5. Day 2 Roma: St. Paul’s Basilica, Catacombs, and the Vatican

Our tour guide today was Maria Teresa And she was feisty! She told us a lot of facts about Rome like it was established in the 14th century (April 21st 753 BC) according to the legend of Romulus and Remus. Roma spelled backwards is amor, which of course explains why we love it so much! She also told us there 4 basilicas in Rome. Basilica comes from the word basil, which is the plant of the king. Today we were lucky enough to see St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s. Everyone was buried outside the walls of the city because they were not allowed to bury there dead within the city. To save money, the dug underground catacombs. The initials for “Jesus Christ, son of God” in Ancient Greek (IXYOC) spell fish.

Rome is amazing because old buildings are reused. For example, we passed a jail which was once a convent and the mansion on Tiber island is now a hospital for birthing babies. (above)

We saw a pyramid which was the tomb of Gaius Cestius from 1st century BC. Near the pyramid are buried the poets Keats and Shelley.

We went to St. Paul’s Basilica which is where he is buried. It was rebuilt in 1827 because the original had a fire. Michelangelo was one of the architect of the church. St. Paul was beheaded for being a Roman Citizen and a Christian because the pagans believed that they were cannibals since they ate the body (bread) and blood (wine) of Christ. Beheading was a more humane way, believe it or not. Legend has it the severed head bounced three times and from where it landed, there are springs of water. The monks built churches on these spots.

In one picture, we see Jesus with St. Peter (and the keys of heaven) and St. Paul, who is holding a sword (the instrument of his martyrdom). We also saw the holy door, which can only be opened by the Pope every 25 years. If you walk through it, all your prior sins will be forgiven. We saw pieces of the old church, which were from the 4th century AD. For the new church, Egypt donated alabaster columns.

Inside the church, we were able to see the entrance to the sarcophagus of St. Paul and the chains which restrained him. There were also mosaics of all the popes. If you are standing in the right spot, you can see the mosaic of St. Peter and Pope Francis at the same time! We also saw a beautiful picture of the assumption of Mary. Below her is a bath with rose petals, which represent her assumption (rather than death).

Frescos from the original church:

After St. Paul’s we went to Domitilla Catacombs, one of the largest underground cemeteries in Rome. Our guide was Francesca. The Catacombs were built from tufo rock, which is soft, compressed volcanic rock. They absorb moisture and are therefore shock resistant. There are 100 different catacombs in Rome, and 11 miles of catacombs in just Domitilla. There are 150,000 people buried there. They go as far as 32 meters deep. rich families sometimes purchased entire chambers, but all Christians were buried there because they believed that God loved everyone, not just rich people. They sealed the graves with clay or marble (if they could afford it). The chambers often had marble floors, altars, and rescue paintings. Some families had arch tombs and these were less expensive than the chambers. We saw one of the most well preserved (and not restored!) painting of Jesus, and St. Peter and Paul. There is also a painting of the last judgment which they saw as a heavenly representation. They did not use crosses as symbols because they brought to mind images of torture and death; rather, they embraced symbols of hope, love, and salvation. Hope was shown as a dove.

In order to see in the catacombs, the engineers used clay pots with olive oil and embedded them in the walls. They only lasted about one hour.

The caretakers of the catacombs of thankful to Andrew for dusting the ceiling with his tall hair! I’m sure he will get free admission for life if he returns to Rome for all his help! 😂

Circus Maximus for chariot races

After the catacombs, we went to Vatican city. Maria told many stories about Michelangelo and his being commissioned to build the Basilica. He was given a choice, in a sense…paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or die. Michelangelo was a sculptor, not a painter, but the Pope knew he was a genius. It took him 4 years to do the ceiling and almost went blind from the paint dripping into his eyes. He worked seven days a week. The famous piece in which God gives Adam life is special because God and his cloud are the same shape as a human brain. The funniest part of the ceiling is Jesus “mooning” the viewer (the Pope?).

The goddess of fertiity who has 16 breasts and needs a good chiropractor!

Diana!!

The next few pictures from the ceiling and altar of the Sistine were illegally taken, since we aren't allowed to photograph...shhhhh!!! we did the best we could.

Twenty Three years later, Michelangelo was summoned back from Florence to paint The last judgement, which was behind the altar. Jesus was depicted as a Roman god, judging the dead. The good (small book) are ushered to heaven, whereas the bad (and the cardinal at whom Michelangelo was angry) were shown toward hell.

The paintings are watercolor on plaster and are done quickly. The plaster has to be wet.

After, we went into St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world, and saw Bernini’s altar, under where he is buried. In the picture of St. Peter writing the gospel, his pen is 5 feet tall and the letters above him are 7 feet tall. Michelangelo created The Pieta, where a young Mary holds the dead Jesus in her arms. Michelangelo said he made her look so young because a mother’s love is evergreen. He lost his own mother at 6.