By Raya Jalabi
A view from the Vatican Museum Courtyard. | Photo by Raya Jalabi.
ROME — “Screw journalism, I’m never leaving this place” — famous last words by an anonymous member of the Religio team, after spending three hours trawling the Vatican Museum. Anonymous wasn’t the only classmate left reeling in awe at the end of a fascinating guided tour of the museum. Dr. Elizabeth Lev, an extremely learned art historian who has been giving guided tours of the Vatican Museum for over 30 years, selected some highlights for our group to see, anticipating we’d get through the museum with enough time to see St. Peter’s Basilica and make it to our next stop in time. However, so engrossed was our group in the splendors of the Rafael rooms and the Sistine Chapel, that our inquisitive natures – which usually serve us well as journalists – found us spent for time, without ever making it to the Basilica. Perhaps our awestruck pace was due to the overwhelming throng gathered here on one of the most crowded days of the year, but we’d like to think it has everything to do with brushstrokes and Apollo. We all vowed to make it to Michelangelo’s last artistic undertaking before leaving Rome, or forever regret our failings as tourists.
The cross in the shrubbery at Sant'Egedio Courtyard. | Photo by Raya Jalabi
From the Vatican to the Communità di Sant’Egidio. We met Paolo Mancinelli and Claudio Mario Betti outside the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, a lively neighborhood of Rome. Mancinelli and Betti are both members of the Community of Sant’Egidio, a catholic lay organization dedicated to evangelization, ecumenism and solidarity with the poor and marginalized.
They led our group to the Community’s headquarters, around the corner from the church. We were led inside a beautiful courtyard, which we later found out was once the burial ground of over 400 years of nuns who had lived in the building the Community now occupies. An oasis of calm, the verdant courtyard was our first introduction to the Community’s ethos and history, recounted in Betti’s vivacious tone.
A founding member of the Community, Betti told stories of Sant’Egidio’s founding in 1968 as a student-run catholic group dedicated to servicing the local poor. While other students were rioting around the world, Community members were trying to figure out how to create an invigorated youth who was dedicated to serving the poor and those in need. Clearly, it worked as the group now numbers over 70,000 in 70 countries, according to Betti.
From Sant’Egidio, the ravenous group headed to Dar Poeta Pizzeria in Trastevere where we wolfed down various pizzas and nutella-filled calzones. After our brief respite, it was back to the Basilica di Santa Maria where we attended a Vespers service for members of the Sant’Egedio Community. Although it was a short service, lasting only about 25 minutes, the Vespers consisted mainly of hymns, sung by a choir of melodious voices.
Candles lit for the Vespers service at Santa Maria di Trastevere. | Photo by Raya Jalabi.
We got a chance to look around the church after the service. Santa Maria di Trastevere is one of the oldest churches in Rome, and might have been the first in which Catholic Mass was openly celebrated. Much of the church’s foundations date back to the 4th century. Interestingly, the square in front of the church is one of the centers of Trastevere nightlife.
Speaking of nightlife, most of the group headed to a local watering hole to indulge our tired bones by chatting and toasting to a day well spent. Salute!
Error: Twitter did not respond. Please wait a few minutes and refresh this page.