Rome via Brooklyn

DOUBLE. 659 Words, 3 Minutes.

My day started in a church (well, technically, it started with a few hours of reading and writing blog posts/comments, but I don’t feel the need to describe that). Around 12:45, I texted Isabel and asked if she’d like to meet at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, one of Rome’s four Papal Basilicas.  We arrived around 2 and stepped through one of the four Holy Doors in the city, open only during Jubilee (every 25) years. 

The Basilica was stunning. It was founded in 324 and is Rome’s oldest public church. Much like the city itself, to walk through the church is to experience centuries upon centuries all at once; it has suffered earthquakes, sacks, fires, and more, but the traces of that extensive history are bared to the onlooker. Particularly striking was the golden mosaic at the front of the church. 

I write about the first half of my day not only because it was exciting, but also because this theme of spirituality, particularly ancient spirituality, echoed throughout day eleven. We heard three presentations and all were excellent. Julia started us off, teaching us about ancient curse tablets.

I’ll admit, I got a little bit spooked discussing this and being around these objects. Perhaps it’s the Catholic upbringing, but I try to avoid even being near items considered adjacent to the occult. Seeing references to Christ on these tablets intensified these anxieties, which have been planted in me since childhood. Nevertheless, the inscriptions on them were extremely interesting. The spirituality of the ancient world is one of my chief fascinations (well, ancient and beyond. And before; I love learning about the ritual practices of early humans and human ancestors). These tablets tell us emotions the caster felt and give us great insight into their motivations. It’s also so interesting to see different beliefs converging; I’d love to know more about why they were calling on Christ when Christianity strictly forbids the practice of occultism. 

Our next presentation was given by Dante, the topic being Mithraism. This floored me. Until this trip, I had no knowledge of the cult. Dante gave us a great overview of what we do know about them, and possible theories to fill in the gaps. I’d seen art relating to Mithraism before, but I hadn’t recognized it as such. 

One of the most interesting parts of her presentation was when she mentioned that early Christians tried to suppress it, as they viewed it as a demonic perversion of Christianity. That was particularly fascinating because of the possible ties she mentioned to Zoroastrianism, a religion that some view as a direct precursor to Christianity. Side note: I loved hearing someone bring up Zoroastrianism, as it has been one of my intense interests lately. I hope to be able to take a class about it or possibly research it someday, maybe even see some of its architecture. 

From there we continued to peruse the museum and the baths, which were stunning. We walked to the location of our next presentation (also amidst the baths), Mazzy’s, which was on Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. Mazzy’s expertise in art history came in clutch, as she delivered a highly engaging and enlightening overview of the church’s historical importance, providing context for the beauty we were about to experience. I’ve experienced so much Michelangelo throughout this trip, and he truly never disappoints. 

The splendor of this church, unsurprisingly, stirred a Christian fervor in me. Out of all the churches built in the ruins of the ancient Romans, this was my favorite. However, a slightly surprising aspect was the inclusion of Zodiac signs on the meridian line. While the depiction of them is not forbidden by the Catholic Church, belief in them is. I didn’t expect to see them in a Catholic space (not a judgment). 

So far, this trip has absolutely lived up to my expectations. I wrote in my application statement that I am highly interested in the spiritual expressions of the human species throughout history and today. I have without a doubt been able to grow my knowledge of this topic, and day eleven offered me a stupendous triple-hitter of wonderful presentations on it.