Catholic Imagination: A Trip Through Roman History

 Catholic Imagination: A Trip Through Roman History

    Having the opportunity to travel abroad and witness the historical richness that Rome has to offer has be amazing. Every site that we have seen has yet to let me down, and always leaves me utterly shocked by the amazing architecture and detail of their time. On this trip, we have been encouraged to act as pilgrims, meaning we are encouraged to disconnect ourselves from the culture we are used to and fully immerse ourselves in the Roman culture. By doing so, not only will we be able to more fully appreciate the world around us, but we may even be able to learn something about ourselves that was not previously possible by living in the comfort of our everyday lives at home.

    So far we are about halfway through our trip, and throughout the last few days I have been a pilgrim in the Roman community and I plan to continue with this mindset going forward on the rest of the trip. With that in mind, I want to share the experiences I’ve had so far and how the sites we’ve visited have come together, layer by layer, to shape my perspective on Roman Catholic history.

St. Paul’s Outside the Walls

    The first church we visited when we arrived was St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, which is one of the main 4 churches in Rome. Originally this church was built outside the walls of the Roman Empire, and therefore it was given the name it has today. Seeing this church was my first glimpse of what this trip had in store for me and I was in awe. The intricacies of the church’s architecture was very interesting to observe, and learning about the history of the church and hearing some explanations as to why the church had certain features. To start, in the courtyard of the church there were several statues. We learned that statues holding a sword were St. Paul and statues holding a key were St. Peter.

    Once we entered the church I was amazed to see the the attention to detail, and this amazement remained constant for the rest of the places we had visited later in the trip as well. When walking around the church, one of the main things I noticed were the pictures lining the top of each wall. I soon learned that they were pictures of all past Popes, 266 in all. Along with that, I learned that each one of the empty circles was reserved for future Popes and that it is believed that when all holes are filled that the world would end. So, they simply added more holes.

View when first entering

View from the back, facing the front

End of the line of Popes with our current Pope, Pope Francis, lit up

The Colosseum

    Before leaving for this trip, The Colosseum was undoubtedly the site that I was most excited to see. Being a big fan of Gladiator movies, seeing The Colosseum had been on my bucket list for a long time. When first seeing it from the outside, it was even better than I had imagined. On our tour through we walked a full lap around and went up and down to each level. Although there were some parts that had been redone due to damage and natural erosion, the history could still be felt all the same. We learned that it was mainly constructed for the entertainment of the people who lived in the Roman Forum, which I will mention soon. Overall, experiencing this was the first time I really felt immersed in what the life of a Roman would have been like back during this time.

The Forum

    Before visiting The Forum, I did not really know what it was or what to expect. Therefore, I tried my best to pay attention to all I could when walking around and truly be a pilgrim. I learned that The Forum was a political center and religious hub. Essentially, it was the social heart of the Roman Empire. Many of the leading religious figures resided here, as well as the Vestal Virgins. The Vestal Virgins were those who were in charge of looking after and maintaining the eternal flame which symbolized the eternal life and continuity of Rome. During this time, the average life expectancy was 30 years and the Vestal Virgins served until the age of 24.

    As I walked around, I was given a very good sense of what life would have been like for the residents of the Forum. I saw remains of what would have been houses and bedrooms, the baths, courtyards for entertainment and leisure, as well as much more. This property was much bigger than I had expected and oversaw much of the surrounding area. 

    Towards the end of our tour, we learned a lot about the history of The Forum and the reasons for its destruction. Simply put, when Christianity began to take over and churches were rising up, they wanted to completely erase any memory of the Roman Empire that had come before. In order to do this, the property was destroyed and designated as the landfill for the entire city, and over hundreds of years the area was piled so high with garbage that nearly all of the architecture was completely covered. However, eventually someone had noticed the top of an arch sticking up out of the landfill and questioned what it was, which led to the excavation of the landfill that left us with the remains that we have the pleasure of viewing today. Lastly, during the destruction of The Forum, many of the columns were stolen off the structures and used the construction of several other churches in the area, which is why some of the churches have columns with different designs inside.

    Ultimately, this tour gave me a great sense of being a Roman during the time of the Roman Empire, and I was really able to imagine Catholicism in a different light while navigating through the remains of The Forum. This experience allowed me to fully immerse myself in the culture around me and learn everything I could. 

Courtyard used for leisure and entertainment

Forum baths

Remains uncovered

Arch that could be seen which led to excavation

Remains uncovered Concluding Summary     As previously mentioned my main goal this trip has been to live as open as I could and immersing myself in the Roman culture. In every place we have visited thus far, I have been curious and excited to learn more. During every tour, we are given a few minutes to walk around and explore the area on our own which is a part I find most exciting sometimes because it allows me the opportunity to go wherever my eyes take me. Having the opportunity to go on this trip has been truly incredible, and I want to express my gratitude to the family of Major John H. Mark for their generous support. Major John was a spirited, adventurous, and curious individual who embraced exploration and sought out new experiences with enthusiasm. As I navigate through Rome this winter, I have not only tried to be a pilgrim, but I try to live the way Major John would have as well: by never shying away from new things. I feel that through this mentality I have been able to enjoy Rome for all it is.