Making Memories with a-Mazing Missionaries

 Seven amazing missionaries were our guests for dinner tonight! Comforting American food was requested and served up amid fun conversation, laughter and youthful enthusiasm!

These outstanding young people have left their homes and families in Logan, Mapleton and Bountiful, Utah - Southern California - New Jersey and Arizona, for 18 months to two years, and have set aside their own pursuits to learn the Italian language in order to share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the good people of Rome. We don't mind being the "silver threads among the gold"!!

Touching Artwork - Example B

 Here is another piece of art that captured our heart and soul. We spent a long time admiring this marble sculpture of Jesus.

"Christ Bearing the Cross" (1521) by Michelangelo 

in the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva near the Pantheon in Rome.

In this beautiful marble sculpture we saw a strong and muscular Jesus courageously bearing the cross. In his left hand he holds ropes and nail that will be some of the tools used to crucify him. 

The way he is looking forward, looking ahead, not down, reminded us that He willingly obeyed the Father and atoned and died for all of us. He heroically freed us from sin and death. The artist must have studied the life and mission of Christ to have portrayed him in such a profound way. 

"And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil - " 3 Nephi 27:14 

Touching Artwork - Example A

 We have discovered that some pieces of art touch a place in the heart and looking at them is an emotional experience. The image makes an impression on the soul. Here is one example....

"The Holy Family with John the Baptist and His Parents" (1683) by Domenico Guidi. It is over the high altar in the Church of Sant' Agnese in Agone adjacent to Piazza Navonna.  

In this close up you can see toddler John, dressed in a tunic made of skins, reaching towards his cousin Jesus as if he wants to play with him. In our current study of the New Testament, we are learning much about John's life and ministry and about the family relationship of Jesus and John. Their families were related and knew each other. Their parents were each blessed with miracle babies. Both boys would grow up to carry out their divinely-directed missions and give their lives to the work of God. The artist no doubt understood these things and captured this tender moment in their young lives. 

Ponte Nomentano - The Nomantano Bridge

Our walk to this beautiful, very old Roman bridge tower was well worth the steps! Located about 2 miles from our apartment, we were charmed by its history and setting.  

The original bridge dates to around 190BC. That makes it over 2,000 years old!! 

Located on the old Via Nomentano road where it crosses the Ariene River, a tributary of the Tiber River, it was one of the most important bridges coming in from the north to Rome. 

Though no longer surrounded by vast and empty expanses of Roman countryside as it did anciently, it is surrounded by large green parks on both sides of it. 

It is easy to see why it was a popular subject for artists who captured it in sketches and paintings such as this one painted in 1775 by Joseph Wright of Darby.  

 

A Few of the 900 churches in Rome...

 Visiting the basilicas, cathedrals, chapels and churches in Rome is one of our favorite things to do!! We have learned that the construction of churches were sometimes attributed to religious orders, and some were built by national or regional communities and others by educational entities. Pictures can't possibly capture the breathtaking art or architecture but we want to try. Ready....let us show you a few things.

 

(two photos above) The Basilica of San Sylvestro in Capite founded in 761AD and is looked after by monks. In the 12th century it was designated as the English-speaking Catholic church in Rome.

(two photos above) Basilica of Sant'Andrea della Valle. Begun in 1595. Completed in1650.

(Four photos above) Our FAVORITE church visit of the day....the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola!! Built as the church of the Roman College, construction began in 1626 and was completed in 1722. Large magnifying mirror tables placed in the center aisles gave us the chance to take photos of enlarged reflections of the breathtaking ceiling. The last picture appears to be the inside of the dome...but looks are deceiving!!! There is NO dome on this building. This last picture is an illusion painted on canvas in the perspective of the cupola. It is truly astonishing to see!

Pantheon

On our rainy day trip into Rome we found no lines at the Pantheon so....IN we went. The rain was coming through the oculus (opening) in the ceiling making the floor wet but that is part of the charm of the Pantheon. The opening also allows light into the massive space which was a very new idea when it was built between 25 and 27 B.C.

The Pantheon holds the record for being the best preserved ancient building in the world and has the biggest brick dome in the history of architecture. In 609AD it became the Church of Santa Maria Rotunda and is still used as such today. It was innovative in its time as the first place of worship opened for the common people. Prior to that time, churches were only for the use of nobility.   

 

An Amazing Educational Experience

What to do on a rainy P-day? Ride the bus into Rome to check out a free video shown by the Chamber of Commerce in their office building housed in this structure built by the Emperor Hadrian in 136 B.C.  

We learned so much from the amazing video (available in English with the use of headsets) which was projected on the floor, walls and ceiling with surround sound. It told the history of Hadrian, his life, military career, and success as a great builder of the Roman Empire. The film gave us the illusion of flying over Rome in different eras and visually took us inside monuments, palaces, churches and squares. 

 Eleven columns of the original structure are still standing and form the facade of the building. Other displays in the building gave more glimpses of ancient Rome. We learned so much!!

 

 

A Place of Learning

 

"The temple was a place of learning for the Savior when He was on the earth. 

It was very much a part of His life. Temple blessings are available once again in our day." 

- Elder James Faust

The Legend of Befana

Another holiday discovery is this Italian legend. We have become quite smitten with her story and are collecting La Befana dolls. Which one would you want to have hanging in your kitchen? 

According to local legend, long ago there lived a woman named Befana who spent her days cleaning and sweeping. One day the Wise Men came to her door in search of the Baby Jesus. She invited them in to her immaculate home, fed them a meal, but declined their invitation to accompany them in their search because she was too busy cleaning. Later, feeling guilty, she decided to find Jesus on her own by following a bright light in the sky which she believed pointed the way. As she travelled around searching, she brings along a bag filled with baked goods and gifts for Jesus, and a broom to help the new mother clean. According to legend, Befana is still searching after all these centuries for the new born Messiah.   https://theculturetrip.com/italy/articles/the-story-of-befana-the-italian-santa-claus/ AND https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Befana#cite_note-5 

La Befana is portrayed as a hooded old hag, covered in soot (because she enters homes through the chimney) and rides a broom. On the eve of Epiphany (January 6th) she will visit homes leaving gifts, candy and treats for the good children while the bad children are left with a stick or coal in their stockings. (That sounds a bit familiar!) Her arrival is highly anticipated and is almost like a second Christmas and provides another reason to celebrate the holiday.  

We love this legend and are going to keep one of our La Befana dolls displayed to remind us that there are important times when it is best to "lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better." - Doctrine & Covenants 25:10