December 3, 2013: Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Prudenziana, and Stanta Prassede

I can't even begin to describe what we were able to experience today. The best way, I think, would be to go chronologically.....

Our first stop was to Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica. This basilica was built in the fifth century and was meant to highlight the Virgin Mary's participation in Jesus' victory.

The original structure was a classic basilica. The basilica was used in many political contexts, and since Christians were using the same structure as their earliest churches, it was a sign that the emperor supported Christianity as the religion of the state. This building originally consisted of the nave (the long hallway you can see in the picture above), and an apse (the half circle at the far end). Later, transepts were added that divided the nave and apse. From the sky, these transepts would make the church look like a cross. Not all of the art work in Santa Maria Maggiore is original to the fifth century. This can be seen in the art work found in the apse. 

In this mosaic, we see Jesus and Mary sitting on a throne. Had this been original, Jesus and Mary would never have been sharing a throne. However, in this later version we still see that Jesus has authority over Mary given the fact that he is gracing her with a crown. While this particular mosaic is not original, the art work found on the victory arch, which divided the apse and the nave, is. 

A little blurry, but still amazing

The mosaics on this arch consist of different bible stories specifically about Mary. As I mentioned before, this basilica was meant to signify the important role Mary played in her own son's victory. 

The second and third basilicas we visited were closely linked. After the fire Nero set that destroyed the city, senators came to the hill on which Santa Maria Maggiore was built. One senator, Prudence, created two basilicas in honor of his daughters Prassede and Prudenziana. These two sisters were known for gathering the remains of martyrs and giving them a proper burial. Later, Pressede and Prudenziana were also martyred. 

Above is a picture from Santa Prassede. This church was again in the classic basilica style. In the apse we can see a mosaic that represents the last judgement. As Jesus Christ rises to the heavens, Peter and Paul can be seen on either side. Peter and Paul are then presenting Pressede and Prudenziana to Jesus. Santa Prassede Basilica was closely associated with martyrs, and under the alter there are thousands of martyr remains. 

The final church we visited was of the second sister, Santa Prudenziana. Above is my favorite apse from all three of the churches. In this mosaic, we see Jesus seated on a throne, teaching. Above him is a jeweled cross, and on either side of the cross are four figures: a man, an eagle, an ox, and a lion. These figures represent the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. While the  basilica of Santa Pressede is linked with martyrs, the basilica of Prudenziana had an association with their family in general. Again we see Peter and Paul on either side of Jesus, and there are two women behind them. These two could either be the sister, or just women gentiles. It is unclear in this particular mosaic if they were meant to represent the sisters. We again see the overlap of Christianity and society given the fact that behind Jesus are Roman buildings.

I really enjoyed being able to see these mosaics. I had learned about them in a previous class, and having the opportunity to see them and understand the significance of the artwork was a great experience. I was also able to learn more about the different churches and their rolls in Christianity. While I had a great time visiting these churches, it was not my favorite part of the day. Today, we got to experience something so unique I do not think anything else will be able to compare.

After our visits to the various basilicas, we had the chance to see the Vatican mosaic studio. This studio serves two purposes. The first is to restore mosaics. The second is to create new mosaics which the Pope presents when he visits different countries.

It was amazing to have the chance to learn the process behind creating these mosaics. The best part was that one mosaic was a portrait of Pope Francis. Each Pope has a mosaic made which is then hung in St. Paul's, located just outside the walls of the Vatican. We had the opportunity to see this mosaic before the Pope since it was to be given to him on December 4th. We then had the opportunity to venture into St. Peter's basilica and go into a hidden room above one of the arches. Here, we got to see the original model of what St. Peter's would have looked like had Michelangelo not taken over construction. This model was like a huge doll house that opened and we could walk into. Today we had so many unique experience that I am not sure I would be able to pick a favorite moment.