Day 14 – Monday, September 28: Sacred Steps & St. John’s Lateran Church, Circus Maximus, Vatican & Sistine Chapel, Basilica of St. Peter’s
Today was our last full day here on the Rome extension. We began the day with with a few more religious sites/churches before ending the day in the Vatican and St. Peter’s Cathedral. The weather was absolutely perfect once again, with a cooler morning but later sunny skies and highs around 80. For the last time, we left the hotel (at 9 a.m. once again) singing “Oh, the sun’s coming up….” (HA)
Sacred Steps & St. John’s Lateran Church
Our first stop of the day was to the Sacred Steps. As a monk, Martin Luther climbed these steps on his knees, trying to merit forgiveness. It is believed that Helena brought the 28 steps from Jerusalem. The steps are to believed to be used by Jesus went brought before Pontius Pilate (the photo of the steps included is from a previous trip since photos are no longer allowed).
Across the street is the St. John’s Lateran Church (formerly called Church of our Savior). This was the very first official church, built in 313 AD (St. Peter’s Cathedral was built in 319-326 AD). Up through the 14th century AD, all the Popes lived in the adjacent building next to the church. The church was later redone in the 1500s. The new Pope always comes here and is appointed the Bishop of Rome here. Because of the church being the bishop center, it is viewed as the most sacred of all Catholic Churches around the world. Twenty two Popes are buried here.
Circus Maximus
Next, we drove back to the area just outside the Roman Forum to the Circus Maximus. On the way, we passed by Hadrian’s mosoleum called Castle Sant’Angelo where he and his family were buried). The Circus Maximus was the largest of the Roman hippodromes and one of the largest sports arenas ever built. It was built in a U-shaped structure (about 2000 feet long) with seats on three sides and a low wall running down the middle of the arena around which the chariots raced. It was built in the time of Julius Caesar (1st century BC) to seat an estimated 150,000 spectators. Enlarged by later emperors, it reached a maximum size under Constantine (4th century AD) of about 250,000-350,000. Nothing but the site (between the Palatine and Aventine hills) remains today other than the one end. We read portions of Romans 12 and following as we recalled Paul’s words written to the church here.
“Today was our last day of the trip. We visited a number of places again, including the Vatican. Seeing the Sistine Chapel was incredible! The size of St. Peter’s Basilica/Cathedral was quite impressive too!”
Vatican City
Following an hour for our last Italian lunch (pizza or pasta), we walked to the Vatican where we visited the museum and Sistine Chapel. About 850 people live in the “Vatican” today, the world’s smallest official “state.” Getting into the Vatican with special “VIP” status helped us avoid the hours-long lines. We divided into two smaller groups to walk through the museum and church with our two guides (Gloria and Alexandra). Upon entering, we got our first glimpse of St. Peter’s Church.
Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel
Walking through the museum was packed with people. However, it was also filled with ancient artifacts, tapestries, and maps was breath-taking. Even the ceiling of the hallway is amazing! Finally we arrived at the Sistine Chapel. The uncle of Pope Julius II built the Chapel in 1483 when Michelangelo was only five years old. So many of his teachers began painting the images in the chapel. The ceiling was left blue, with golden stars until Michelangelo began his masterwork in 1508. He was 37-38 years old at this time. It took him four years of painting the ceiling. Much later, we also spent another five years to complete the Last Judgment scene on the front wall of the chapel. The chapel is simply stunning! Michelangelo was 89 when he died in 1564. About 35,000 enter the Sistine Chapel every day (note: the photo from the Sistine chapel is borrowed).
St. Peter’s Basilica
Leaving the chapel we entered St. Peter’s Basilica. It is the largest in the world. The original church was built in 319-326 AD, but the present church was built in 1504. It took 120 years to complete! When Michelangelo was 73, he started designing the dome of the church, the largest in the world. As we walked through the church, we saw a replica of the famous Pieta sculpture of Mary holding the crucified Jesus (the room housing the real Pieta was under construction). We also saw the remains of a few Popes who earned “sainthood” after their deaths. Leaving the church we entered Vatican Square. It is a large gathering place in front of the church itself. We enjoyed a brief time in the area of the Square before walking to the bus that took us back to the hotel.
Following dinner, some of us went out for our last gelato before retiring for the night. All but four of us (they are extending their visit to other parts of Italy) fly home tomorrow on various flights.
Day 15 – Tuesday, September 29: Flight Home from Rome, Arrival in U.S.
