Day 26 − 4th Sunday in Lent - Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme) is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. And which, you ask, are the Seven Pilgrim Churches?

Map of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Roma by Giacomo Lauro & Antonio Tempesta (1599) with St. Peter's in the Vatican in the foreground. Made for the Holy Year of 1600.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASeven_Churches_of_Rome_-_Giacomo_Lauro_-_1599.jpg

First of all, remember that, although the Station Church Pilgrimage is very ancient, even the best things are sometimes neglected and fall into disuse. Sadly, this was the fate of the Station Churches for many years, due to the Popes moving out of Rome, and relocating to Avignon in France. Eventually, the Popes returned to Rome, and after a few centuries, along came the Protestant "Reformation," (which was actually more of a Revolution!) But after that, during the so-called CounterReformation, there was an astonishing increase in activity within the Catholic Church - a true "Springtime!"

The Council of Trent had provided an impetus within the Church for change, and so there were all sorts of new things mandated, a new liturgical movement and a "new" Mass (which was really more a polishing up and rejuvenation of the ancient Mass), a new catechism, new regulations for art and architecture, new recommendations for music, a mandate for seminaries in every diocese to improve the education of priests,and all sort of other things, besides. But as important as these things were (and they were extremely important), an even more astonishing event was occurring, which seemed to be totally a work of the Holy Spirit.

It was almost as if a spiritual volcano had erupted, spewing new religious orders, missionary efforts, and an unbelievable number of amazing saints all over the map. Into this milieu, came one of those saints, Philip Neri, the founder of the Oratorians. Neri is one of the influential figures of the Counter-Reformation, mostly for converting many of the influential people within the Church itself to personal holiness. He was even the confessor, in his day, of the Pope himself! (Now lest you think that saintliness and holiness are kind of stuffy characteristics, Philip Neri was also known as the "joker saint," because he was fond of playing practical jokes on his Oratorians!)

St Philip Neri

http://www.stphilipneriqueenvillage.org/cms/uploads/40.png

We don't have time to talk about the Oratory right now (other than to stop a moment and nod our heads to John Henry Cardinal Newman in our cloud of witnesses, who was, somewhat later, in the 19th century, an Oratorian). But one of the many things this Order offered the brave new world of the Counter-Reformation was the Seven Church Pilgrim Walk, an early renewal of the ancient station church pilgrimage.

It was St Philip Neri who drew up the itinerary including visits to St. Peter's Basilica, then St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, San Sebastiano, St. John Lateran, this church where we are today, Holy-Cross-in-Jerusalem (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme), St. Lawrence-Outside-the Walls and finally St. Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore).

He would gather his friends and members of his order, as well as other pilgrims, before dawn, and they would set out on their trek. As they walked they would chant the litany of the Saints, and at each church there would be prayer, hymns, and a brief sermonette by Neri or another Oratorian recalling the ancient saints.

Remember the Mattei family villa over on the Caelian Hill? We went to their villa and met them on the 2nd Sunday of Lent after the stational Mass at Santa Maria in Domnica. There, after the 7-Church-Walk the pilgrims were welcome to enjoy a simple meal in the gardens of the Villa Mattei with bread, wine, cheese, eggs, apples and salami after their visits to the churches were complete. During these "picnics", musicians would play and singers would perform. This Seven Church Pilgrimage was meant to provide a contrast to the raucous behavior of Carnival.

Think of Jesus and his disciples and friends, tramping around Israel and Judea in His day. Jesus loved to eat with people following some profound religious experience; just think of the number of times that the scriptures recall for us that he ate with his disciples and others. That is where you really get to know folks, at the dinner table for "table fellowship." This was the kind of atmosphere St Philip was trying to recreate in his 7-Church-Walk: the idea was to combine informal congeniality and friendship with the sharing of a common religious experience through rediscovery of the heritage of the early Saints.

Traditionally, the 7-Church-Walk was done on the Wednesday of Holy Week (Spy Wednesday).

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme - it is just down the street from St John Lateran, and just outside the old walls of Rome.

Above: Santa Croce at night

By Livioandronico2013 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40321524

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme - facade

"Santa Croce in Gerusalemme" di LPLT - Opera propria. Con licenza CC BY-SA 3.0 tramite Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme.JPG#/media/File:Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme.JPG

Once we see what treasures this church holds, we will see why St Philip thought it important to include it in his 7 Church Walk. The basilica of Santa Croce was consecrated around 325 to house the relics of the Passion brought back to Rome from the Holy Land by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine. With the many relics that St Helena brought back, was a fair amount of soil from Jerusalem, and this was spread on the floor of her chapel in the palace that stood here in those days. This is the reason for the name in Hierusalem (Gerusalemme), because a "piece" of Jerusalem was moved to Rome for the foundation of the church. Before St Helena's palace stood here, there was a temple to Deus Sol Invictus (the unconquered Sun God). Ironic, isn't it, how the truly Unconquered Son now reigns here supreme!

The present church is built around a room that was part of St. Helena's imperial palace, the Palazzo Sessoriano, which she adapted into a chapel around the year 320. Initially, this where the relics were displayed. Eventually, the chapel was incorporated into a true basilica, called the Heleniana. The church fell into neglect over time, but was restored by Pope Lucius II (1144-1145) with a Romanesque appearance. At that time it had a central nave with 2 aisles , a belfry and a portico.

The church assumed its current Baroque appearance under Benedict XIV (1740-1758). Santa Croce had been his titular church prior to his elevation to the papacy. New streets were also built to connect this church to two other major papal basilicas, St John Lateran and Santa Maria Maggiore.

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme - facade

"Santa croce di gerusalemme" by Livioandronico2013 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santa_croce_di_gerusalemme.jpg#/media/File:Santa_croce_di_gerusalemme.jpg

Upper floor of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

di Livioandronico2013 - Opera propria. Con licenza CC BY-SA 4.0 tramite Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Upper_of_Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme.jpg#/media/File:Upper_of_Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme.jpg

Upper Santa Croce in Gerusalemme - front view

di Livioandronico2013 - Opera propria. Con licenza CC BY-SA 4.0 tramite Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Upper_of_Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme_front_view.jpg#/media/File:Upper_of_Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme_front_view.jpg

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme facade with figures of saints

di Anthony M. from Rome, Italy - i lost my contact lens somewhere down there. Con licenza CC BY 2.0 tramite Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme_facade1.jpg#/media/File:Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme_facade1.jpg

There is a powerful sense of transcendence in this church, recalling for us the victory of God over man's sin. One is almost relieved to see that a ciborium anchors the high altar securely in place. Otherwise, when the Roman canon of the Mass speaks: “In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty, so that all of us, who through this participation at the altar receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing.” - well, we almost could imagine that if the ciborium wasn't there, that the whole altar might be lifted up with the gifts, so great is the sense here of otherworldliness.

The relics of the greatest crime in history, brought to pass in consequence of the Fall of Man into sin, are housed here. On the face of it, they are pitiful shards of the greatest failure of all time. Yet the grandeur of this basilica enshrines them with a confident declaration that indeed the Unconquered Son reigns here as well as in Heaven. His Kingdom truly has drawn near, as he said. The Lord of All will meet you at the end of your tour here of this church. Believe it or not, He has a little surprise for you.

Interior of the Basilica

https://https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASanta_Croce_in_Gerusalemme_(Rome)_-_interior.jpg/wiki/File%3ASanta_Croce_in_Gerusalemme_(Rome)_-_interior.jpg

https://www.santacroceroma.it/images/images/slideshow-homepage/2.jpg

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme - interior

"Santa Croce in Gerusalemme Innenraum 2009" di Manfred Heyde - Opera propria. Con licenza CC BY-SA 3.0 tramite Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme_Innenraum_2009.jpg#/media/File:Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme_Innenraum_2009.jpg

By Giovanni Guida - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91154229

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme Apse 2009

by Manfred Heyde - Treball propi. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santa_Croce_gerusalemme_Rom_Apsis_2009.jpg#/media/File:Santa_Croce_gerusalemme_Rom_Apsis_2009.jpg

In the Apse behind the high altar of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme - the frescoes tell the story of the legends of the True Cross - attributed to Melozzo (remember his angels you saw at Santi Dodici Apostoli?), Antoniazzo Romano and Marco Palmezzano.

"La basilique Sainte-Croix-de-Jérusalem (Rome) (5988360413)" by dalbera from Paris, France - La basilique Sainte-Croix-de-Jérusalem (Rome) Uploaded by russavia. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_basilique_Sainte-Croix-de-J%C3%A9rusalem_(Rome)_(5988360413).jpg#/media/File:La_basilique_Sainte-Croix-de-J%C3%A9rusalem_(Rome)_(5988360413).jpg

Above: Santa Croce in Gerusalemme - ceiling of the nave

"The Virgin Presents St Helena and Constantine to the Trinity"

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASanta_Croce_in_Gerusalemme_nave_painting.jpg By Anthony M. from Rome, Italy (nave painting, s. croce in gerusalemme) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Cosmatesque Floor

By Lalupa - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33388554

What a delightful holy water font!

Marble minnows!

By Lalupa - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33388553

Chapel of the Relics

In 1930, the Cappella delle Reliquie (Chapel of the Relics) was built by the architect Florestano Di Fausto to house the well-known relics of the Passion. One reaches the Chapel through the door on the left side of the nave, by climbing the stairway leading to the second level.

Below: Chapel of the Relics

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AChapelle_des_reliques_de_Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme.JPGBy LPLT (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

The relics of the Passion include:

Part of the Titulus Crucis (the sign hung on the Cross)

Two thorns of the crown

An incomplete nail from the Cross

Three small wooden pieces of the True Cross

Other relics enshrined in the Chapel include:

A large fragment of the Good Thief's cross

The bone of the index finger of St. Thomas

(that he placed in the wounds of the Risen Christ?)

A single reliquary with small pieces of:

The Scourging Pillar

The Holy Sepulchre (tomb)

The Manger

Fragments of the grotto of Bethlehem

There is also a full size exact replica of the Shroud of Turin

Experiencing the Shroud

I discovered, in this place, that I had always had a major misconception of what I was seeing when I looked at photos of the Shroud. (AND I was still green enough from Protestantism, that I seriously doubted that this relic was "real" anyway!) But now, faced with a life-sized exact replica of the Shroud, so close that I could have reached out and touched it had it not been protected by glass, curiosity drew me in.

Perhaps you have had some of the same misconceptions that I had. To get yourself oriented properly, look at the photo below. Jesus's face is just slightly left and above the center. If He were lying before you, He would be lying on His back, face up, and perpendicular to you, with His feet to the left, out of sight. (When you are actually there in the Chapel, you can see the full length of His body imprinted on the cloth, but in this photo you can mainly see His head and torso). I had always thought that the Shroud was wound around him and tied or fastened in some way to keep it from unwinding and falling off. But that is not how it worked at all.

Left: Deposition of the Holy Sudarium by Giovanni Battista della Rovere

The body of Christ being wrapped for burial, while above angels display a representation of the Shroud.

https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2012/04/06/548c81a8-a644-11e2-a3f0-029118418759/thumbnail/1240x1820/0cf5f6e33f178a41020a681dcef69f92/Giovanni_Battista_della_Rovere.jpg?v=95354023eeb6141c58c08d9a5716f291

The shroud is quite large - over twice as long as an average-sized man is tall. It was folded in half end-to-end, so that if Our Lord had been standing, one end of the 14 foot cloth would have been at his feet, the fold at the top of His head, and then the other half of the cloth draped down the back. So the extent of the cloth ran from toes to head, over the head, and down the back to the heels with extra fabric on each end. As I stood there in front of this exact replica, I found myself reading the description and going back and forth trying to interpret what I was seeing. I was captivated.

Thoughout its history, the Shroud has been damaged by both water and fire. The resulting damage has made very dramatic marks on the cloth. Try to ignore those marks and look for the more subtle marks down the center from right to left. It may help to turn the screen counterclock-wise, so that you can see the bearded visage almost in the middle.

Notice the darker irregular marks in the region of the forehead, and what would be the back of the head, almost at the neck. These are due to bleeding from the wounds caused by the crown of thorns. The crown of thorns was no mere blackberry vine or climbing rose vine. The thorns of this crown were stout and up to 2 inches long. Some of the pathologists who have examined the imprints of these wounds are convinced that at least 2 of the thorns must have actually pierced his skull. If so, what a massive headache he must have had as the meninges of his brain became inflamed over time.

Look at the chest area now, just below the beard. There are a number of irregular marks across the chest from the scourging. They are lighter because most of the blood would dried before the shroud was in place, and gravity would have discouraged further bleeding since He was lying on his back. I spent a long time that day in that room, pondering with Mother Mary what I was seeing . . . . .

Long story short . . . Something happened in my mind and my heart that day during my examination of the Shroud replica. I went into the room thinking myself very unconvinced of the authenticity of the Shroud. I came out of that room a good while later, with most of my doubts gone. I still ponder now and then with my Mother Mary . . .

https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2015/04/19/0a6266c7-9424-4767-b141-71e513ac06e3/thumbnail/1240x1954/15d5dd2fdbc410876ade8d34992055d9/98368743.jpg?v=95354023eeb6141c58c08d9a5716f291

You might want to compare positive and negative images of the Shroud

https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2012/04/06/548c843e-a644-11e2-a3f0-029118418759/thumbnail/1240x2610/ef171a5b6e879e901c4f02e3b2491378/Shroud_Turin_negative_full.jpg?v=95354023eeb6141c58c08d9a5716f291

8 phases of photographic reconstruction of Jesus' face from the negative image of the Shroud of Turin.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Jesus_reconstruction_test_phases_from_Turin_Shroud.jpgMonozigote, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

And Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart . . . . .

Meanwhile . . . . . back downstairs in the Nave:

Standing before the high altar, look to the right of the Ciborium (the architectural feature over the high altar) in the main sanctuary, and you will see a short stairway down into the Chapel of St Helena (where long ago, St Helena spread the soil from her pilgrimage to Jerusalem that she brought back with her to Rome so that she might still pray "in the Holy Land"). The Blessed Sacrament is reserved there. The sanctuary lamp may be green, instead of red as we are accustomed, but it still means Jesus is present.

Now for the surprise I promised you - but first I want you to consider something. It is very rare in Christian art to see a depiction of Our Lord smiling. Maybe as a child, a half-smile, but as an adult he is almost always depicted with a solemn, or sad, or at least serious expression. However, here in this holy place associated with so many relics of the Passion - in a place rather unexpected . . . . .

If you look up at the ceiling as you leave the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lord will smile and wave at you for coming to visit with Him.

By Livioandronico2013 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42224631

Totally charming! It almost seems as if He is about to wink at us! I so want to see that smile when I "pass over Jordan," don't you? I think I am in love . . . . .

Above: The Monastic Garden of Santa Croce

https://www.santacroceroma.it/images/images/Orto_s_Croce.jpg

Interactive Panoramas and Images

https://mcid.mcah.columbia.edu/art-atlas/ancient-and-early-christian-sites-rome/santa-croce-gerusalemme

There is no collect church for Sunday.

Tomorrow we will meet 4 new saints at Santi Quattro Coronati al Celio (The Four Holy Crowned Ones on the Caelian Hill).

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