Day 37 - Thursday, 5th Week in Lent -Sant'Apollinare in Campo Marzio

St. Apollinaris was the first bishop of the See of Ravenna, Italy, thought to have been born near Antioch in Syria. During his tenure as bishop of Ravenna he was persecuted and physically beaten a number of times, sometimes almost to the point of death. He died of the last beating he received in Classe, a suburb of Ravenna, however, he lived for seven days, foretelling that the persecutions would increase, but that the Church would ultimately triumph. The exact date of his death is unknown, but it is thought to have taken place under Septimus Severus at the end of the 2nd century or the turn of the third century.

St Apollinaris

"Saint Apollenaris" by Unknown. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Apollenaris.jpg#/

Left: Drawing of the original Church of Sant'Apollinare

http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2010/03/stational-churches-of-lent-thursday_25.html#.VRS8-yhpckf

The first church on this site dates from the late 7th or early 8th century. The materials were taken from the ruins of ancient imperial buildings, probably largely from the Baths of Nero and Alexander which previously stood here. Rome was under Byzantine control at the time the church was built, with the administration based in Ravenna, and this probably accounts for the dedication to St Apollinaris.

The first church was demolished and replaced with the current one by Pope Benedict XIV, in 1748, and at the time was attached to the German College, run by the Jesuits. After the Jesuits were supressed in 1773, the college passed through the hands of several organizations before it was renovated to house the University of the Holy Cross, run by the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei. In 1990, the basilica also came under the control of Opus Dei.

During the time that the church and university were under the control of the Jesuits, the college church became famous for its music under the Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria and his successor Annibale Stabile. Other celebrated maestros continued to make the church an internationally famous center for Baroque music well into the 18th century.

Right: Tomás Luis de Victoria (1540-1611), Spanish composer of the Renaissance.

Tomás Luis de Victoria was born around 1548, probably in Ávila, in Spain, the seventh of nine children. He is the most significant composer of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, and one of the most highly-regarded composers of sacred music, along with Palestrina, in the late Renaissance. Under the influence of the Jesuits, Victoria became a priest, as well as an accomplished organist and singer, although he preferred the life of a composer to that of a performer.

Close your eyes for a moment, good pilgrim, and listen to the schola set the mood for Mass. Remember that God's favorite instrument is the human voice. Listen to the interplay of the various parts, forming harmony. Follow the link below:

"Unus ex discipulis meis" by Tomás Luis de Victoria (The link will open in another window so you can come back here to this window and listen while you coninue to explore the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare.)

Below: Piazza of Sant'Apollinare

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piazza_di_Sant%27Apollinare_-_panoramio.jpg

On the right of the Church is the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Opus Dei)

Above: Sant'Apollinare - façade

"Ponte - s Apollinare restaurato 1060037" by Lalupa - Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ponte_-_s_Apollinare_restaurato_1060037.JPG#/

By Dudva - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=146419521

Interior - Sant'Apollinare in Campo Marzio

Above: Interior of Sant'Apollinare - During a Stational Mass

"Ponte - s Apollinare interno 1110798" by Lalupa - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ponte_-_s_Apollinare_interno_1110798.JPG#/

Below: Ceiling of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare - Featuring a fresco of the “Glory of St. Apollinaris” by Stefano Pozzi

Chapels of Sant' Apollinaire in Campus Marzio

Above: Statue of St. Francis Xavier

By Gerbis - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87160803

In one of the chapels there is a 15th-century icon of Our Lady. In 1494, when the occupying soldiers of the French king Charles VIII were in Rome, the image was covered in a layer of plaster to hide it and preserve it. It was entirely forgotten until February 13, 1647, when a soldier and 2 boys took refuge in the church loggia during an earthquake. They noticed that a piece of plaster had become detached, resulting in the recovery of the image. As a result of this providential intervention, the icon became the focus of intense devotion on the part of the local faithful.

Below: The miraculous fresco of the Madonna degli Apostoli - which survived the Sack of Rome and was crowned on 1653 with pontifical decree from Pope Innocent X.

It is only only one week until we enter into the beginning of the Paschal Mysteries . . . . .

Most Holy and Eternal Father, above all, we desire to be conformed to Christ, living members of His Body, participating fully in His Life. With all our hearts and minds we ask You, Father, to unite us to Your Son during this next week, that we may ever more completely die to self, and rise to new life in Him at the Resurrection.

The Collect Church for today is Santa Maria in Via Lata.

Tomorrow we will visit one of the most unique churches in Rome. It is built in the round and exhibits 360° of scenes of martyrs from the early Church. It is dedicated to the proto-martyr St Stephen of Jerusalem, and sits on the Caelian Hill. Bring some tissues, pilgrims. You will need them as you contemplate the ultimate sacrifices of the ancient Holy Ones.

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