Street Shrines, Talking Statues, and the Vatican Scavi

The weather today was beautiful, which was surely a nice change of pace for all of us. The day began with Heather's presentation on street shrines or, more specifically, Madonella. Street shrines had various functions, which, oddly enough, included deterring crime and providing the lighting for Rome's streets until the 19th century. First and foremost, however, the street shrines acted as a form of propaganda for the Catholic Church. Heather’s presentation took us to a handful of different street shrines, including the two pictured here. The last street shrine, where the picture below was taken, was mounted on the wall opposite of the Church of Santa Maria della Pace.

Santa Maria della Pace, which is located a short walk away from Piazza Navona, is rarely open to the public, so when we saw that it was, in fact, open, we had no choice but to go in and explore. Built in the late 15^th century, Santa Maria della Pace is a hidden gem. It is likely best known for its cloister, but it also boasts a beautiful interior which, when open, is worthy of exploration. The interior is covered with frescoes, including some done by Raphael in the early 16^th century.

After we left Santa Maria della Pace, we walked a few blocks to one of Rome’s infamous “talking statues.” These talking statues were used in imperial times as anonymous forums where citizens could post their praise, critiques, or thoughts about the emperor without the worry of persecution. Even today, the talking statue was still covered with tattered pieces of paper—a good indication that these talking statues are still very much in use.

From this point in time, the group split into two smaller groups for exclusive tours of the Vatican Scavi. The tour took us through the necropolis underneath Saint Peter’s Basilica, where we were able to peer through a small slit into the grave site thought to be that of Saint Peter. The tour then continued on to the original Saint Peter’s Basilica—an ornately gilded and very beautiful chapel. We finished our tour at the tomb of Pope John Paul II, where a dozen or more visitors were praying. From there, we ascended a staircase into the strikingly beautiful and enormous interior of Saint Peter’s Basilica. After exploring the various sights inside the basilica, including Michelangelo’s Pieta, we then set off for home.