The 21st November is the World Day of Cloistered Life —Pro Orantibus Day (“For Those Who Pray”). It was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1953 on the day in which we celebrate the liturgical feast of the presentation of Mary in the Temple. To honour this special day, we visit the Chapel of the […]
Sr Emanuela was interviewed on Relevant Radio on the Solemnity of the Assumption and she talked about the Mosaic of the Dormition of Mary in St Mary Major’sBasilica Rome.
The splendid mosaics in the apse of St Mary Major’s Basilica in Rome narrate the life story of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Of particular interest is the “Dormitio Mariæ”, the Dormition of Mary, which is found just below the central mosaic. The mosaic depicts the Marian mystery that the Eastern Church refer to as the […]
Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787) is the painter who depicted the most famous image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was born in Lucca in 1708 and his father was a skilled goldsmith who imposed the family trade on his son. As a youth, Batoni displayed his ability in the engraving and decoration of precious metals […]
The Holy Trinity, created by Lorenzo Lotto in 1523 in Bergamo for the church of Sant’Alessandro della Croce, presents a truly peculiar reflection of the Trinitarian mystery. It is an oil on canvas work, 170 x 115 cm, now in temporary storage at the Diocesan Museum of Bergamo. The artist, a man of profound faith, […]
The ancient Feast of the Chair of Peter has been celebrated in the Church since the third century and was definitively established on the 22nd February by St Pope John XXIII. The Feast celebrates the mission and authority that Jesus entrusted to Simon, the fisherman from Galilee, to lead the people of God towards salvation […]
In 1823, Saint Paul Outside the Walls basilica, Rome, was destroyed in a terrible fire. During the reconstruction works in 1838, a splendid sarcophagus from the 4th century AD was found near St Paul’s tomb. The beauty and the profound nature of the Biblical scenes that were sculpted on the face of the tomb, has […]
Mary is the woman clothed with the sun because she is full of grace and is resplendent with the light of the Redemption brought about by Jesus. On earth, Most Holy Mary, makes the sun of her Son, Jesus, shine for us pilgrims in time. To pray the 7th day of the Novena to the […]
The traditional iconography of the Immaculate Conception depicts the Virgin Mary crushing the head of the serpent. This image takes its inspiration from a passage in the first book of the Holy Scriptures where we read: “I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your […]
Traditional Marian iconography contrasts Eve with Mary. This representation arises from the reflection of the Church Fathers on these two figures. Eve, mother of all living, condemned us with her sin. Mary, with her faith, reopened the doors of Heaven for us, by welcoming the Lord Jesus into her womb. As Tertullain explains well in […]