A Visit to St. Peter's Basilica

Friday June 15, 2012

It was 6:00 AM and I couldn't sleep in... was it because the jet lag was behind me or because I couldn't wait to get started on THE DAY, when I was finally going to visit Vatican City? Either way, it was three hours before everyone was up, and after conferring with the guidebooks (especially Rick Steve's), we felt it would be better to go in the late afternoon, rather than chancing a long wait in the sun to buy tickets to the Museum and Sistine Chapel before touring St. Pete's.

But I realized that I wasn't nearly as interested in experiencing the "whole tour" as I was in simply walking into the Basilica and just soaking it in. So we opted to "divide and conquer," with Courtney and Charlie leading the way (and Mom and Gail following) to tour the ruins of the Ancient Roman Forum and I heading off for the Basilica...and we decided to meet at 2:00 or 3:00 to see the Vatican Museum together.

So I walked down the 66 stairs from our apartment to the street, and then down a few vias to the Metro station in Barberini Piazza. Hurrying off by myself in the cool morning air reminded me of my years in Manhattan when I walked to work in the city. I rode the A-Line Metro from Barberini to Ottaviano and followed signs on the several block walk to St. Peter's Square. I arrived by 9:30 am and the sun was still rising on the largely empty arena as I walked through the metal detectors and up the long entrance to the largest church in the world! A Swiss Guard stood in a domed passage way and added a touch of elegance to the scene as I walked through the huge doors and into St. Peter's Basilica. The church is beautiful. The church is ornate. The church is impossibly large with its beyond-high ceilings and wide open corridors. But the church is not cold. The church did not make me feel small and insignificant. Instead, I felt welcomed and embraced...was it the marble floors, warm paintings, tall sculptures rising up the walls, ceilings of gold, or Michelangelo's famous dome that made me feel that way? Or was it the mysterious presence of Christ? Perhaps a bit of each...

In the first side chapel on the right is the Pieta, an elegant marble statue depicting the Virgin Mary holding Christ in her lap after He has been taken down from the cross. It was carved by Michelangelo when he was in his early 20s and it is easily the most moving piece of artwork in the entire church. Second for me is the columned Bernini canopy situated under the dome and over the main altar and St. Peter's resting place, which is illumined by oil lamps gently draping the staircase down to his crypt. Next for me in importance was the stained glass window of the Holy Spirit dove, which is directly behind this main altar...which I especially noticed when I returned late in the day with my family.

Since I was by myself, I took some time in the adoration chapel before the Blessed Sacrament and at the burial place of Blessed John Paul II. I felt welcomed and at home there and glad to be able to linger as long as I liked.

After an hour or so I was back in St. Peter's Square, in search the "toilette," a water fountain, and a gift shop. Another hour spent, I walked out of "the walls" and onto the Roman sidewalk, past hat vendors and tour guide hawkers and waiters inviting people into their restaurants, cars and motorbikes, and people coming toward me and St. Peter's in droves. Still relaxed and at peace from the serene atmosphere in the church, I walked a few blocks before spotting people spilling out onto the sidewalk from a small side-street pizzeria. I went in to check it out. What I found was two brusque girls wielding machete-like knives as they carved up their delicious pizzas with thin cracker-like crusts and tersely hustled their customers out the door. There were small woven mats scattered on the steps outside, so I pulled one up and happily ate my lunch and then topped it off with two scoops of gelato: cream caramel and licorice! (But not a combination I would recommend...:))