Following Mass at St Ambrose and Charles, morning prayer and breakfast, I headed to the Flaminia Metro Stop to go to Saint John Lateran, and the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem.
Between Saint John Lateran, and the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem is a park that runs along the wall of ancient Rome.
Park near wall of ancient Rome
Buildings near Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem
I took the picture seen above because of the dogs who were with their masters, but off their leashes between the church and the park. During my time in Rome, I saw some homeless people, sleeping beside some buildings on the sidewalk some mornings. They had their dogs with them. In one Coffee bar, I saw a woman bring her dog into the bar and keep it with her while she drank her cup of espresso. It did not appear to be a "service" dog.
Facade of the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem
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Apse of the Church
Higher view of the apse of the Church
of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem.
At the left edge of the pictures above you can see the canopy over the main altar. On the wall, you can see a painting depicting the finding of the Holy Cross. There are a couple of chapels in the church. One is for Eucharistic Adoration. Another houses segments of wood from the Holy Cross. This chapel has a presence candle. Attached to the chapel is another room with a facsimile of the shroud of Turin.
St John Lateran
St John Lateran was the home to the popes for many centuries. After the popes' return from Avignon, they moved their home to the Vatican.
St John Lateran -- facade
St John Lateran -- Tomb
St John Lateran -- apse
St John Lateran -- side altar
The Knights of the Holy Sepulcher were at St John's when I arrived. They did not have a Mass scheduled, but a prayer service with a musical presentation by two female choirs. There were three Cardinals in attendance.
I prayed with the knights, and read some of "Lumen Fidei" during the musical presentation. The daily Masses were suspended during the prayer service and musical presentation.
The concert ended about 11:45, and a Mass of the day was scheduled at noon in a side chapel (not the one pictured above). The Mass including the readings and homily were in Italian.
St John Lateran -- Nave
This picture shows the nave of the Basilica. You can see the canopy over the altar, and part of the apse. The chairs you see arranged were for the prayer service with concert. They had been filled. Along the left side you can see the statues of some of the Twelve, and you can see the ceiling.
Statue of St Paul
For each of the Twelve there is a statue with a relief above it, and an oval painting above that. For St Paul the relief is the crucifixion, and the painting is of Jeremiah.
Statue of St Peter
For St Peter the painting is of Isaiah, and the relief looks like the expulsion from the garden of Eden.
Statue of St Batholomew
From St John Lateran I walked toward St Mary Major. It was less than a mile down the Via Merulana. Along they way I stopped for a panini and bottle of water, and happened upon the church of St Alphonsus.
St Alphonsus main altar
St Alphonsus side altar
St Alphonsus nave
I was surprised that the Church of St Alphonsus was open because it seemed as though most churches, other than the basilicas were closed during the afternoon. So I prayed there for while (longer than my visits to other churches), before continuing to St Mary Major. The next Mass at St Mary Major was at 6 PM, so after praying some of the rosary there, I walked over to St Martin on the Mountain.
It was closed, but would reopen at 4PM. I walked over to St Peter Vincola, which was also closed, but would reopen at 3PM. I sat down outside with a few other people, and waited for it to reopen.
By 3 PM a small crowd had gathered waiting to enter the church.
St Peter Vincola -- side altar
This is the side altar at St Peter Vincola, where the Blessed Sacrament is reposed. It has a lovely painting of the Madonna and Child above the altar.
St Peter Vincola -- main altar
The main altar of St Peter Vincola is shown above. You can see the canopy over the altar, the apse, with decorative paintings, and inside the altar the chains. These are the chains that bound St Peter, and this is why the church is called St Peter Vincola -- St Peter in Chains.
St Peter Vincola -- Michelangelo's Moses
Most of the people who came into the church came to see Michelangelo's Moses which is on the right side near the front of the Church, opposite the altar where the Blessed Sacrament is reposed.
I returned to St Martin on the Mountain, shortly after 4 PM.
Painting of St Martin of Tours
St Martin on the Mountain -- apse
At one side altar, there is a painting of St Martin of Tours, whose Feast Day is the day after my birthday. It depicts St Martin, while a soldier, cutting his cloak in two to share half with a beggar.
The main altar is elevated from the nave and you can see the decoration of the apse, and the Marble pillars.
Statue of St Martin I, pope
Here you can see the decoration above the pillars along the side of the nave. The statue in the center is of St Martin I, pope and martyr.
Nave of St Martin on the Mountain
The picture of the nave shows the Marble pillars and the main altar. The flowers on the pews are because a wedding was scheduled, and the musicians were warming up. I tried to stay out of the way of the wedding party.
I returned to Pastarito to get some supper before 5 PM, because the Mass at St Mary Major was at 6 PM. They seated me at a table in the window, next to a young woman eating alone. She was eating pizza with zucchini on it. As we chatted she told me that she had just arrived in Rome that day, and had already seen the pope. I was envious because I had been in Rome since Tuesday and hadn't seen him yet.
The Mass at St Mary Major, was at the main altar, like the Mass at St Paul's the other day. It was in Italian, with the readings and homily in Italian as well. I caught enough of the homily to know the priest was emphasizing the primacy of mercy. He was impassioned and animated during his homily, I regretted my poor understanding of the language.
After Mass I walked back to my hotel, passing by the Spanish Steps. They were crowded.
Spanish Steps Saturday evening
Here you can see the people all over the steps, an obelisk at the top of the steps, and the church of Triniti di Monti above the steps. Not only were the steps crowded, but the piazza was filled with people, and the street toward the Tiber was closed to automobiles, and was packed with people walking and shopping, and hanging around. Near the Church of the Holy Trinity the crowd thinned out, and traffic was permitted again.
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