As anyone who’s ever visited Rome can tell you, there are a lot of churches here. For that reason, foot-weary tourists tend to pass by all but the best known among them. And that’s a shame, because you can inadvertently miss a genuine treasure like this one!
Right in the center of the city is a good-sized parish church with a side chapel containing this image of Our Lord. Records show that in 1681, it was “rescued from the hands of the infidels in Morocco.” Christ is shown wearing the badge of the Trinitarians, with their distinctive red-and-blue cross; and since the Trinitarians were founded to rescue Christian captives from their non-Christian (generally Muslim) captors, it seems safe to assume that there was some sort of Trinitarian church in this region of northern Africa back then … and it had been plundered. Continue reading
was scourged. It was brought to Rome in 1223 by Cardinal Giovanni Colonna, a member of a noble Roman family who had been sent as papal legate to Constantinople. Heaven only knows how many millions of devout Christians have prayed and meditated on the Passion of Christ in front of this column over the centuries.
But in person, it’s a tremendous let-down. 
But there’s one thing about Romans in the first centuries of Christianity that we can be fairly sure of: we know how they used to pray. That’s because we have numerous images of Christians in prayer, carved by their Christian contemporaries for tombstones. 
you” to the Vatican from the museum curators of Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery. 
Most people will instinctively tell you that it’s the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica–and in one sense they’re right. Standing 136.57 m (448.1 ft) high, it is the tallest dome not only in Rome, but in the entire world.
And today was therefore a special day at Rome’s annual living nativity, located in the ancient ruins of the Lateran Gate. This fabulous display has been presented daily since Christmas, and is a real treat for young and old alike! The people of one of Rome’s parishes put together this re-creation of the ancient city of Bethlehem every year, and it is particularly realistic when you consider that this site really existed at the time of the birth of Christ. 
Here in Italy, the Christmas season hasn’t finished yet–because the Three Kings have yet to arrive. As everybody knows, they’ll get here on the Twelfth Day of Christmas, which is January 6. Until then, Rome is still celebrating!
streets of Rome at night. You’ll quickly discover that the city is lit up like a birthday cake! 
Here in Rome, we’ve got the oldest known nativity scene in the world, sculpted by the great Arnolfo di Cambio in 1291. 
nativity scenes from all over the world. They were gathered with the help of the various countries’ Ambassadors to the Holy See, who submitted a fascinating array of Christmas cribs made in their respective nations from an amazing variety of materials. For example, the green-roofed box nativity seen here came from Taiwan, and includes miniature copies of sacred paintings found in the Cathedral in Taipei. 
comparison. 
and churches. They’re being used as flower-pots and fountains. Few visitors, however, stop to wonder what happened to their contents! Were the remains of the person inside simply dumped, so his tomb could be recycled into a decoration for some rich Roman’s garden?
Madonna and Child. There’s no sign or label anywhere to explain, but it has an unusual story behind it! 
back in time and walk down an ancient Roman street on an average day, we’d see almost no togas at all. 
mention the Bernini fountain, the Borromini church, the artwork for sale by local artists, and the (bad and overpriced) restaurants where you can sit and people-watch.
Christian faithful, which can be found in many of the churches of Rome. Most of the inscriptions are in Latin, which we can read (can you? If not, you’ll be glad to visit these churches with us!). But on top of that, the dates are invariably written in Roman numerals. 
of scary images of the dead. It’s a good time to clear up some chronic confusion about the tombs that one constantly encounters in the Catholic churches of Rome. Why are they so often covered with creepy images of skulls and bones? 
ruin. Every single day, thousands and thousands of tourists walk past it, and almost none of them have the slightest idea what it is. But if you understand the story behind it, the long and diverse history of this site is exceptionally interesting! 
overheard yet another gem. A tourist asked his own tour-guide, “Does the Pope ever say Mass or do anything else liturgical in the Sistine Chapel?” 
bust of a Satyr. Carved in gray bigio marble, it is remarkably life-like, in great part because the eyes are formed of inlaid marble of a different color.
a group of tourists saying to each other, “Christ was a woman?!” They were perplexed and quickly went on to the next room.
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; 
In the 16th century, the great Caravaggio was commissioned to paint a series of panels for a chapel dedicated to St. Matthew–but one of them caused something of an uproar. 
Thousands of tourists pop in and have a look at the place every week… but the odds that they appreciate the historical interest that this ordinary church-furnishing has are practically zero. 
Falegnami (St. Joseph of the Carpenters) caved in completely. 
because it was owned by the Ludovisi family, and it sort of looks like a throne. But is it? 
to the locals, but one that will go right over visitors’ heads. 
For starters, Rome has its own style of pizza, which is served in sit-down restaurants. It’s paper-thin, runny and very hot! and must be eaten with a knife and fork. If you want to try picking up a slice with your fingers, 
France, where Popes had been living for decades. An intense mystic, Catherine didn’t eat a thing or sleep a wink for years, received direct communications from both Christ and God the Father, and miraculously learned to read and write overnight–because Our Lord declared that He would teach her how. Catherine was named Patroness of Italy in 1939, Doctor of the Church in 1970, and Patroness of all Europe in 1999. Not too shabby, for a girl who never went to school! 
one of Rome’s most important art galleries. Its coloring and brilliant light effects make it an artistic treasure; but how many visitors actually understand what it depicts? 
you don’t hear of any tourists who are anxious to walk along those streets, do you? Further compounding the mystery, those same fascinated foreigners can never really explain why it is that they think the Appian Way is worth a visit. 
It too screams “Counter-reformation!” as it was deliberately designed to be the absolute antithesis of the dour, austere, always-wear-black mentality of Jean Calvin and many of the other protestant leaders. The chapel containing Ignatius’ tomb is simply dripping with precious marbles, lapis lazuli, silver and gold–including the jaw-dropping, larger-than-life silver statue of Ignatius which you can see here, as well as on the main page of our website. 
Tucked in a corner in the center of Rome is a church that is partially dedicated to the memory of St. Pantaleon–but he shares that honor with a very different saint, who lived many centuries later. 
Catholic churches as well… but if they thought about it, that is always unusual enough to merit one’s full attention! 
through the hot and humid streets near St. Peter’s Square. Most on-lookers were probably familiar with this Marian title… but how many people know where and how it originated? 
One of our guides was in church one day, when a group of tourists arrived and gathered around this painting nearby. It was impossible not to overhear every word that this guide told the people in the group. 
fees? Zero. Visiting the Pantheon is always free. Did you ever wonder why? 
The fact is, even if you have all the time and patience in the world, you’re simply 
exhibition of fabulous works by a British artist who not only never came to Italy… he probably couldn’t have cared less. 
stamina and the time, and you love crowds… you get to see the Raphael Rooms as a reward. 
often leads confused visitors to wonder whether they were beheaded deliberately. Nope! In quite a few cases, the statue simply toppled over at some point, and the thinnest parts of it broke–like the neck.
the Vatican Museums!”
imagined in a million years that in a century to come, extremists would destroy many of the artifacts he didn’t manage to bring to Rome–and brutally murder at least one eminent archaeologist who vainly tried to protect and preserve them. 
was also styled the “Prince of Peace” by his pagan subjects. 
so maybe it’s a good time for us all to pause and be collectively appalled at the theft of a painting of the Sacred Heart from a famous church in the center of Rome. 
people of Rome in the 1500’s. 
Trinity. How could three Persons be one God? 
After all, they’re wandering that part of the city because they’re looking for bargains, not because they’re looking for a miracle. But back in the year 1256, that’s exactly what the locals got. 
of Florence, which was a different nation at the time. What “works of Michelangelo and Bernini” have they got in there, and why don’t we know about them? 
Virgin Mary. They can be found on the walls of private homes, apartment houses, embassies, restaurants, you name it! 
the street, like boys all over the world in every era. Over their heads was this nondescript fresco of the Madonna and Child, plastered onto the side of an apartment house. 
climb–and we know exactly where it is.) Few tourists have any indication that the history of this church goes all the way back to the very beginnings of ancient Rome. 
mother, who was convinced for much of her son’s life that he was the gods’ gift to Rome. As can be seen from the child’s portrait-bust, the wealthy Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and his wife Agrippina had produced a real cherub! But no parents really know how their children are going to turn out, do they? 
right past it without a glance; a few look inside inquiringly, but can’t figure out what it’s all about, so they move on. 
wandering around aimlessly, unsure of which displays to really focus on… and they invariably miss THIS extraordinary treasure. 
scattered all over the city, and have been here for centuries! What are they doing here? 
cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 
and if they were unaware of that, they arrived an hour late!
Scipione Pulzone (1544-1598).
