Day 13
Today was a great day for fasting. We had to be at St. Peter’s Basilica bright and early so that we could get through security and access the Lithuanian Chapel of Our Lady Mater Misericordiae (located beneath the Basilica at the beginning of the peribolos, between the entrance to the pier of St Andres and the chapel of Partorienti), to celebrate Mass at 8:15am sharp! So, there was no time for breakfast.
After walking a few blocks to the bus, we made our way to the bus station just round the corner from the Vatican. We thought it would be quicker to take the lifts but found out it was “Caput Mundi” (Kaput Monday), so of course none of the elevators were working.
Frustrated we sprinted to St. Peter’s, got through security and only just got to the entrance to the stairs behind the statue that lead down to the Lithuanian Chapel of Our Lady Mater Misericordiae, with about a minute to spare. As soon as the guard opened the gate, groups of excited tourists surged forward thinking they had found the Holy Grail and for once had been in the right place at the right time only to be stopped tantalisingly close enough to see us ushered through and then disappointingly realise it was all a bad dream as the gate closed behind us with a loud clang.
We celebrated Mass in the tiny chapel and it was really beautiful. Being beneath the Basilica in this space that many people don’t get to see, was truly special.
After Mass we went to meet our guide Giuseppe, whom I must say is a quirky character, especially when attempting to speak English. His accent became comical as he adopted a curious amalgam of French, Flemish, Italian and German sounding more and more like the French Policeman from that great 1980’s British Sitcom, ‘Allo 'Allo! He also thought I was Father Wim for some reason and wouldn’t listen to either my remonstrations nor those of my fellow pilgrims. Eventually the real Father Wim turned up and things got back on track. However, I am referred to as Father Steve by all and sundry in our group now.
Giuseppe took us on a tour of the Basilica for about an hour. I have been here before and she is one grand old lady. I don’t think I have been in another church to match it. It is just the size and scale of the place. Everywhere you look something captures your eye.
Then we had to “Yallah, Yallah, Yallah”…sorry, “vai vai vai” to the Vatican Museum. As we have a couple of elderly people in our group with mobility issues, Father Wim organised wheelchairs for the two of them. When he asked for a volunteer to help him push them through the museum I jumped at the chance. It was like finding the golden ticket in a Willy Wonka chocolate bar. We were able to zip straight to the front of every queue with the pièce de résistance being when we arrived at the Sistine Chapel.
The guards began systematically corralling everyone into the centre of the Chapel so we could complete an unobstructed lap of honour before reaching pole position right next the entrance steps. From there we were rewarded with a clear 360° view of the whole shebang. We remained there undisturbed for about 20-25 minutes before Father Wim came crowd surfing towards us.
Then it was pack up your troubles in the old kit bag and smile, smile, smile as we made our way back to the entrance.
By now it was nearly 2:00pm and none of us had eaten, so after we had all walked to the bus station, jumped on the bus and were heading to our final destination, the St. John Lateran Basilica, we decided to stop for lunch. We found a nice little restaurant and enjoyed some gnocchi and a Pizza before making our way over to the Basilica.
The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of the Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran is the Catholic Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Rome in the city of Rome.
The archbasilica stands over the remains of the "New Fort of the Roman imperial cavalry bodyguards". The fort was established in AD 193 and demolished after the victory of Emperor Constantine I at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Substantial remains of the fort lie directly beneath the nave.
The name Lateran, is derived from the ancient Roman Laterani family, whose palace grounds occupied the site until they were given to the Bishop of Rome by Constantine I and converted into a basilica.
The church is the oldest and highest ranking of the four major Papal Basilicas as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, holding the unique title of "archbasilica". Founded in 324, it is the oldest public church in the City of Rome, and the oldest Basilica of the Western world. As the Holy Seat of the Pope as Bishop of Rome, it ranks superior to all other churches of the Catholic Church, including St. Peter’s Basilica.
I have never been here before, and like St. Paul’s yesterday, it was magnificent. I basically just wandered around happily looking at all the decorative paintings and sculptures, before taking a seat and using the remaining time to reflect. As a matter of fact I think a few of us reflected quite deeply because we were all startled out of our collective reverie by a loud “shhhhhhhhh” and realised we’d been snoring.
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