Day 12 - Second Sunday in Lent - Santa Maria in Domnica

How dear is our Mother Mary! Today we enjoy another of her stations, as nurtured by her embrace, we explore Santa Maria in Domnica, one of the most ancient of the Lenten stations. Her last station was Santa Maria Maggiore and there in grandeur, we met her as a queen. Remember the mosaic in the apse of Jesus crowning his Mother as Queen of Heaven? Here at Santa Maria in Domnica, in its much smaller and more intimate simplicity, we meet her as Mother. It is almost as if we might expect her to meet us at the door with the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the background and a plate of them in her hand, still warm and the chocolate still gooey!

Façade of Santa Maria in Domnica alla Navicella

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A248SMariaInDomnica.JPG By MarkusMark (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

First we should explore the meaning of the name of this church, which seems very small and intimate in comparison with the awesome grandeur of yesterday's station at St Peter in the Vatican. "In Domnica" has been explained in at least 2 ways. One interpretation is that it is derived from dominicum, meaning "of the Lord", and by extension "house" or "church," and another is that it refers to the name of St. Cyriaca, a woman who lived on the site or nearby, and whose name means "belonging to the Lord", Dominica in Latin. "Alla Navicella" means "near the little ship", and refers to the sculpture of a ship which you can just see peeking from under and behind the pedestrian sign above. This sculpture, at this location since ancient Roman times, was possibly a votive offering to an ancient temple, but was turned into a fountain by Pope Leo X.

Above and below: Apse mosaic - For a small charge you can put your money in the kitty and turn the lights on.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASanta_Maria_in_Domnica_-_apse_mosaic.jpg By Wiki ktulu (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Apse mosaic - lighted - Pope Paschal II kneels before the Virgin and Child - his rectangular halo means he was still alive when the mosaic was made.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASanta_Maria_in_Domnica_-_Apse_mosaic.JPG By Ktulu (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This Church dates to at least the 7th century, built on the remains of the ancient fire station of the 5th cohort of Vigiles. Pope Paschal II had the church rebuilt in the 9th century, and lovely mosaics were added. The decoration of the church - sober, balanced, and peaceful - is characteristic of the mini-Renaissance that flowered briefly around AD 800 (remember, 800 is the year Charlemagne was crowned emperor). It was again renovated in the 16th century, when Cardinal Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici (shortly before he became Pope Leo X), had the façade portico added with the Tuscan columns. Later in the same century, another member of the Medici clan, Ferdinando I di Medici, who became Grand Duke of Tuscany, enhanced the basilica with the coffered ceiling. So, Santa Maria in Domnica is an example of Florentine Renaissance art — subdued and subtle, a reprieve from the sometimes overwhelming grandeur of Rome, especially of Baroque Rome.

Coffered Ceiling

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACelio_-_santa_Maria_in_Domnica_soffitto_01539.JPG By Lalupa (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Today's Gospel reading is from the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, or Luke, and tells the story of the Transfiguration of the Lord. We who are pilgrims in this itinerary of conversion, are enabled by this reading to see the end of the journey. It will be Mary who shows the way at this simple station.

Matthew 17: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

17 And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart:

2 And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow.

3 And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him.

The Transfiguration by Fra Angelico

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFra_Angelico_042.jpg Fra Angelico (circa 1395–1455) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

4 And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

5 And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.

6 And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid.

7 And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not.

8 And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.

Our Mother Mary offers us insight into the Transfiguration. Of all humanity, Mary is the most fully converted to Christ. In her Glorious Assumption, we can see that she, who by the grace of God is without sin, receives transformation to a glorified state, following in the pattern of her Son. Not only is her soul taken spiritually to Heaven, but her body is also assumed, a confirmation of the promise of resurrection, for in her case, the Resurrection of the Body is already an accomplished fact.

Assunta

by Titian - The most famous depiction of the Assumption in western art

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACelio_-_santa_Maria_in_Domnica_abside.jpg By Anthony M. from Rome, Italy (apse mosaic, s. maria in domnica) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3

In so many ways, Mary, in her majestic silence in the Scriptures, and in the contemplations of the Fathers of the ancient Church, reveals what awaits for us all. We were meant to be holy and without sin, a pure reflection of the Father's image. Marred by the Fall, we no longer reflect the Father's glory as we should — but Mary, made holy, and preserved from sin by God, is able to do this, as was the intention of God from the beginning.

In the Transfiguration, Jesus reveals to Peter, James and John what it will be like to experience glory — faces shining like the sun, garments of purest white. Mary reveals to us in her Assumption, that transfiguration is possible for humanity as well. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus gives us the means of salvation, by which we can follow our glorious Mother in her ascent. The saints are evidence that some among us have already been made holy, the martyrs are evidence that we will be assisted in any obstacles that stand in our path, so that we may remain steadfast in the face of all adversity. Mary takes us by the hand and leads us in our journey of conversion to her Son, showing us the end, at the beginning.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1

Below is the "Credo for Two Voices" for Mass by Gustaaf Nees:

In the 17th century, there was a French priest named Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, who was a master orator, a memorable homilist, and a brilliant writer. Even in translation, we are conscious of the beauty of his language, the power of his images, and the persuasiveness of his arguments. Sophia Institute Press has published a collection of Bossuet’s best, in Meditations for Lent, available in English. What does Bossuet have to say of Lent?

Early in the book, there is a chapter called: The Journey to God. The chapter begins with the end in sight — Passover, the decisive moment when the Chosen People began their journey toward their goal, the Promised Land. Just as the ancient Hebrews had to leave the comforts of Egypt, so all Christians are called to travel from this world to our real home – one with the Father. And, as at that first Passover, we must be clothed and shod, ready for our imminent departure.

Bossuet asks why do we sometimes hesitate in setting off on our journey? To what are we still attached? What foolishness pins us to this place of exile? These are age-old questions, helping us to uncover the distractions that prevent us from answering the call to our own Exodus. He is uncompromising in his response to this lack of resolve: "Cowardly traveller: what do you fear? The journey that you make is the same one that our Savior [made]… Are you afraid to go with him? What is so lovable in this world that you are unwilling to leave it with your Savior? Christian, you depart for a Father. The place you are leaving is one of exile, and you will return to the paternal home."

My brethren, count it all joy, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance . . .

James 1: 2 & 3

We are meant to be on a journey — a journey home! This Station Church pilgrimage helps us to remember and understand this journey we are on. Like the Israelites before us, perhaps we shudder at the possibility that the way may be long and filled with hardship, often without a clear end in sight. Bossuet tells us that we should relish the desert. "Let our journey be a perpetual one. Let us never stop, let us never remain in one place… may everything be a desert to us as it was to the [Israelites]." It is the hardships of life that make us strong, that make us wise. Our little cloud of witnesses which travels with us, the saints we are meeting on our journey, remind us that even though the way may be long and perhaps even filled with much pain and suffering, there truly is a light at the end of the tunnel. And He who dwells in that light is glorious, very much worth whatever trouble we encounter on our way. But the saints are not our only witness. There is also our Mother Mary, who in her Assumption, reveals to us what our end is to be, a co-heir with Jesus.

Dear Mother Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee . . .

There are no collect churches for Sundays.

One of the most awesome of the station churches is our destination for tomorrow. St Clement was Pope at the end of the first century. His great letter to the erring Corinthians was even considered for possible inclusion in the New Testament, and he died a martyr for the Faith. In this Church you will descend 3 times into deeper levels levels of history. Prepare yourselves, pilgrims. St Clement is ready to take us all the way back to the 1st century.

Optional Section: The Villa Mattei (Celimontana)

As you can see below, Santa Maria in Domnica was a part of the Villa owned by the Mattei family. The Church is at the bottom of the drawing below, just to the left of center. A little further left is the entrance gate to the Villa and gardens. The palace is at the top center. The Mattei family was very generous in sharing what they had.

You may remember from the Preparatory Days of the Pilgrimage, that in 1552 St. Philip Neri, the founder of the Oratorians, (St John Henry Newman was later also a member of that Order) instituted the practice of visiting the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome (St Peter in the Vatican, St John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, St Paol Outside th Walls, St Lawrence Outside the Walls, St Sebastian on the Appia Antica and Santa Croce in Gerusalemme) during Lent. The Mattei family would open their villa's grounds and gardens here for pilgrims to rest during this Lenten activity and provided them with bread, wine, cheese, eggs, apples and salami for refreshment. I thought you might like to explore the gardens that those pilgrims would have enjoyed back then.

In this picture below, you can see that Santa Maria in Domnica church is situated across the Via della Navicella from the Church of Stephano Rotunda, on the left edge of the drawing, so called because of its cylindrical shape. San Stephano will be our station for Friday of the 5th week of Lent.

Right: After you enter the gateway, you can walk through the gardens of the Villa Celimontana - it is a very popular park on the Caelian Hill

By Lp & g - autoprodotto/own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2099039

Left: Entrance to the Villa Celimontana from the Via della Navicella, just to the left of the Church and the little ship fountain

By Ragusaibla - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35689211

Left: Looking back down the Road to the Entrance

By m/m - autoprodotto/own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2131163

We are not far from the Church of Sts. John and Paul also on the Caelian Hill. Remember we were there on the Friday after Ash Wednesday. Above is the gate to enter the Villa and Gardens from that side.

Left and below: An Egyptian Obelisk in the Gardens of the Villa Celimontana

By LPLT - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11167471

Right: Entrance to the Palace

By Lp & g - Own work, Public Domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2098094

Left: A Fountain in the Gardens

By Gaux - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48709590

It is easier to tell in the picture below that the Villa is on a Hill

Emilio Sereni, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Below: The Palace and Gardens

By Warburg - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10359005

Above and Below: The Villa Celimontana, Palazzetto (Palace) Mattei from the Gardens

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Societ%C3%A0_Geografica_Italiana_372.jpg

By m/m - autoprodotto/own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2131120

Left and above: Floors in the Palace

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2014-09-27_LazioISme_033.JPG

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