Monthly Archives: February 2014

Day 5 in Rome (part 3)

1 Reply

Finally Chiese Gesu (the Church of Jesus).

Image

Image

Image

Wow! So beautiful. Can’t believe how beautiful it is. Those Jesuits never were ones to do things half way. I must come back here and contemplate. The art often has the theme of victory over evil.

Pantheon. Powerful old building. The Façade seems not quite to fit, but I can’t argue with it. Believed to be built as a temple to all the gods, it has been remade as the Church of Mary of the Martyrs, once again the theme of Christianity conquering paganism. As with all the holy places, there is a dress code, and no eating, drinking, smoking or phone calls. Here they are especially strict; they also demand silence. How do we show that our sacred spaces are sacred and our special places are special?

Image

Image

Image

Image

Fontana di Trevi: They really know how to do fountains in this town.

Image

Psalm for today: 93

Rome Day 5 (part 2)

1 Reply

ImagePiazza Venezia

Image

 

Huge monument the unknown soldier, and strict rules about behavior at the entrance to the museum of the resurgence (lots of steps) Never made it to the museum because the entrance also took you to the Church of Mary of the something (I gotta start writing these things down sooner). The Church was very fancy and quite old (some reference to 1689). Fancy, lavish decorations, some statues (not all beautiful by today’s standards but done with love). I see exuberant, enthusiastic  expressions of worship. What signs will we leave to witness t to the next generations of our love for God?

Saw the Church of San Marcello: Magnificent inside.

Climbed the Spanish Steps (there are a lot of them). 

The Church of the Trinity on the Mount. They were having exposition. Then the Church of St. Ignatius and the Church of Maria Sopra Minerva.

Day 5 in Rome (part 1)

Leave a reply

ImageDay 5 in Rome

Sitting in the Piazza Navona drinking very expensive mineral water (gotta pace myself; too much wine, cappuccino and gelato and I won’t survive).  I see a Big Old Building (take that B.O.B.!), an obelisk with Egyptian markings, huge sculptures. There are street musicians, painters and someone dressed as a Gold Egyptian sarcophagus. This is worth sitting and watching.