Page 11 - St. Joseph Messenger September 2020

Let’s Travel to Rome

St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City

This is a magnificent view of St. Peter’s Basilica
from the Tiber River. It is a Renaissance structure
that is over five centuries old, and is thought to
be the burial place of St. Peter, the first Pope.
Additionally, the Basilica houses many treasures
both religious, such as relics of the saints, and ar-
tistic, like the Pieta sculptured by Michelangelo.

Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls in Rome

This photo shows the atrium of the Basilica of St.
Paul. The followers of the saint built a shrine over
the grave of St. Paul who was killed in Rome. This
later became a small church, and then, in the fourth
century, the basilica that it is now. It is the second
largest church in Rome.

St. John Lateran in Rome

St. John Lateran is the ecclesiastical seat of the
Pope, the Bishop of Rome. It is built on land
stripped from the Laterani family in the fourth
century and given to the Bishop of Rome to build
a magnificent church, the first Roman Basilica. It
was built in honor of St. John the Baptist and St.
John the Evangelist.

Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome

St. Mary Major, the world’s largest church to
honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus is situated at the top
of one of Rome’s seven hills, the Esquiline. Its interior
has three naves divided by colonnades and is the site
of a myriad of artistic treasures of the Church. It is
also the site of the legendary summer snow, sent by
Mary to point out the site where the church should
be built. Every year this legend is celebrated by
releasing white rose petals from the dome.

9