church of the Jesuit order.  It’s a beautifully decorated church in the High Renaissance style.  It’s a must see for anyone interested in the Jesuit sect.

After that we walked up the Quirinale Hill to see Borromini’s  Chiesa Di San Carlino Alle Quattro Fontane.  This church is just up the hill from Bernini’s Sant’Andrea al Quirinale, which we previously visited (Ten Church Tuesday).  Bernini’s church has a beautiful elongated dome which Borromini tried to outdo.  They were rivals who competed for architectural projects throughout their lives.  Unfortunately for Borromini his design could not match the beauty of Bernini’s.  The church contains a cloister and a crypt.  Borromini intended to be buried in the crypt but it was forbidden because he committed suicide (a mortal sin).

After that we decided to visit Chiesa dei Cappuccini  and the associated museum and crypt.  Since the early 1700s this church, near Piazza Barberini, has been the home of the Capuchin Friars.  Note: the crypt is well known and is offered referred to as the ‘Bone Crypt’.

One of the tenants of the Capuchin sect is aesthetic beauty and the church certainly reflects this.  It is a traditional design and most of the chapels contain first rate works of art.

(Archangel St Michael By Guido Reni)

Below the church is a museum about the Capuchin sect.  There we found another Caravaggio (San Francesco in Meditazione) that had not been shipped to Milan for the exhibition.

Adjacent to the museum is the famous ‘Bone Crypt’.  This consists of several chapels that were designed and built out of the bones of several hundred Friars of the order.  While the work is undoubtedly masterful in it’s creative use of bones as a medium we went away with little understanding of how this shows respect for the deceased.  According to the Friars, the chapels are meant to remind us of our mortality.

Some of the rooms feature a specific part of the anatomy.   One room features pelvic bones and another used primarily skulls.  The floors of the crypts contain dirt that was imported from the Holy Land.  Friars were buried in these chapels for about 30 years before they were exhumed to be used as materials for the chapels.  The practice was discontinued in the 19th century when it became illegal to bury bodies within the city limits.  Photography was not permitted but there are many pictures online.

We had lunch across the street at one of our favorite restaurants from last year.  The food was as good as we remembered.  After lunch we walked to Vatican City in order to see one of the churches that had been evading us.  It was closed.  For some inexplicable reason (probably because Deborah had had coffee) we then decided to walk up the Janiculum Hill behind Trastevere.  Along the way we found some interesting things.

Of course we stopped at the Fonte Acqua Paola, a magnificent fountain built by Pope Paul V.  We’ve blogged about it before.  From the terrace in front we took some panoramic photographs of the city and the snow capped mountains beyond before stumbling upon Mausoleo Ossario Garibaldino.  The structure is a monument to Garibaldi, who in 1849, was part of a movement to unify Italy.  One of the consequences was the Pope was displaced as the ruler of Italy in favor of a temporal king.  France’s military intervened to restore the Papacy.  Garibaldi led troops that fought on that hill. They were ultimately defeated by the French.  Italy was not unified until 1871.  Vatican City was formally created by the Lateran Treaty of 1929.

Believe it or not there was still more.  Just a little farther down the hill we found Chiesa di San Pietro in Montorio.  The church is reputed to have been built on the spot where St Peter was crucified.  The church was built in the early 16th century.  Many of the great masters had some hand in designing and decorating this church including Michaelangelo and Raphael.

(Fresco from Chiesa di San Pietro in Montorio)

Next to the church is the Tempietto di Bramante.  It was commissioned by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.  It marks the exact spot of St Peter’s crucifixion.

Our last task of the day was to buy yet another panettone for Christmas day.

Total distance walked: 9.4 miles and 16 flights of stairs

Total churches visited so far: 71 and one Synagogue