2016-08-09 St Peter's Basilica and Lunch (Feast of Jean Vianney)

Today is the feast of St Jean Vianney, the patron of priests. I went to mass at the chapel and they do the mass in an interesting way. First of all it was in Italian. I followed the mass because I know the parts of the mass. This is the beauty of the Catholic Church that wherever one is, it is still the same Lord and liturgy.

In any case, they begin with the sign of the cross, then start the morning prayer up to the third psalmody. They proceed with the mass and at the intercession, they use the intercessions of the morning prayer. After communion, they conclude the morning prayer with the Benedictus before the concluding prayer. Shooting two birds with one stone - I'm not complaining.
Breakfast was very welcome. They have bread, jam, cereals, yogurt, juice to choose from. The community also eats the same thing as you eat. We also found that there is a laundry facility that you can use, which comes in quite handy.

As I said, the place is well maintained and the next time you are looking for a place to stay in Rome, you might want to check them out.

Taking the Metro to the Vatican itself is easy, about a few minutes walk to the station. One thing noticeable is the presence of military personnel with guns that seem to be ready to shoot at the first sign of trouble.

Vatican Museum Entrance

When we got off the terminal for the Vatican, we walked towards St Peter's. There are many people selling tours to the Vatican, fortunately, my daughter has been here so she knows her way around.

As the view opens, I got a sense of awe of the view. The statue at the door of the Vatican museum is so overwhelming. We had a pre-arranged tour but for those who come on their own, the line up is quite long to get in.

The guide checked us in and we skipped the line. As we enter to the courtyard, I saw the dome of St Peter's. I felt a sense of pride that at last, here I am, the centre of Christianity and here is the visible proof.

This is just a preview of what is in store. The Vatican museum is the second largest museum in the world, next to the Louvre in Paris. But here, we see the works of great artists.

Room of maps. The paintings are not only on the walls, but on the ceiling

The guide gave us an introduction of what to expect in the Sistine Chapel but it was still going to be a while before we enter it. In any case, the rooms we entered are full of paintings, upon paintings and sculptures  and more sculptures. Some were Christian art some were not.
Here's a picture of the room of maps.

After the museum, we were ready to enter the Sistine Chapel. It is disappointing that pictures are not allowed. I was expecting some sense of reverence, but as I enter the room, it is packed with tourists, all talking. It was full! But the paintings are magnificent.

Main altar of St Pater's Basilica

After the Sistine Chapel, our guide planned to take us to the Basilica. For some reason, she took us through the tombs of popes which is a different tour. There, we passed through the tomb of Peter. It is quite a touching moment to see the tomb of the Rock on which Jesus built his Church. Sorry, no pictures.

We came out to the Basilica itself and it is HUGE! The sad part is it has become so busy it was difficult to pray. People walking around, taking pictures, talking, did I say taking pictures and talking?

Tomb of St John Paul II

I was able to pray before the tomb of St John Paul II. We also saw the Pieta. Michaelangelo was really a genius.

I also saw two incorruptible Saints. I think these are the bodies of previous popes but I am not sure.

After this, we had lunch at one of the restaurants nearby. Of course, in Italy, one would eat Pizza and Gelato. Then off to St Paul Outside the Walls.

See how big the pizza is?