Seeing Beauty in the Everyday World
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The evenings came early in Rome in November, long before time for dinner. On our first evening in Rome, I stepped out of the hotel, walked 2 blocks, and had this view of St. Peter’s. I also found this stained…
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We were able to celebrate mass at Santa Maria in Traspontina, just a block away from our hotel, and only about 4 blocks from Vatican City. I was certainly not expecting a local parish church to be as beautiful at…
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During Nero’s great Christian persecution in 64 A.D., Saint Peter was martyred, crucified, and buried in Caligula’s Circus. After Constantine’s Edict of Milan (313 A.D.) Christians were allowed to construct places of worship. Constantine himself authorized the building of the…
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The Vatican museums contain an amazing collection of some of the most beautiful art in the world. However, the museums themselves are also outstanding works of art. This post will focus on the ceilings of the museums. I don’t have descriptions…
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The Vatican Museums originated as a group of sculptures collected by Pope Julius II (1503-1513). The popes were among the first sovereigns who opened the art collections of their palaces to the public thus promoting knowledge of art history and…
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Although the Colosseum and Piazza Navona are two of the favorite tourist attractions in Rome, the Basilica of St. Peter and Vatican City are the main focus for pilgrims such our group. We were very fortunate that our hotel, the…
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The location, size, and shape of Piazza Navona was dictated by the site’s earlier structure, the Stadium of Domitian (dedicated in 86 AD). The Stadium was Rome’s first permanent venue for competitive athletics. It was patterned after the Greek model…
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The Colosseum is one of the most recognized and visited sites in Rome. The Colosseum is the largest Amphitheatre ever built. Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in AD 72, and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir Titus. An estimated…
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We left Siena and headed for Rome. This post will show some images along the way and some views near the Colosseum, our first stop. The countryside was again beautiful between Siena and Rome. We saw several small towns and…