Upon this Rock

This morning, we went to visit the catacombs of Rome – Santa Domitillla's. I was fascinated by the whole prospect of visiting the catacombs. The guide however dashed some of my illusions/ preconceptions about the catacombs. I thought it was this early Christian hideaway but he told us that no, the early Christians certainly did not live there.

First, the Romans knew exactly where the catacombs were so it could not be regarded as a sanctuary. Second, the catacombs themselves did not support life – smell of rotting bodies would have been a real turn-off. There was not enough oxygen, they were very dark (and apparently an oil lamp only lasts 20 minutes due to the lack of oxygen). They were left strictly for the burial of the dead and some prayers would be said there but not a proper mass.

On the walls, though, were the signs of the early Christians – the fish (the greek word for “fish” is an acronym for Jesus Christ Son of God and Saviour), the good shepherd, fish and anchor, the chi-rho and the alpha and omega on the walls of the catacombs. We could not take pictures inside so this photo was taken outside.

The guide also took us around a small portion of the catacombs. The corridors were narrow and ceilings were low, and there were little niches in the walls where the bodies were put. The individual chambers were also decorated depending on the wealth of the family concerned.

We had our mass in the catacombs, in a small chamber. It was a little crowded for our group but it added to the atmosphere of the mass, that just like the early Christians, we were just together in a small room to pray and worship our Lord. Here in Rome, what I find most moving is that we reconnect to the beginning of the church, to the early Christian fathers and the early days of our Faith, creating a true sense of continuity within the church.

After lunch (another Chinese restaurant) we went off to the Vatican City. We started first with the Vatican museum but sadly we did not have the time to go through it in detail. We walked through a few beautiful rooms but the highlight was the spectacular Sistine Chapel, featuring the frescos of Michelangelo. I had seen them many years ago, prior to their being cleaned and frankly it was hard to retain an impression of this dark and dingy wall and ceiling. But cleaned of the grime and smoke of centuries, the fresh and powerful colours of Michelangelo's original painting shone brightly again. We were not allowed to take photos, but I saw quite a few people sneaking shots.

Leaving the museum, we came across this water fountain. Rome has a number of water fountains, and the water is all drinkable. I seem to remember this from my earlier visit here. There are a number of such fountains around Rome, our guide also showed us one little one which looks like just some drainpipe on the street.

Our next stop was the crypt, including the shrine above St Peter's grave, which was also near the grave of Pope John Paul II (JPII). For many the highlight was being near JPII's grave but I thought of Peter, leaving Rome to flee to safety, only to meet a stranger on the way who, in response to the question, “Quo Vadis”, indicated that he was going to Rome to die again (or Eo Romam iterum crucifigi). Peter, realising it was Jesus, turned back to Rome to face his martyrdom. No photos allowed in the crypt and we were not allowed to linger by JPII's grave.

We then spent some time in the great Basilica of St Peter's. The church is magnificent and I was immediately struck by the rays of light coming in through the windows in the dome (by Michelangelo), as shown in the photo here. We saw the beautiful Pieta, also by Michelangelo - my mother whispered critically in my ear, “the proportions are all wrong”. Well, yes. There is no way a small little woman (the way I envisage Our Lady) could carry the body of the Christ over her knees in that way. But hey, Michelangelo gets to break the rules. We walked around the huge church, found the statue of Peter with his shiny and worn foot, and then admired the huge dome. I had wanted to climb up the dome of the church but there was insufficient time. That's the problem with tours -sometimes you can't do the things you would like to do. We did however spend some time in quiet prayer, in a corner of the largest Catholic church in the world before leaving for dinner.

Again, the best place for links is probably this site: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome. And my photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/taking5/sets/72157619689628758/ . But let's end off with a picture of Bernini's famous colonnade; there are four rows of columns but when you stand on this particular spot you only see the front row: