Fr. Frank's Rome Sabbatical: Week five

I can't believe it has been a week since my last post. It has been busy. It is not that they are over working us. They are just keeping us busy during the weekdays. But as two-thirds of the group head out to other parts of Italy for the weekend, I have been staying in Rome. But being in Rome does not mean that I am sitting around. Last weekend, from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon I walked for sixteen hours, visiting churches. It is my pilgrimage. With a little break in the early afternoon on Saturday I walked for eight hours. I figure that I walked between 35 to 40 miles. I have seen places in Rome that I am sure that most Roman citizens have never seen. That was mostly because I was lost, but it was still amazing. Here are some of the places I saw.

This is the bridge just east of the Vatican and St. Peters that crosses the Tiber River.

This is Chiesa di San Luigi Dei Francesi or St. Louis of France Church.
Now you know some Italian.

This is in the Chapel of St. Denis in St. Louis Church, so I guess it is St. Denis

This is the view of the Sanctuary.

I am sure this is St. Louis of France

This is typical of the architecture. It is angels holding up the organ. I tried to picture my
Mother's reaction to knowing this with her years of playing the organ in the choir loft.

St. Sebastian

St. Louis of France

This is the ceiling so imagine the artists and the architects working together to put these angel up there.

Sanctuary.

You had to know the angels were strong.

Most of the ceilings are of Mary, Queen of Heaven, so this is different. It is Jesus sharing the heavenly banquet with his Saint. Except for the stiff neck you can get, these are great.

This the front of the Pantheon or Mary and the Martyrs Basilica.

St. Anne with Mary.

The tomb of Raphael the artist.

                  This building is so amazing. The Romans were tremendous architects. It has made some of us
                       wonder what is happening with the Italians now. Probably the same that has happened with
                           Americans as we get too much ego.

This dome is amazing.

This is just the courtyard outside the Pantheon.

Here is the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. I have learned that there are a lot of churches named after Mary. I have also learned from repetition that Santa is for a female Saint and San is a male.

Nice sanctuary.

This is Christ between St. Catherine of Siena and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

This ceiling dome is pictures four prophets with the angels. I only got three in the picture.

In the middle is St. John the Baptist preaching and then an evangelist on each side of that picture.

St. John the Baptist.

St. Vincent Ferreri at the Council of Constance.

St. Pius X holding a cross over a defeated Turk.

Body of St. Wittoria, Martyr. That is the correct spelling.

Left of the Madonna and Child is St. Francis of Assisi and right is St. Frances of Rome with an angel.

This is just too cool for a back exit.

This is a very famous Michelangelo work of the Risen Christ.

Awesome Ceiling.

St. Paul and St. Raymond of Penafort.

On the right you can see how a Pope is memorialized if they were willing to pay for it themselves.

St. Thomas Aquinas presents Cardinal Carafa to Our Lady of Annunciation

Triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas over a heresy.

Madonna of the Rosary.

St. Camilius Capranica

Maybe you can read the inscription under this statue.

Above and below are scenes of the life of St. Catherine of Siena.

This Michelangelo statue of is St. John the Baptist.

Tomb of St. Catherine of Siena right at the main altar.

The Annunciation

Church of St. Marcello al Corso

This is a picture of Our Lady with the Seven Founders of the Servants of Mary. The Sisters at Holy Name all know about these guys.

Jesus falls on the way of the cross.

Jesus is placed in the tomb.

St. Mary Magdalene

Mary appears to Blessed Francesco Patrizi

Moses abandoned on the bank of the Nile.

Barely discernible because of poor lighting but this is the sacrifice of Isaac.

Hard to make out because of the glare but Mary has seven swords piercing her heart.

The conversion of St. Paul.

St. Philip Benizi Assisted by St. Alessio Falconieri Commits the Book of Rules to St. Giuliana Falconieri. These are some of the great Saints of the Servants of Mary community.