Shout out to Lauren Baudot, our resident caffeine addict, for aiding me in my transition to the dark side. This was the beginning of my stream of consciousness as I crossed via Marcatonio to get to Vero, our newly dubbed Italian Starbucks. I stayed up late the night before talking with a friend on Skype and doing research. I figured an iced coffee would be the perfect way to start my day. But, to be honest, it's not Lauren's fault. My mom drinks coffee religiously. It was only a matter of time before I caught the bug.
Much to my dismay, I discovered Vero was closed on Sundays. I turned around and headed back to the Collegio for class. In my sleep deprived state I also failed to realize that our class was headed out for an excursion that morning. I showed up to the map room in a Kanye West concert tee and cut off shorts. Rebecca and I exchanged confused glances and realized we were out of the loop.
This is where my woes end for the day. As much as I've grown to appreciate a morning coffee, I quickly realized the cappuccino machine around the corner gave me the same burst of energy for a mere 50 cents. I also realized that, in going back upstairs to change into an outfit that would be church appropriate, if my worst problem was discovering Vero was closed on a Sunday - as half of businesses in Rome are - then I was in pretty good shape. I grabbed my books, my water bottle and my bag and joined the class on an excursion to Santa Maria sopra Minerva. This church is unique for a few reasons: it's one of the most important churches in Rome as far as the Dominican order is concerned, it's the only Gothic Cathedral in Rome - which I was very excited to discover, I love Gothic cathedrals - and it is the final resting place of the body (not the head) of Catherine of Sienna.
The interior of this church was stunning. The wood used for the altars and the balconies was of a darker, deeper persuasion than any I've seen on this trip. The ceilings didn't have frescoes, rather, they were modeled after the night sky with patterned borders on the arches. We arrived at the perfect time of day where every picture I caught inside the church reflected the light that poured through the windows. Dr. Bednarz explained to me that archaeologists use clues within the construction of a building to help figure out what lies beneath a structure. For example: Minerva is the greek goddess of wisdom. Mary, in addition to being regarded as the mother of Christ, is also the patron saint of wisdom. Santa Maria sopra Minerva was built over a temple constructed to honor the goddess Minerva and derives its name from the uniting of the two. So in theory, an archaeologist that wanted to know if there was a domus, insullae or temple beneath the church would look at frescoes, sarcophagi, paintings or any other art work that would have pointed them in the direction of Minerva.
I took this photo of a stained glass window because I haven't seen many on display outside of The Vatican Museums. I hit the shutter as one of the priests asked us to leave for the siesta. It came out clear by chance. At the time I had no idea what I was taking a picture of, but there are a few symbols of Mary that I learned about from research:The Almond - Lying in the flower bed on the lower left hand corner of the glass are almonds. According to Numbers 18, the Almond is a symbol of the Divine favor.
The Owl - In the upper left hand corner there is a bird flying next to the artist who holds his finished painting of Mary and Jesus. It wasn't placed there by accident. The owl was a symbol of Minerva that represented wisdom.
Fleur-de-lis - This symbol, located in the lower right hand corner of the glass, is attached to the Virgin Mary, the Madonna Lily and Isis - the Egyptian goddess of wisdom commonly associated with Minerva and Mary; the obelisk above Bernini's elephant sculpture outside of the church is one of eight originals in the city of Rome and identifies the fact that the temple below the church was erected to honor Isis as well as Minerva.
I was surprised to have identified that much symbolism within one art work. I didn't have the chance to take photos of the other sculptures in the church, but I was fortunate enough to have visited The Garden of Catherine. It's not an actual garden, but was named as such because it's the room she was in when she passed away. The room was actually taken apart and reconstructed within the church, which I thought was pretty cool. Catherine's body rests in a sarcophagus behind the altar. When I saw her remains I said a prayer for her and the bells rung to signal the arrival of siesta soon after. Sidenote: I know church bells were first used to keep civilians aware of the time, but I learned the other day that Paul spoke about calling the Gods in his scripture. We also discussed Levi the tax collector inviting Jesus into his home in the gospel of Luke (Luke 14: 12-24). The Copts (early Christians in ancient Egypt, 4th century) had bells, idols and incense placed on altars used to call the gods and invite them into their homes. Connection?
Our next stop was the Study of Saint Ignatius. Dr. Bednarz mentioned to us a few nights earlier that we would have the privilege of visiting his apartment. I knew this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity and was something I wouldn't want to miss. We arrived just as the siesta was beginning, but luckily ran into a scholar that we were able to sweet talk into letting us in for a tour. I think it helped that we said we were students from Loyola.
The scholar (forgive me, I can't remember his name) gave us some background information on Saint Ignatius:
* He was born in Spain in 1491 to a middle class family
* He wanted to be a knight; suffered an injury from an accident that left him bedridden in his father's home - the only books available were The Life of Christ and The Lives of The Saints, thus beginning his spiritual conversion
* He left Spain and traveled to Paris because he illegally preached on the streets of Spain without officially being ordained a priest, that was a big no-no during the Inquisition
The entrance to Saint Ignatius' apartment is marked by a corridor designed by Andrea Pozzo (he also painted the ceiling of The Church of Saint'Ignazio just around the corner from the study). He a brother of the Jesuit order commissioned by the Jesuits to design the interiors of churches across Europe. He was a visionary that took normal icons and imagery and slightly altered their appearances. For example: the putti on the wall frescoes in the corridor are portrayed as being older than most and have the facial features and long hair to show it. Andrea Pozzo was smart about his design. His frescoes were elaborate and unique from most that I've seen within the last two weeks. But what struck me the most about his design was his use of color that lead the eye to view an image in the center of Saint Ignatius on his deathbed surrounded by his Jesuit brothers. This single image was painted in black, white and gray tones. Most of the death scenes I've seen in paintings are created from an ominous point of view. It was refreshing to see an artist that was able to execute the scene and relay the message without giving the viewer (me) a somber feeling.
When we entered Saint Ignatius' apartment I was at a loss for words. We viewed his study where some of his letters, stamps, books and a pair of shoes were on display. We also entered a room that was converted in to a small chapel in the 1500s. This room was the site where Saint Ignatius passed away in 1556. I was so busy taking pictures and absorbing the moment that it took me a few seconds to realize that everyone had fallen silent. I looked over my shoulder and saw Jeff's head lowered in prayer and immediately stopped in my tracks. I was embarrassed, but stopped what I was doing to sit and take in the scene. Everyone had grabbed a seat or stood still. I had never seen our group so quiet or unified. It was beautiful for the few moments it lasted.
One by one we exited the room, took our final photos, gave our thanks to the scholar and left the building. Next up on the agenda was mass at The Church of the Jesu of Rome. I decided to skip mass and left with Elizabeth and Jacob. Our plan was to find the nearest metro station and grab lunch close to campus, but we found a restaurant that was serving fresh vegetables. Y'all, please excuse the dramatics, but I have never in my life been so happy to see broccoli. I've missed it so much. I had a come to Jesus. Not quite like the rice ball, but pretty close.
When we got back to campus Dr. Bednarz and Dr. Sebastian were generous enough to postpone classes until the next day so we could watch Domenica's graduation! We were so excited to see her walk across the stage. Rebecca, MiRau, Dr. Sebastian, Kylee and I watched the ceremony from my room and screamed at the top of our lungs when they called her name. I was happy we were able to share that moment with her.
After the ceremony and the delicious food provided at the reception (which came at a price because St. John's newly appointed Secret Service gave us the third degree about our purpose for being at the reception; in the words of Dr. Sebastian, "As if they were running sooo low on food"), I spent the evening researching and listening to music with Michelle Brenes. I got the chance to read her blog, "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong." I didn't like the way her day went, but I loved her portrayal of it and her ability to remain in high spirits. I hope she's feeling better.
Ever since our visit to the Vatican making connections has been easier for me. I think my eyes were opened after the tour. I know you can't blanket the experiences for everyone in the group, but speaking from a personal point of view, I was able to see the influence the scriptures have on a lot of art work that I appreciate. I spent close to an hour in the Egyptian room that afternoon. I grew up loving everything there was to know for a child about ancient Egypt. The connections between early Christian/Pagan symbols were prevalent, and as a result I've developed a formula. Now that I know what I'm looking for, it's only a matter of time before I stumble upon it at each location. I think I'm making progress.
Until next time, ciao.
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