Italy Trip 2016 -- Part #1

In honor of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, I feel blessed and privileged to travel back to Italy. My friend, Tammy Pitre, asked me to travel with her on this trip. I have been with this group from the Diocese of Houma- Thibodaux four of the last five times they have traveled to Italy. We celebrate mass each day in an incredible, different church every day.

Our Hotel in Assisi was located in the heart of Assisi facing the splendid entrance to the Basilica of St. Francis. On March 13, 2013, upon his election as Pope, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio chose Francis as his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, becoming Pope Francis. This was the first time that a pope has been named Francis.

It has been argued that no one else in history was as dedicated as St. Francis to imitate the life, and carry out the work of Jesus. Poverty was central to his character and became the

essential lifestyle for the members of the Franciscan Order. He believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. He even preached to the birds and they surrounded him, intrigued by the power of his voice and not one of them flew away. His statues and pictures are often portrayed with a bird, typically in his hand. St. Francis is a Patron Saint of Italy along with St. Catherine of Siena.

Along the streets shopping, we found this amazing Altar Piece with Mary and Jesus in middle with St Claire on left and St Francis on right.

The 16th Century Church of St Mary of the Angels is venerated as the location where St. Francis died.

Nestled directly under the main dome of the church sits the “Porziuncola” – The 9th century little chapel used by St. Francis and considered the cradle of the Franciscan Order. The door to enter the chapel is the first “Holy Door” we would enter. We were unable to take any photos inside the Church. St. Francis had asked the Pope for a special plenary indulgence to be granted to all who visited the chapel. Pope Francis made this door again a Jubilee Indulgence as part of this Year of Mercy.

A gold plated statue of Mary stands out against the sky on top of the church. In 1997, there was a major earthquake in Assisi with widespread devastation. The gold statue of Mary fell from the top of the church to the ground but miraculously remained unharmed.

There was a heightened police presence throughout Italy due to Jubilee Year of Mercy and recent terrorist threats. Bronze Relief -- Known as the “Spirit of Assisi”. In 1986, Pope John Paul II brought together 160 religious leaders from all over the world to pray for worldwide peace in front of the Church.

Pope Francis’ Coat of Arms is above the Bronze Relief with three items on a blue shield. The top is the emblem of the Jesuits with the HIS monogram of Jesus. Below the Jesuit emblem is an eight-pointed star representing the Virgin Mary. The spikenard flower to the right represents St. Joseph. The crossed keys of St. Peter represent the symbol of the papacy. The gold key is for the power in the kingdom of heaven and the silver key is for the authority of the papacy on earth. The motto on bottom in Latin for “To be shown mercy and chosen.”

Front of church at night

Basilica of St Francis plaque outside – UNESCO declared the Basilica of St. Francis a World Heritage site.

Nativity scene in Basilica: Pace in Terre = Peace on earth. St. Francis is credited with having created the first nativity scene in history. Just before Christmas 1220, he prepared a manger with hay, had an ox and a donkey brought there, and then had a Holy Mass celebrated in front of a large crowd who came to see from all over the region. He wanted to make it easy for the faithful to understand the Mystery of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. He had visited The Holy Land a few years before this. The Franciscan Order has been recognized as “Custodians of the Holy Land’ on behalf of the Catholic Church almost uninterruptedly since 1217. There were no figures of Joseph and Mary, just the two animals. St. Francis’ simple celebration has transformed into the customary practice which has continued to today.

Mass at Tomb of St Francis

For the first time, ever, we celebrated mass AT the tomb of St. Francis. He died on the evening of Saturday, October 3, 1226 in the hut next to the Porziuncola, the place where it all began. His tomb was hidden on orders to protect it from the invaders. His exact burial place remained unknown until it was re-discovered in 1818. His remains were buried here in the ancient stone tomb in the Lower Basilica. The walls of the Lower Basilica were stripped of its marble decorations in honor of St. Francis’ simple lifestyle.

Painting death of St Joseph

There were no other known works on the Death of St. Joseph, when this painting was made in 1712 by Giuseppe Crespi. In this poor house, the aged Joseph is fading fast, Mary weeps, and the young Christ is blessing the dying man. Joseph’s carpenter tools lie scattered on the floor. Tradition and scripture are silent with regard to the death of St. Joseph. However, tradition says that St. Joseph may have died before Christ’s crucifixion and probably just before His public ministry or soon after. There is no record of a single word spoken by St. Joseph in scripture. The oddest popular custom of St. Joseph is to bury his statue upside down on real estate one hopes to sell.

The Fresco is located in the Temple of Minerva an ancient Roman building built in the first century BC. It currently houses a church called Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, like the church of the same name in Rome.

Sharing Pizza and bruschetta in Assisi

Sienna City Center at Night

Eating Gelato at Groms in Sienna

Main Entrance of the oldest bank in the world in Sienna – Founded in 1472

Eucharistic Miracle in Siena 2014

On the Vigil of the Feast of the Assumption in August 1730, thieves stole a ciborium containing 351 consecrated hosts. Two days later, they were found in an offering box in a nearby church suspended by cobwebs. Although the ordinary procedure would have the priests consume the hosts, due to their soiled condition, the priests allowed them to deteriorate naturally instead. At that time, Christ would no longer be present. To the amazement of the priests, the hosts did not deteriorate, but remained fresh and incorrupt with no sign of deterioration. With the passage of time, the priests became convinced they were witnessing a continuing miracle of preservation. Over the last two centuries, many examinations and tests performed found the hosts well preserved. Unleavened bread should remain intact for no more than a few years. The miraculously preserved hosts were consecrated in 1730 and have endured in a perfect state of conservation for over 250 years.

Apostles on wall in Church of Siena

Siena Basilica of St Catherine of San Domenico

St. Catherine was born the 24th child from a family of 25 children. At the young age of 7, St. Catherine had her first of many visions of Jesus on a throne surrounded by saints. As a teenager, she took a vow of perpetual virginity and gave herself over to prayer and worship. To stop her family’s attempt to marry her off, she cut her hair off and became a nun. At the age of 29, she traveled to Avignon in an attempt to bring peace between the divided papal- states and worked to end the Western Schism of the Catholic Church. She is a Patron Saint of Italy and Europe. St. Catherine died young at the age of 33. Only her head and finger is buried in Siena. The rest of her body is buried in Rome at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. She was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1999.

Panoramic of Siena City Center

House of St Catherine

The Benincasa family home where St. Catherine of Siena was born is now a shrine.

Sacred Heart Doors

Statue of St Catherine

First Bank Monte Dei Pasche

11 degrees Celsius – It was COOOOLD!

Panoramic of Palio Square

The Palio de Siena is a medieval horse race held twice each year on July 2 and August 16 in Siena Italy. Horse and riders representing each district of the city in honor of the Assumption of Mary. The pageantry of the race attracts visitors and spectators from around the world.

Picture of Race Day in Siena

Dividing boundaries between districts

Each district of Siena is named after an animal or symbol set up since the Middle Ages. This is the dividing line between two districts.

Siena Cathedral

Florence

Florence is located on the Arno River and often called the “Cradle of the Renaissance” It is NOT its rebirth -- because nothing actually died. It was home to some of the greatest artists and thinkers of the time between 1300 and 1600.

Gallery of the Academy of Florence

Michelangelo’s Florence Pieta

One of Michaelangelo’s last sculptures is the Unfinished Florence Pieta which depicts Jesus, Mary and Mary Magdalene and was probably created to decorate his own tomb.

Michelangelo’s David

Two of Michelangelo’s best works, the Pieta and David were sculpted before he was age 30. The 14-foot colossal statue of the biblical hero David was completed in 1504 when he was only 26 years old. The masterwork has become one of the most recognized works of sculpture and was created out of a single block of Carrera marble. The most famous male nude of all time is the story of the battle between David and Goliath is told in 1 Samuel. The statue shows David after he has made the decision to fight Goliath but before the battle has taken place. His brow is drawn, his neck is tense, and the veins bulge out of his lowered right hand. David is armed only with his rock, sling, courage and his faith in God. Most of the time, David is portrayed after his victory over Goliath standing over his head.

Demonstrators in Florence

Duomo dome

Cathedral of St Mary of the Flowers is the main church in Florence. The iconic Duomo Dome was designed by Brunelleschi and is the largest brick dome ever constructed. The church was built before the dome was placed on top. The building of the dome posed many technical problems. There was not enough timber in Tuscany to build the scaffolding and forms and would require the church to be out of use. Bruneslleschi used an unusual solution to complete the dome with an inner and outer dome construction.

The exterior by Giotto has marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white. The interior of the Cathedral is vast and gives an empty impression due to its relative bareness when compared to its adorned exterior.

Clock 24 hour countdown

Above the door to the Cathedral of the Duomo, this one-handed colossal clock face shows 24 hours ending with sunset each day. This timetable was used until the 18th century. This is one of the few clocks from that time that still exist and are in working order.

Bronze doors to Baptistery of St. John

The octagonal baptistery stands across from the Florence Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The ten panels of the East Doors to the Baptistery depict scenes from the Old Testament. Michelangelo referred to these doors as fit to be the “Gates of Paradise”.

Panoramic of Duomo

Flood high water mark above door in 1966

The 1966 Flood of the Arno River in Florence killed 101 people and damaged or destroyed millions of masterpieces of art. It is considered the worst flood in the city’s history since 1557. The flood has had a lasting impact on Florence, both economically and culturally. Florence was extremely unprepared for the storm and the widespread devastation that it caused. This is the point of the marker of the high water mark of the 1966 flood at 13 feet high.

Basilica of Santa Croce

The largest Franciscan Church in the world is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians such as Michelangelo, Gallileo, Machiavelli and many others. Legend says that Santa Croce was founded by St. Francis himself. The exterior was created by a Jewish architect who managed to work in an enormous Star of David into the design.

Tomb of Galileo

Galileo was called the Father of Astronomy, Physics and Science. He was tried by the Inquisition and found suspect of heresy for suggesting that the earth moves and was not at the center of the universe. He was sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life. In 1992, Pope John Paul II expressed regret over how the Catholic Church had handled Galileo. The statue of Galileo has his left hand on an orb representing celestial objects and his right hand holding a telescope staring off into the Universe. According to Stephen Hawking, Galileo probably bears more of the responsibility for the birth of modern science than anyone else.

Florence’s Statue of Liberty

Looks like our own Statue of Liberty. She holds a lyre and a crown of laurel in her left hand, while her uplifted right hand holds a broken chain.

Tomb of Michelangelo

Michelangelo was Born March 6, 1475. He arrived in Rome June 25, 1496 at the age of 21. In November 1497, he was commissioned to carve the Pieta. He was 24 at the time of its completion. He completed the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in four years 1508 – 1512. He painted the Last Judgment on the back wall of the Sistine Chapel 1534 to 1541. In 1547, at age 70, he was appointed architect to replace the Old Basilica of the 4th Century of St. Peter’s. The dome of St. Peter’s was completed after his death. He died Feb 18, 1564. After the construction of his tomb, Santa Croce decided to house the tombs of those Italians who were famous for their great achievements.

Main Altar of Santa Croce

The frescoes at the Main Altar depict the Legend of the True Cross. The Main Altar cross is the Cimabue Cross commissioned by the Franciscan monks at Santa Croce. The static pose of Jesus includes images of Mary and St. John in small panels at either end of His outstretched arms.

Sacred Heart Chapel in Basilica of Santa Croce

Pazzi family chapel

The Pazzi Chapel is the Private family chapel constructed by Brunelleschi and is known for its great acoustics. The interior is decorated with glazed blue and white terracotta medallions of the Twelve Apostles and the Four Evangelists. Father Jay Baker gave us an mini concert singing so beautifully in this chapel.

Young demonstrators in Florence

Torciano Winery

Experienced a great time at a Wine Tasting Dinner in Tuscany

Orvieto

Funicolare

The medieval town of Oriveto sits atop a volcanic rock, on a high butte overlooking the plain. There is a Funicolare or railway which connects the station to the city’s historic center up a vertical distance of 157 meter along a 580 meter long route and passes through a 123 meter long tunnel. The cars are unmanned and operates every 15 minutes. Once at the top, there is an electric minibus that bring you to the city center.

Cathedral of Oriveto

The Cathedral of Oriveto is one of the most beautiful churches in Italy. It was begun in 1285 and the beautiful mosaic decoration on the top central gable is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. There were five popes who used the Cathedral of Oriveto as a place of refuge and resided here during the 13th century. This Cathedral is the most extensive papal palace to survive today outside of Rome.

The Gothic façade of the Cathedral of Oriveto is one of the great masterpieces of the Late Middle Ages. The bronze statues with the Symbols of the Four Evangelists (Angel (Matthew), Lion (Mark), Ox (Luke), and Eagle (John)) stand on the cornices above the sculptured panels on the piers.

Man playing harp of Alleluia

When we arrived at the Oriveto Cathedral, there was a man playing the harp. He was playing the most beautiful rendition of “Alleluia”!

Chapel of the Corporal Eucharistic Miracle

In 1263, there was a German priest who was devout but found it difficult to believe that Christ was actually present in the consecrated Host. One day, while celebrating mass in Bolsena, blood started to seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the Corporal (linen cloth used on the altar). He was shocked and at first attempted to hide the blood, but then interrupted the Mass and asked to be taken to the city of Oriveto where the Pope was residing. Pope Urban IV made an immediate and thorough fact-finding investigation into the incident. One year after the miracle, deeply affected by this miracle, the Pope introduced the Feast of Corpus Christi honoring the Holy Eucharist as the Body of Christ. The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is enshrined behind the golden doors in a large reliquary in this Chapel in the Cathedral of Oriveto.

Last judgment frescoes in Cathedral of Oriveto

The San Brizio Chapel depicting visions of heaven and hell certainly rival those of the Sistine Chapel in my humble opinion. Fra Angelico began the decoration of the vault of this chapel in 1447 – “Christ in Judgment” and “Angels and Prophets”. Work came to a halt as they were summoned to Rome to paint the Niccoline Chapel. After being abandoned for 50 years, Luca Signorelli was called on to complete the frescoes in the chapel. He created a series depicting the “Apocalypse” and the “Last Judgment”.

On the left is the “Preaching of the Antichrist”

On the left side of the fresco to the right is the “Elect in Paradise” On Right side the fresco to the right is the “Damned are taken to Hell”

Over the arch of the entrance to the chapel is “The End of the World”.

Security was very tight in Oriveto