Day 3 and 4

Yesterday we toured three churches that had very beautiful mosaics and frescos. The first was Santa Maria Maggiore. It was very long with many arches and an alter at the end. There was  also another alter underneath it that you could get to using stairs. By the bottom alter there was a larger statue of a pope praying. The top alter wasn't the original, but the position was the same. A cute older Italian man came up to us and tried speaking to us in English about the church. Our conversation consisted of us listening and nodding our heads while smiling. There was a cute little chapel off to the left side that had mass twice a day. The man told us we should go, but we were on a listening tour so we weren't able to. I actually wish I could have went to see the differences between mass here and in America. There were a bunch of priests positioned on the sides of the church for reconciliation. Their languages were written on the box they were in so people knew which priest to go to. We learned that you can have your wedding In the church so maybe I'll have a destination wedding? 

I swear all of my good pictures must be on my camera.

The second and third churches had beautiful artwork. The second church had a cool victory arch. A victory arch is displayed outside and is made for military conquests and victories. It isn't structurally necessary for the church. It was brought inside to be a monument and a symbol of pascal mystery. 

The third church had a 4th century mosaic and is the oldest church. In the mosaic peter points the way to heaven. Some of the frescos were destroyed because of the humidity, but it was FREEZING in these churches. I actually have pictures of this one!

The door

Outside the church

The alter and the picture where peter points to heaven

The mosaic

The afternoon of yesterday was the best. We had a private tour of the mosaic room of the Vatican. No one usually gets to do this so we were really lucky! They were putting the finishing touches on the mosaic for pope Francis when we were there so we couldn't take pictures. The pope saw the mosaic of himself this morning so it was amazing that we could see it before he did! Next week they will take the mosaic and hang in 40ft off the ground in St. Peter's Basilica. I got to see where he lives, but no live sightings yet. The director of the mosaic room took us through secret passageways of the basilica and into a secret room filled with archives. We were the first ones in the room and we took off running through the hallways furiously taking pictures incase they told us we couldn't. Again, most of them are on my camera, but here are a few. 

Outside the mosaic studio

A statue In the secret room 

A huge replica of the old model of the basilica before michaelangelo's design. This opened up and we went inside of it. My old barbies would have loved this house.

Today we saw a 12th century basilica that was built on a 4th century basilica that was built on a 1st century neighborhood. The them of the top two churches was st. Clement. On the top church there were many anchors because he died by having an anchor tied to his feet and being thrown in the Black Sea. The 4th century church had lots of frescos and many pieces of old art. The frescos were from the 9th century. The basilica was built to remember Clements house church. There were colums inserted into the church so that it would hold up the church on top of it. Further down in the excavation site was the 1st century neighborhood. There wasn't really artwork and we looked for thin bricks to determine where the original walls were. The neighborhood was rebuilt after Nero's fire burned down parts of Rome. The lowest part was cold and mildly terrifying. There were no pictures allowed, many random tunnels, and a dimly lit area. I felt like I was stepping into a horror movie and was ready to go back to the 12th century basilica. 

The courtyard of the 12th century basilica. The only place we could take pictures.

I went to the Spanish steps, but we didn't take pictures. We walked around the shopping areas for awhile and got a great lunch. After class we went to a more lively part of town to see what the city of Rome is like after dark and it was really fun! As of now I'm prepping to go to bed before I have to get up In 5 hours for my trip to Assisi!!