Oh, my dogs are barking tonight. After getting a much-deserved good night of sleep, Heidi and I left the sleeping Maddie and the laundering Reiner to traipse on over to the home of Heidi's new patron saint, San Lorenzo.
Lorenzo, in case you didn't know, was martyred here in Rome by being placed on a grill--thus he is the patron saint of cooks. His church, one of the city's basilicas, is located just outside the old city wall. It's a pretty unassuming place from the outside, but it's a treat once you enter.
This church gave me the experience I wanted from St. Peter's. Mass was finishing up as we left, and the parishioners were receiving communion. Beautiful music rose to the rafters, and visitors and parishioners alike were quiet and respectful. Behind the alter, a recessed area held the remains of Pope Pius IX. I don't know much about the guy, but he's wearing what appears to be a Santa shirt and hat and metal masks over his hands and face--in his lovely glass coffin. Beneath the main alter lie the remains of San Lorenzo. His marble sarcophagus has palm fronds on top.
After our visit to this lovely place, we started to walk back to our hotel when Heidi realized that there was a cemetery just behind the church. As we learned during our crypt and catacomb tour, the Romans buried their dead outside the city walls--and maybe they still do as these dead lay right up against the outside of the wall.
Interestingly, the graves we looked at during our short stroll were elaborately decorated with pictures of the dearly departed. How happy for genealogists. This genealogist, though, stepped into a pothole and ended up with a scraped knee. So typical!
Back to the hotel, we picked up Reiner and headed for the Coliseum Metro stop. Maddie, nursing blisters from yesterday and wanting some healing time before Pompeii tomorrow, stayed back at the hotel to just "chill."
The plan was to walk to the Pantheon, but Reiner chose a little bike rickshaw thing to tote he, Heidi, and me instead. Thank goodness the rickshaw had a little electric motor!!
The Pantheon was magnificent from the outside. Built originally as a pagan temple, it's conversion to a Christian church kept it free from the scavenging that plagued other pagan sites. While the crowds were large, the interior was big enough to accommodate everybody. There were even pews so people could sit down and contemplate.
Burials in the Pantheon include the first king of the united Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, along with his son, the second king, Umberto. In addition, Raphael the artist is there, his casket lying beneath a statue of Madonna and Child that he himself commissioned.
Two churches down, three to go. Our next stop was the official French church here in Rome, the Church of San Luigi Dei Francesi. Beautiful interiors with a French theme and the burial site of lots of French diplomats and such who died in Rome. The main star here, though, is Caravaggio. Three beautiful paintings decorate one chapel--ah, art!
Our next stop was the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. This spot was high on my list because of its resident corpse, my gal, Catherine of Siena. Her body lies under the alter, with a lovely marble sculpture on top. Strangely, the sculpture shows Catherine with her head. This makes for deceptive advertising as I know from personal experience that her head (with its smile that only I saw) resides in Siena. But now I can say I've seen the whole saint.
Our last stop was at the Church of San Ignacio. This is Baroque craziness! There is a beautiful fresco on the ceiling of St. Ignatius and the Jesuits spreading the word around several continents, including America which was represented by an Indian woman spearing men. Oh, hell yeah!!
A long walk took us to the Spanish Steps, pretty but way too crowded. We caught the Metro for home, rested after over six miles of walking, and had dinner at Il Tunnel.
So tired now and a big day planned for tomorrow. After finally getting the beautiful church experiences, I'm content tonight.
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