Catholic Exchange

Lenten Station Church: Santa Maria in Via Lata

• Archives
• Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

Tradition tells us that today's station church, Santa Maria in Via Lata, is built over the house where Saint Peter, Saint Luke and Saint John the Evangelist once lived. It is also said that Saint Paul spent two years here while under house arrest. It is believed that this is where he wrote the Letter to the Hebrews. That, then, would make this the place where Paul converted Onesimus, which we read about in The Epistle of Saint Paul to Philemon.

The first oratory was built over this spot in the fifth century, with the church added in the ninth century. The church as it stands today was completed in 1491. Above the altar is a thirteenth century icon of the Blessed Virgin, said to have caused many miracles.

Lenten Station Church: San Crisogono

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• Monday, March 10th, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

Today's church, originally known as Titulus Chrysogoni, was one of the first twenty-five parishes in Rome. It was first built in the fourth century over the home of Saint Chrysogonus. The church was enlarged in the twelfth century and finally rebuilt again in the seventeenth century.

Interesting in this church are the rooms on either side of the apse. These rooms, known as pastophoria, are quite common in Eastern churches, through rare in the west. The room to the right, a diaconium, would have been used as a type of sacristy, the room to the left, a protesis, would have contained holy relics.

Lenten Station Church: San Nicolo in Carcere

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• Saturday, March 8th, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

Today we visit Saint Nicholas in Prison. No, Santa Claus was not imprisoned here. But this church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, is traditionally thought to have been built over the site of an ancient prison.

A story states that a woman was incarcerated here and condemned to die of starvation. She was kept alive by her daughter's milk. When the church was established, it was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, patron saint of prisoners.

The church stands near the site of an ancient vegetable market, the Forum Holitorium. It is thought that this church was built using the ruins of the ancient Temple of Piety, which dates back to 165 B.C.

Lenten Station Church: Sant’Eusebio

• Archives
• Friday, March 7th, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

The church of Sant'Eusebio is named for the priest Eusebius, condemned to die of starvation in AD 357.

The priest held Mass daily here in his home. After his martyrdom, Pope Liberius consecrated this house church as Titulus Eusebii, one of the first parish churches in Rome. The church was rebuilt in 1238, with interior modifications in the seventeenth and twentieth centuries. The façade is from 1711 by Stefano Fontana, the same architect who restored San Clemente which we visited a few weeks ago.

On January 17 of each year, pets are brought to Sant'Eusebio for a special blessing. The blessing used to occur down the street at the church of Saint Anthony the Great. As Saint Anthony of Egypt is a patron saint of animals, the blessing would take place on his feast day, January 17. Saint Anthony's is now attached to Rome's Russicum, the Russian College, and celebrates the Byzantine Rite. The blessing was eventually moved to the piazza outside of Sant'Eusebio.

Lenten Station Church: San Martino ai Monti

• Archives
• Thursday, March 6th, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

Today we visit the ancient parish of Titulus Equitii, now known as Saint Martin in the Hills. The original church was built in the early fourth century by Pope Saint Sylvester. In 325 a synod was held here to prepare for the Council of Nicaea. It was here too that the Nicene Creed was first proclaimed in Rome.

In the sixth century, the church was restored and dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It was heavily restored yet again in 1650. 
Pope Saint Sylvester celebrated Mass at this church and his papal throne is preserved here along with his miter.

There are a few landscape paintings inside that contain images of Constantine's Saint Peter's Basilica, and an early version of the Lateran Basilica. These are thought to be the first landscapes painted for a church.

Lenten Station Church: San Paolo Fuori le Mura

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• Wednesday, March 5th, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

Today we travel outside the walls (Fuori le Mura) of Rome to visit the Basilica of Saint Paul. This is one of the four major basilicas of Rome. Now known as a papal basilica, this was known as the patriarchal basilica associated with the ancient see of Alexandria. You may recall we visited another former patriarchal basilica, San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura, associated with Jerusalem, a few days ago. We visit this church today because  this was the traditional site of the first scrutiny for those about to be Baptized.
Around the year AD 67, the Apostle Paul was sentenced to death. Because he was Roman, he was taken outside the walls of Rome and beheaded. A legend surrounding his execution says that when he was beheaded, his head bounced three times. Each time his head hit the ground a spring shot up. A church was built over the spot and named Tre Fontana. The saint was buried a few miles down the road and his tomb was marked by a small shrine.

Lenten Station Church: San Lorenzo in Damaso

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• Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

Yet another station church dedicated to Saint Lawrence! The fourth, for anyone counting.

The fourth century pope, Pope Saint Damasus, built a church here over his former home. The church was known as Titulus Damasi and was one of the first twenty-five parishes of Rome. The church is now named Saint Lawrence in the House of Damasus.

Pope Damasus had a strong devotion to the Church's martyrs and was well known for his work in building great shrines over their tombs in the catacombs. He even worked to have the water in the Vatican crypts drain properly so that the bodies would not be affected by the dampness.

Lenten Station Church: Santi Quattro Coronati

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• Monday, March 3rd, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

Today's church is dedicated to four Roman soldiers, Carpophorus, Severianus, Severius and Victorius who refused to honor a statue of the god Aesculapius and were subsequently put to death. This ninth century church is built over the ancient Titulus Aemilianae, one of the first twenty-five parishes of Rome.

The church was restored under Pope Innocent IV so that it could function as a fortress. It was the only fortified abbey in Rome in the Middle Ages and was used by several popes who did not feel safe in the Lateran Palace.

The church contains the relics of the Four Crowned Saints and also the skull of Saint Sebastian.

Lenten Station Church: Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

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• Sunday, March 2nd, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

Laetare Jerusalem! Rejoice, O Jerusalem! It's not by chance that we visit Holy Cross in Jerusalem today on Laetare Sunday. This Sunday gets it's name from the Introit of the Mass where we sing "Rejoice (Laetare), O Jerusalem!". Today's church is named for Jerusalem.

During the reign of Constantine, his mother, Saint Helen, lived in the Sessorianum Palace. Having just returned from Jerusalem, Helen had a church built inside her residence to house the treasures she collected on her journey. Her son dedicated the church a basilica. Over the years this basilica has been restored several times. It was converted into a three aisled basilica by Pope Lucius. Pope Alexander VI added a gilded ceiling. 
Below the main altar is an urn containing relics from Saint Caesarius and Saint Anastasius.

Lenten Station Church: Santa Susanna

• Archives
• Saturday, March 1st, 2008
• Mountain Butorac

Today we visit the American parish in Rome, Santa Susanna. The church was originally named Titulus Gaius for Saint Gabinus. Gabinus, Pope Saint Caius' brother, owned the home over which this church was built. The current church is named for Gabinus' daughter, Saint Susanna. Susanna is said to have been a very beautiful and well educated woman, so much so that the emperor Diocletian wanted her to marry his adopted son, Maximian. She considered herself a bride of Christ and refused to marry, so she was put to death. She was beheaded in her home alongside her father.

The church was first built in 330, but rebuilt in 1593. The Baroque façade was completed in 1603 by Carlo Maderno, just a few years before he began the façade of another church, Saint Peter's Basilica.
Inside the church are the tombs of Saint Susanna, Saint Gabinus, Saint Felicity, her son Saint Silvanus, Pope Saint Eleuterus and Saint Genesius.