Rome Photo Essay
During my time in Rome I visited a lot of remarkable places. Out of all of the remarkable places I have chosen five of them to talk about. They are the Jewish Synagogue, Non-Catholic/Protestant Cemetery, dome ceiling in Saint Ignatius Loyola Church, Bernini’s “Ecstasy of St. Teresa” in Santa Maria della Vittoria, and Basilica of Saint Peter’s Outside the Walls. All of these sites are linked to the way that Rome is the center of Catholicism.
The Great Jewish Synagogue was absolutely beautiful on the inside. Which just shows that It was very impactful because of the history behind it. Jews in the ghetto surrounding the synagogue were impacted greatly by Catholicism because around the time of World War 2 the Pope order to keep them in the ghetto. This leading to a culture inside of the ghetto that lasted through many years and even into today. Most Jews in Rome stay in that area because it feels like home and is where the generations before them lived. In 1986, Pope John Paul II visited the synagogue, this opened a more unified front between the Jews and Catholics (Scared Destinations, 2019). This is important because of the way the Jews were looked at and felt after World War 2. Connecting this place to the development of Rome into accepting everyone with different backgrounds. This is linked to a teaching of the Catholic Church.
Visiting the Protestant/Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome was very impactful, because of how many crosses were in the cemetery. Showing that not only are all Catholics in Rome following Jesus but other religions are too. In Gaudium et Spes it is said “In the midst of these conflicting requirements, human culture must evolve today in such a way that it can both develop the whole human person and aid man in those duties to whose fulfillment all are called, especially Christians fraternally united in one human family” (Pope Paul VI, 1965) Showing that all Christians are apart of Rome and the Church in some way or another.
The Dome Ceiling in St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Rome is a very unique painting. From even the picture I took it looks like a dome ceiling but it is all just a painting to make it seem like it is a dome from any angle it is looked at. I think this relates to Rome being the center of Catholicism because it shows that when looking at painting there is always more to what the eye sees which relates to how everything you see in Rome always has a story behind it. The story behind the dome was that it was painted by Andrea Pozzo in 1685 with the fourth biblical characters Judith, David, Samson, and Jael in each of the four corners. This leads right to the way that St. Ignatius also had a struggle to take over Israel like those other Biblical characters did too.
Bernini’s “Ecstasy of St. Teresa” is located in Santa Maria della Vittoria. This is a sculpture that is based off of St. Teresa of Avilas own testament of what happened during the ecstasy. She says “I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron’s point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God” (St. Teresa, 1647). This connecting to the church and Rome because everyone needs to be filled with the love of God, maybe not in the same way as St. Teresa did. This also connects to the way that there is faith and reason in the Catholic faith. This statue could have just been a representation of how she felt with reason but with faith some may believe it happened the way it is told to have been.
The Basilica of Saint Peters Outside the Walls in Rome was honestly breathe taking. It is hard to not get distracted by all of the detail and work that was put into the art and the building itself. The coolest thing about the place was the chains that once held peter in them, showing that there is struggle in the world and even in Rome. Another cool part was the pictures of the past and present pope around the whole entire room. This leading to think about the history and the meaning behind each little thing in the Basilica. Many people look up to Saint Peter to have his tomb and chains in Rome just shows how significant Rome is to the Catholic faith.
Overall these sights all had an impact on me in different ways. I felt like during the trip I became more educated and knowledgable about the history of the church through visiting these sights. Making it hard to leave Rome in the first place. Through visiting these extra places I felt like it made my experience even more impactful.
Sources:
Pope Paul VI. (1965). Gaudium et Spes: Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Vatican City:The Vatican.
St. Teresa. (1647). Bernini, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Khan Academy.
Sacred Destinations. (2019). Great Synagogue-Rome.