On Tuesday we visited two old basilicas of saints who I had never heard of, Saint Prassedes and Saint Pudenziana. The two were sisters who were known for their efforts in gathering the dead bodies of martyrs and burying them in more respectable places. They also housed Saint Peter when he came to visit Rome. Both basilicas were beautiful with fanciful artwork using a lot of symbolism and motifs such as the twelve lambs depicting the twelve apostles, and Peter and Paul appearing at Jesus' sides. We learned that the basilica of Saint Pudenziana was originally a house church where early Christians would gather to hear the gospel and have the eucharist before any true church was established. In Saint Pudenziana some of the original floor was uncovered and it was quite incredible to be able to walk on the same floor as some of the earliest Christians once did.
While I truly enjoyed viewing all of the statues, mosaics, and other works of art inside the basilicas I found them to be much more simpler than other basilicas we have visited throughout the week. They were pleasant, peaceful, and easy to take in. I was most fascinated by the story of the two sisters and how devoted they were to Christianity to be able to risk their lives just to save the bodies of their Christian brothers and sisters. Their teamwork in carrying out these missions is a great example of how early Christians practiced their faith together with both blood relatives and brothers and sisters of the church.
I believe the two saint sisters to be heroine type figures in the early Christian church. They represented the active role of women in early Christianity, which we discussed eventually led to more and more people converting to Christianity by hearing the gospel from women.
The Basilica of Saint Pudenziana
No comments:
Post a Comment