Today's Gospel in Art - Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of St Peter and St Paul

Internal cross-section of St Paul Outside the Walls, by Giovanni Battista Piranesi 1748 © Alamy / Christian Art

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 18th November 2021 - Luke 19:41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it and said, 'If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you - and all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God offered it!'

Reflection on the Engraving

Today's feast celebrates the dedications of two of the four major basilicas of Rome: St Peter's and St Paul's. St Peter's Basilica was originally built in 323 by the emperor Constantine, over the tomb of St Peter on the Vatican Hill. Pope Julius II ordered that building to be torn down because of structural concerns and, after nearly 200 years of construction, the present basilica was dedicated on 18 November 1626. Also originally built by the emperor Constantine, St Paul's Outside the Walls was almost totally destroyed by a fire in 1823 and rebuilt afterwards. St Paul's Basilica is built over the tomb of St Paul. Before the completion of Saint Peter's, St Paul's was the largest church in Rome. Pope Pius IX consecrated the new Basilica in 1854.

I visit St Paul's Basilica nearly every day, as it is located almost directly opposite our seminary college. It is a privilege to live so close to it. When I arrived here over two years ago, I found the basilica at first somewhat cold. First, location can be seen as dull. It doesn't match the magnificent setting of the other three basilicas in Rome. St Paul's was built on low- lying marshland outside the walls of Rome. It is remote. But therein lies its beauty. There is a poignant parallel between Christ being crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem and St Paul buried outside the walls of Rome. Also, St Paul's cannot be understood without the realisation that is a monastic building. The Benedictine monks have been present at the Basilica since around 720AD. Thus the monastic silence fills the huge basilica, and embraces every visitor.

I share with you an engraving by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, circa 1748, which depicts the old Basilica, before the fire of 1823. The basic structure and outline of the basilica we see in our print began in Rome in 386. The outline we see is very similar to the current basilica, where we see the mosaic archway, and the mosaic apse and also the Gothic ciborium of Arnolfo over the tomb of St Paul.

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/994
Christian Art - www.christian.art/