Reflections on Beauty

Borromini's reconstruction

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:40:05 +0100

The basilicas built on the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul were completely rebuilt at specific moments in history. How, then, should we interpret the current appearance of Rome's cathedral, the Basilica of St. John Lateran? The attentive visitor will be able to read it like a book: its architectural body, in fact, bears the traces of the entire history of the Church of Rome.

Listen to Dr. Johana Bronkova, art historian and journalist for the Dicastery for Communication...

The diverse faces of St. Paul

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:30:27 +0100

Father Edmund Power OSB, abbot emeritus of the Abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls, recounts details and secrets of the Basilica: the imposing and self-sufficient St. Paul of the 19th century, but also the weak and suffering St. Paul near the Crucifix. And then there is a holy water font that hides a secret in the face of Satan and, to balance this dark presence, his counterpart, St. Benedict and his battle against the Evil One....

The wonders of early Christian art

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:09:45 +0100

In the second chapter of the first letter of St. Peter, Christians are compared to “living stones,” which together constitute the spiritual house of God. The early Christian mosaic is also a symbol of the great “spiritual edifice,” composed of thousands and thousands of pictorial elements, within which all the tiles and colors play a fundamental role...

Listen to Andreas Raub, Artistic-Scientific Director of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

Francesca Bresciani

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 12:53:01 +0100

A strong and daring woman who was not afraid to challenge the man who, in those years, was considered the master of the world. Francesca Bresciani, the artisan chosen by Bernini himself because she was considered more talented than her colleagues, worked for three years on the decoration of the tabernacle of the Holy Sacrament. And she did not hesitate to rebel when Bernini cut her pay by 50%

Listen to Dr. Assunta Di Sante of the Fabbrica di San Pietro.

The Donation of Constantine

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 08:41:14 +0200

Everyone has heard in school about the so-called Donation of Constantine, often presented as the archetype of a forged document intended to alter history. However, not everyone knows that the apocryphal nature of this imperial edict was exposed by Lorenzo Valla (1407–1457), a humanist and canon of the Lateran Basilica. Listen to Don Andrea Lonardo, Director of the Catechetical Office and the Catechumenate Service of the Diocese of Rome.

The Easter Candelabrum

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 15:41:32 +0200

A magnificent 12th-century Easter Candelabrum, now positioned near the altar above the tomb of the Apostle Paul, narrates the entire story of salvation through symbolic imagery. It evokes the Tree of Life, carved in living stone, and also alludes to the pillar of fire that guided the people of Israel through the desert toward the Promised Land. Listen to Father Edmund Power OSB, Abbot Emeritus of the Abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

La Sperduta

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 15:37:39 +0200

Legend has it that a pilgrim arrived at the gates of Rome at night and got lost. She prayed to the Virgin Mary for help, and at that moment, she heard the bells of Santa Maria Maggiore ringing. The bell, forged in 1289, was thus given the name “La Sperduta” and came to symbolize Mary as a guide and signpost. Listen to Andreas Raub, Artistic-Scientific Director of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Artists and craftswomen in St. Peter's Basilica

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 08:41:14 +0200

Among the many records and highlights of the Basilica built over the tomb of the Apostle Peter, one surprising fact stands out: since the 1500s, a significant number of female artists and craftswomen have been employed in roles traditionally considered the exclusive domain of men. But who are these women working for the Fabbrica di San Pietro? Listen to Dr. Assunta Di Sante of the Fabbrica di San Pietro.

Ancient Columns

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 11:01:06 +0100

St. John Lateran is the first great basilica where the entire Christian community of a city could gather. The Emperor Constantine built it at his own expense and donated it to the Bishop of Rome, along with the adjoining baptistery and episcopal palace. Two enormous columns from the ancient basilica are still visible at the top of the central nave, before the transept. Listen to Msgr. Andrea Lonardo, Director of the Catechetical Office and the Service for Catechumenate of the Diocese of Rome.

Ciborium

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 11:05:49 +0100

Looking at the magnificent Gothic ciborium in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls means focusing on its central point—the tomb of the Apostle. The baldachin invites us to look up, observe, and embrace the call from above. To cite the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians, we are compelled to gaze on high, toward the face of Christ, who dominated Paul's life and for whom Paul gave his life. Listen to Fr. Edmund Power, OSB, Abbot Emeritus of the Abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Nativity Scene by Arnolfo di Cambio

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 10:57:27 +0100

Evoking the first nativity scene created by St. Francis in Greccio, Pope Nicholas IV, the first Franciscan Pope, commissioned Arnolfo di Cambio to reproduce the scene of Bethlehem in marble, achieving enormous success that transcended the history of art. Listen to Andreas Raub, Artistic-Scientific Director of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major.

Our Lady of the Column

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 11:08:09 +0100

The 15th-century image of the Virgin with the Child, originally painted on one of the columns of the old St. Peter’s Basilica, was venerated as miraculous during the Holy Year of 1575. This led to its transfer to the new basilica, which was under construction at the time. In 1963, Pope Paul VI granted the image the title Mother of the Church. In 1981, it became the model for the mosaic commissioned by Pope John Paul II that overlooks St. Peter’s Square from the façade of the Apostolic Palace. Listen to Prof. Pietro Zander, Head of the Vatican Necropolis and Classical Antiquities of the Fabric of St. Peter.

Lateran Cathedra, the Episcopal See of the Pope

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 11:10:37 +0100

The election of the Pope has long taken place in St. Peter’s, but the Pope then comes to sit on the cathedra of St. John in the days immediately afterward. The liturgical action signifies that he is now seated on the chair from which he teaches. Yet, unlike academic roles, the Pope teaches not his own ideas but Jesus Christ and His word. Listen to Msgr. Andrea Lonardo, Director of the Catechetical Office and the Service for Catechumenate of the Diocese of Rome.

Apse Mosaic, two faces of Christ

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 11:13:14 +0100

Two mosaics dominate the space of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. In the most ancient, placed on the triumphal arch, Christ appears as the Judge at the end of time. In the apse, the glorified Christ sits on His throne with a loving, merciful, and welcoming expression. There is a striking contrast between the two faces of Christ. Which is the true Christ? Listen to Fr. Edmund Power, OSB, Abbot Emeritus of the Abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Feast Of Our Lady Of The Snows

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 10:27:00 +0200

Falling snow in the middle of summer carries the essence of a true Christian experience, the impossible made possible by God. With this feast day, the Basilica recalls the miracle of its foundation, the apparition of the Virgin to two Roman noblemen and to Pope Liberius to request the construction of a church in his honour, indicating its extent and location with an unseasonal blanket of snow.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Thu, 16 May 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Already mentioned in the 7th century, the image of the Virgin Mary known as “Prompt Succor” represents the oldest Marian devotion in St. Peter’s Basilica. Transformed into a graceful 15th-century fresco, the venerated image was moved in 1578 to the altar of the Gregorian Chapel, becoming the first image of the new St. Peter’s Basilica. Listen to Prof. Pietro Zander, Head of the Vatican Necropolis and Classical Antiquities of the Fabric of St. Peter.

The Constantine Baptistry

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0200

The Constantine (or Lateran) Baptistery, also called San Giovanni in Fonte or San Giovanni in Onda, was built with ancient materials no later than the age of Sixtus III (432-440). Its octagonal structure became the model for many baptistries throughout the West. It traditionally recalls the eighth day, symbol of the risen Christ. It is precisely baptism that signifies the first step in this day without end. The architectural forms closest to the original ones were obtained from the excavations, such as the plan, the course of the perimeter wall and the position of the reinforcement pillars.

The Benedictine Abbey

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0200

The presence of the monastic community dates back to Pope Gregory I, known as the Great (590-604), the first monk to ascend to the papal throne and a great promotor of the Rule of Saint Benedict. It was here that on 25 January 1959 Pope John XXIII announced the convocation of the Second Vatican Council.

Salus Populi Romani: Beauty that heals

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0200

Jesus looks at Mary, Mary looks at us, it is a dialogue of gazes that invites each of us to walk this path. The title of this image is Salus Populi Romani, 'salvation of the Roman people'. When this title is born, the Roman people is not just Rome, it is the Roman Empire, the idea of a universal empire. Therefore, it is the whole world that is involved in this title.

Michelangelo's Pietà

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0100

A masterpiece that needs no introduction, seemingly descended directly from heaven, which moves us and invites us to reflection. How many eyes have met the gaze of the Madonna, and how many prayers have been offered before this sculpture, carved by Michelangelo when he was only twenty-three years old!

The Apsidal Mosaic

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0100

In this work, the cross represents Christ. Like Christ in the deesis, it is flanked by Mary and John the Baptist. Four of the other saints alongside it carry scrolls with texts attesting to Christ’s divinity. From the Cross streams of water flow, from which the deer drink, an allusion to Psalm 42:1, “As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God”.

The tomb of Saint Paul

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0100

His body was buried approximately three kilometres from the place of his martyrdom, in the burial site along Via Ostiense, belonging to a devout Christian named Lucina. Shortly afterwards, the tomb would become a place of worship and veneration.

The Holy Crib

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0100

The many chapels, from the most ornate to the humblest, built by popes, cardinals and pious confraternities, ancient mosaics that tell all the history of Salvation, the Baptistry and finally the relic of the Holy Crib complete the ensemble of splendours contained within these walls. Each column, painting, sculpture and ornament of this Basilica resounds with history and the prayers of our ancestors.

The tomb of Saint Peter

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0100

A modest burial site on which, a hundred years after the Apostle's martyrdom, a small funerary aedicule was built, commemorated by the presbyter Gaius at the end of the second century, as the historian Eusebius of Caesarea (Ecclesiastical History, 2, 25, 6-7) precisely reports. That aedicule, generally referred to as the 'Trophy of Gaius', indicated to early Christians the tomb of Peter, which, even before Constantine, was the destination of devout pilgrimages.