Saint Peter's

To quote Scott Hahn's fabulous book title- Rome Sweet Home!!!~ Saint Peter's square, with its arms reaching out to hold His people.~

In the Vatican Museum, Jesus bursts out of the grave in triumph. There is movement in the scene as the guards are blown away by His force. (Also, Christ's eyes follow you as you walk by!)

~Inside a hall in the Vatican Museum~

Recreating a silly picture from 2004. The signs in Europe are so dramatic. As you walk down a spiral staircase with no exits or entries, they continue to post these signs to alert you to the fact that you are on a staircase. Just in case you forgot...

~The Obelisk in the middle of Saint Peter's Square~

~Saint Peter's Cathedral~

~A view of the dome from inside the Museum~

The colorful Swiss Guards! The guards must be Swiss by nationality and Roman Catholic. They must be single when they enter but can marry after several (?) years. They must have a high school degree, be at least 5'7" tall and between the ages of 19 and 30. They have served for more than five hundred years!

The Jubilee Doors are opened once every twenty five years.

~ Michelangelo's Pieta~

Using a rejected piece of marble (like the David), Michelangelo claimed he just uncovered what God had put inside. What an incredible attitude that we should all have. No need for pride or arrogance among people- any good we do is just letting the glory of God shine through us! Christ is small compared to His Mother, and she is shown eternally youthful- not as the mother of a thirty three year old man. Christ's body and Mary's left hand lean to the lower right showing movement and the weight of His lifeless body. Mary holds her hand out, offering the sacrifice of her beloved son to the Father and us.

Looking down the length of the Church- which is more than two football fields long!

~The mosaic above the altar depicting the Holy Spirit~

Bernini's Canopy above the central altar is more than seven stories tall, but seems smaller in the vastness of Saint Peter's. It is one of a few altars above Saint Peter's grave and is reserved for the Pope or someone he delegates to say the Mass at.

Looking up at the dome above the central altar. This is more than a football field high!

~A close up of the Canopy~

"Tu es Petrus..."

"You are Peter and upon this rock, I build my Church." Christ's words to Peter in Matthew 16 are written in Latin above and around the central altar. Below you see the cross on top of the gold sphere. This is the top of Bernini's canopy, showing Christ holds the world. You also see a blurry picture of Saint Peter! Sorry for the blurriness. It was dark and we had to try several times to hold the camera still enough to get the picture. Where's a tripod when you need one?!

Surrounding the central Altar are four huge statues of saints. Here is Saint Helena, mother of Constantine. She served the poor, built Churches in Rome and the Holy Land and traveled to Palestine where she traditionally found the true cross. This is the statue that struck me the deepest. Here is a monument to Saint Longinus- the Roman soldier who struck Jesus' side to make sure He was truly dead. Luke tells us he cried out, "Surely this was the son of God!" Can you imagine realizing that you just took part in killing the son of God? I can only imagine the depths of despair at that moment. But God's mercy is so deep, His forgiveness is so true and His love is so transforming, that here we honor Longinus and his love for the Lord. Here he holds the spear that brought about his conversion.

My picture of Saint Helena was too dark, so I downloaded one from Saint Peter's website!

Saint Veronica who wiped the face of Jesus as He carried the cross holds up the cloth here.

Saint Andrew, who like his brother Peter, did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as Christ, so was crucified on a cross the shape of an X.

Saint Pius X who was Pope from 1903 to 1914 was the son of a postman and seamstress. He is said to have radiated holiness and deeply touched those who came in contact with him.

Another beautiful monument to Saint Pius X- Christ confers His Church to his leadership. He is surrounded by Saint Peter on the left and Saint Paul on the right.

On the left side of the monument to Saint Pius X- he allowed children who had reached the age of reason to receive Holy Communion.

~The body of Saint Pius X~