On the via Normentana in Rome, about 2 km from the centre, stands the Basilica of St Agnes which comprises of the ruins of the original Constantinian Basilica, the Mausoleum of Constance and the Basilica built by Pope Honorius I in the seventh century. The original Basilica stands many metres below street level. If you […]
Charm and beauty delight the eye, but better than either are the flowers of the field. (Sir 40:22) In today’s society that is defined as a ‘society of images’ there very often isn’t anything that turns our gaze.We know that ‘to look’ is very important but there are not many that have the capacity to […]
In the course of the centuries, the Sacred Scriptures have become a source of inspiration from which Christian art and culture was drawn. From the beginning, the account of creation contained in the Bible has ignited the imagination of artists. On numerous occasions the words of the Bible were defined in images that have evoked, […]
The visit to St Peter’s Basilica introduces the young people to the heart of the Catholic Church. Two thousand years ago, on the Vatican Hill where today St Peter’s Basilica stands, you would have found Nero’s Circus. Here, St Peter, in October 64Ad, was crucified upside down and buried in the pagan necropolis located a […]
The objective of this visit is to help the young people understand the roles of the Church in history. They will follow the story of the Emperor Constantine and the story of his conversion to Christianity and how the Cross, which was a symbol of shame for every Roman, became the symbol of victory. The […]
The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem and the Holy Stairs (Scala Santa) The objective of this visit is to enable the young people to dwell on the historic events of Our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. We are accompanied in this visit by the story of St Helen, mother of the Emperor Constantine, […]
The visit to St Mary Majors Basilica helps the young people enter into the heart of the Christian faith contemplating the God who became man to accompany man on his journey. The Basilica conserves the Lord’s manger from Bethlehem and the splendid mosaics give a marvellous catechesis on the mystery of Christ’s incarnation. A venerable […]
This visit introduces the young people to the story of the Apostle to the gentiles -St Paul. The Basilica was built on the place where he was buried, in the necropolis next to the ‘Ostiensis’ road. Paul arrived in Rome in 64AD and was under house arrest awaiting judgement. In 64 AD Rome was devastated […]
At the start of the year 1500, Pope Julius II della Rovere (1433-1513) acquired the Lacoonte statue and placed it in an octagonal courtyard and this became the start of the Vatican Museums collection. Thanks to the dedication of the Holy Fathers that have amplified the collection over the centuries, the Vatican Museums is today […]
Entering St Peter’s Basilica brings us into a marvelous world that houses 2,000 years of Christianity and is a focal point for Christian faith, history and culture. Two thousand years ago, on the Vatican Hill where today St Peter’s Basilica stands, you would have found Nero’s Circus. Here, St Peter, in October 64Ad, was crucified […]