Saint Peter's Basilica: Round Two

It’s been good day… Things have been fairly relaxed around here this week, much more so than past weeks. Today we didn’t have an afternoon session so Brendan and I were able to sneak away for a free tour of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The tour was great! Wow! It was so much better this time to learn more of the depth and history of the area. To me it was a symbol of Catholicism: the first time we just came away impressed by how it was big, beautiful, and pointed to God’s greatness! But there was so much more to be discovered! And with a little help whole layers of depth and history we’re unpacked before our eyes. Especially the depth of the design and the theological truths that went into all of the art – everything means something.

The first part of the tour we learned more about St. Peters Square. It was built in the shape of a key, because Christ gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom. Above a gorgeous colonnade are hundreds of statues, 99% of whom were martyrs for the faith. As the statues deteriorate they are replaced by more recent saints. The latest statue to go up is that of Saint Therese of Liseux, a French saint from this century, who was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II.

This was really cool to hear for many reasons:

1.) Saint Therese reminds me of my sister Laura. She read St. Therese’s memoir, Story of a Soul, and I know it had a big effect on her. For the past few years she has had a quote by St. Therese on our whiteboard in our room at home. It was something about asking Jesus to burn like a fire more and more within her. If you see her, ask Laura to tell you what it is because it was really good.

2.) Saint Therese’s example and writing were ones that inspired Mother Teresa of Calcutta to become the incredible woman that she was. Mother Teresa’s name was Agnes, but she chose the name Teresa after St. Therese when she became a Sister. Mother Teresa is basically my hero and her writings and example have played a major role in my spiritual growth these past few years. So as she inspires me, St. Therese inspired her.

Because St. Therese inspired Mother Teresa, I am currently reading Story of Soul to see what so captivated MT. I’m about halfway through and it’s amazing! It helps me to see the beauty in childlike faith and the importance of loving Christ passionately : )

Also outside, this is where Pope John Paul II was shot in an assassination attempt when he was going through the crowd during his Wednesday papal audience. Even though so many of us would be bitter or frightened, he continued the papal audiences and more importantly was a beautiful example of Christ when he visited the assassin while he was in prison and forgave him.

Here are the Swiss Guards - basically body guards of the Pope. They may look harmless and mostly for show, but they are trained by the American Secret Service. A few guards are always around in this garb for decoration, but most of them can be seen in dark suits and ties walking around the grounds, like real Secret Service.

Our guide told us that the requirements for being a Swiss Guard are that you are Swiss, Catholic, and about 5’10” or taller. Most of the Swiss Guards begin when they are around 20-25 years old. Their initial term of service is 3 years and then they can decide if they want to stay and make a career out of it, or move on to something else.

Then we moved into the church. As you walk into Saint Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world, you enter the ‘vestibule.’ Around the top of the area are 33 statues with the names of the early Popes, the successors of Saint Peter, all who were martyred. These popes only served for months at a time because as soon as a new Pope was elected, they were sought out and executed by the Roman emperors.

The Basilica was built around the time of the Reformation and subtle answers to the accusations that the Church had lost her way were worked in to the art work. These 33 statues show that the Catholic Church was built on the blood of the martyrs, including these first successors of Peter, whose authentic faith was evidenced in the sacrifice that they made. These popes were true servant leaders, who led the Christians faithfully.

From the vestibule you go through more doors with engravings of the preaching and martyrdom of Paul and Peter. Paul is pictured with a sword and a book because scripture is like a double-edged sword and Paul wrote most of the New Testament. Peter is pictured handing off the keys of the Kingdom that Jesus gave him specifically when Jesus said to the disciples “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter answered that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.

The bottom panel shows how they were martyred, Paul by being beheaded (since he was a Roman citizen) and Peter by being crucified upside-down because he said he was not worthy to die in the same way that Christ did. Peter was actually martyred in an arena that was right in front of where the church is now and the church was built over where he was buried.

Then if you stand at the back of the church, there is a circle of beautiful red marble. Nowadays it is worth more than gold because there is no more to be mined. It was taken from Egypt by the Romans when they conquered it and was used in Rome as the place where emperors were crowned. At the time the Romans were using it, if you weren’t an emperor or a very important person and you dared to walk across the circle, you were immediately executed. Later in history it was given to the Church and now it sits in the back of Saint Peter’s proclaiming that those who enter are much loved and kings and queens in God’s eyes.

One of my favorite parts was seeing the pillars that are the main supports for the church. They are fairly simple, but they have statues on the inside that you see as you look toward the altar at the front of the church. The statues on these pillars are all of monks, sisters, etc. all who were known for the way they cared for the poor and made Jesus known through acts of charity. They wanted to represent that this is a core value of the Catholic Church, one that is near and dear to Jesus’ heart. This core value is near and dear to Brendan and my hearts too, so it was great to hear.

And the art! Did you know that there are no paintings in Saint Peter’s? I definitely didn’t! All the artwork are mosaics based off of Michaelangelo and Raphael’s paintings that are now in the Vatican Museum. The artists had their students painstakingly place small colored tiles or stones into the pattern prescribed by their paintings. I can’t imagine how long it took because the mosaics are everywhere and so detailed!

And then to see the main altar…on the pillars that surround the main altar are mosaics of the four Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (the circles above the lights). So not only is caring for the poor a core value of the Church, but the exceptional appreciation for the truth of the Word of God in the Bible is depicted in prominent places and it is preached from this altar.

It’s tough to see in this picture, but the altar is part of a dedication to the Trinity. Directly above the altar in the top of the dome is a depiction of God made by one of the great painters. Directly below that on the decoration above the altar there is a carving of dove that is often used to symbolize the Holy Spirit. And directly below that is the actual altar where Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist. So in one line from the top to bottom of the church they have a symbol of the Trinity.

It was definitely a good afternoon for Brendan and I, with a great chance to look into the depth of the church. And this blog is just the tip of the iceberg, even of what we learned during the tour! We hope that all of you get to come here someday! K, gotta go!

Love,

Rachel and Brendan