The church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine in Rome. Roman martyrs and early Christian saints

St. Peter's Square has the shape of a keyhole. On the first of our day in Rome, we went to St. Peter's Cathedral. In terms of any pilgrim from the first century, our era is place number 1.

Rome Klondike Christian shrines. Romans are even cobblestones in their bridges called Santi Petrini "Holy Pebbles." Through these roads went on the apostles, thousands of first Christian-martyrs were buried under the pavements, among the Romans of the first centuries of our era, many were famous for the saints ... each block of land there is a saint patron.

The Italians themselves relate to this very everyday and even ironic. For example, the angels in the fluttering marble clothes on the Sant Angelo bridge are a joke called "maniacs in the wind". Each Angel holds one of the relics (the thorns of the crown, the cross of the crucifixion, the spear, whom Jesus pierced, a column, which was bichned, and so on.), Which is essentially a torture and reminds of terrible torment ...

By the way, in early Christian frescoes and mosaics, even in the first catacombs, there are no images of a crucifier Christ, a terrible trial, the torture of martyrs, the descent to hell and other frightening plots. The churches of the first centuries breathe love, joy and peace.

Going to Rome, be sure to schedule visitors, where the mosaics of the IV-9th centuries are preserved. They are young, elegant Jesus walks on red and turquoise clouds, snow-white lambs graze on emerald lawns, gold deers drink from silver sources, on a magic tree of life Sky-birds are sitting ... Right paradise. And on top, often depict the hand of God, stretched out of the cloud. From contemplation of all this magnificence, the soul becomes easy and joyful.

The tiny alley, who led from our house to Tibra, was called the rise of a kind shepherd. The good Italian padres here come across every step, as well as the nuns of various orders (you can distinguish them in the color of the dress) they are completely in the spring of the spring in the summer sandals towards the Vatican, taping the headphones from the player ...

Entering the Cathedral, all first and intensely rush to say hello to the Bronze Saint Peter it is believed that some sins are forgiven to someone who will touch the leg of the statue. After all, according to legend, it was the apostle Peter that keeps the keys to Paradise. (If you rise to the elevator to the dome, then it can be seen from above that the area itself in front of the cathedral has the shape of a keyhole.) For centuries from strokes and kisses, Peter polished and erased ...

When we approached Baldakhina over the tomb of the apostle, everyone suddenly lasted with cameras, as if on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival. Having lifted the eyes to the dome, we saw the implausible picture of the light of light, which descended as they draw on icons and frescoes. "This is the Holy Spirit. It is rare, "the two old women are seriously explained to us, frightened next to the children's delight. After five minutes, the sun was moved, the rays changed the angle and the sunny fan was dissipated.

Hello from Nazareth

In the evening, the Fountain of Trevi, in the most turmoil and pussy place of Rome, we witnessed a curious scene.

On the edge of the marble bowl, sent a venerable nun. At the same moment, she turned out to be rushed with a whole Vatagoy teen teenagers who were long and unceremoniously photographed with her in different angles. The nuns obediently hugged everyone in turn and everyone separately and was not at all angry when the children were shoved and pushed to fit with her in the frame.

When she finally broke out to the will, we also squeezed to her with your camera. It turned out that her sister of Philip, she was Benedictine, came from Nazareth. And brought with you on vacation in Rome of all these children 35 people.

It means that our new acquaintance is one of those most Benedictains, about which during the Israeli-Lebanese conflict three years ago wrote as heroes: despite the shelling, they refused to evacuate and remained praying for the world ...

The philip's sister wants, when these Israeli kids grow, who almost overthrew it in the Trevi Fountain, they no longer fired on their homeland ... Therefore, it is no longer shooting them with holy places to think about the good and pray for the world ...

For goodbate, Philip's sister is photographed with us and wishes good luck and good way.

Stones Peter.

The next day we went to search for the relic, which directed by the director Vladimir Khotinenko told us.

After our conversation about his work on the film "Pilgrimage to the Eternal City" (read interviews on page 12-13), preparing for the trip, we honestly laid several guidebooks. Neither in our favorite "poster" nor in the famous "Dorling Kimberly", nor tourist Internet portals had information about mysterious stones, which preserved knee prints of the Petra's praying apostle, and even more so where they were stored.

So if it were not for the pressing director, we would never get there. So, if you walk along the street of Roman forums from the Capitol Hill, right, not reaching the Colosseum, on the gray wall it is necessary to find a small marble board with the inscription "Santa Francesca Romana", climb by the arrow-pointer, then go down the stairs and find yourself at the level Ancient Forum. Here was the famous contest of the apostle Peter and Simon-Maghet.

Recall briefly the plot. When Peter came to Rome, in the city there lived a magician and a magician who was read as God: he could cause spirits, command the ghost, healed hips. Peter considered it all the devil shoes. One day, Simon and Peter called on the funeral of the young man: who raises the dead of that teaching true. Simon spells achieved that the young man opened his eyes and stirred his head. But I could not raise the deceased on my feet. When Peter began to pray to Jesus Christ, the young man got up from Odra and began to walk and talk.

Then Simon announced that the angels would raise him on the sky. And really began to fly through the air, rising up. The apostle Peter fell on his knees and prayed so hot that the stones were melted under him. Simon fell and crashed. Seeing such a miracle, many turned to the Christian faith.

At this place right at the Roman Forum built a church. In the wall on the right of the altar behind bars, two stones with dents of strange origin are really mounted, scientists cannot explain this miracle or chemistry or physics.

Stones can be touched. Above the lattice is Latin inscription: "The saint of the apostle Peter knees the saint of the saint of the Holy Apostle Petr at the time when the demons resemble the Simon-Walls into the air."

From Mithra to Pope Roman

If you go out with the Colosseum and go ahead along San Giovanni Street, then right behind the flea market you will be bugged in a unremarkable church. Meanwhile, this is perhaps the most interesting from Roman churches.

Basilica San Clemente is dedicated to one of the first Roman dads. According to legend, it was the Holy Clement that took off the cross and buried the apostle Peter.

Behind the facade of the XVIII century hides the church of the XII century with luxurious mosaics. But this is only a prelude. Passing through, you need to buy a ticket for five euros and descend on a narrow staircase to the lower level. Under the underground vaults the Basilica of the IV century opens. Here you will also see the burial place of St. Cyril (the Slavic alphabet and the Methodius and Methodius).

But this is not the final descending even lower, you will find yourself in the Roman Street of the I century and will be bugged into the sanctuary of God Mitra and an ancient well. The impression of this trip in time is enhanced by the noise of running water here, like two thousand years ago, an underground river is underway to the well.

We came to the discovery itself, nine in the morning and were the only visitors. In San Clement, mass tourists do not reach, they barely manage to master the standard mandatory program. Then there was a couple of British with an individual guide, to which we happily served.

From the guide, we learned that in the first three centuries, our era, the God of Mitra was in Rome very popular and amounted to serious competition to Christianity. The most interesting thing is that Mitra also gave birth to a virgin, he had 12 students, the birthday of Mitra coincides with Merry Christmas Jesus ...

True, early Christians did not know Christmas holiday. The church has established it officially only in the IV century. At that time, on December 25, throughout the Roman Empire, the birth of the solar god Mitra was widely noted.

Christianity would have a big job to displace this holiday from the life and consciousness of people. Therefore, instead of prohibiting it, he was simply replaced by the celebration of the Nativity of Christ on the very day when the people celebrated the birth of Mithra. And Jesus himself also began to portray as a sunny God with a radiant crown and a nimb.

Before the altar in the sanctuary, tables and benches for sacrifice and religious trapes are preserved. Researchers are still hot arguing about the similarity of the Mitra cult with Christian rituals: For example, the Mitra who enter the sacraments offered bread and a bowl with water. And only dedicated men admitted to cult rituals ...

Women's question

By the way, in the first centuries of Christianity, women were not allowed to be together with men in the temples only on balconies at the top level.

In the courtyard in front of the entrance to the church on the right wall, the door with the inscription "Monache Agustiniane". Boldly come in and call the call in the left far corner in the wall behind the bars will open the window. It is necessary to say a sphere tone: "Oratorio di San Silvestro". With you will be asked for one euro per person and the secret button will open the door in the right wall. Behind the door of unprecedented beauty, the hall, from the floor to the ceiling covered with frescoes and mosaics ...

Just keep in mind that small churches are closed in the afternoon, so you will pre-study the schedule.

And literally in a few blocks from this monastery at the temple of the goddess Vesta in front of the statues of Vestnok, the guides will tell you about the ritual of dedication to virgins in the priests. The ceremony ended with the girlfriend, climbed the hair, climbed into white clothes, covered their heads with a cover, and she gave the chastity for 30 years ... The Order of Vadzlatok was abolished only at the end of the second century. The first women's monasteries arose in the fourth ...

At the exit from the forums to the Capitol we climb on the high stairs to the early Christian Church of Santa Maria In Arachelli, which stands on the site of the famous Junon Temple. (It was at the same time that the temple lived those vigilant geese that rescued Rome.)

Two thousand years old here were worshiped by the Roman queen of all gods and people. And one and a half thousand years at the same place the Christian Heavenly Queen of the Virgin. Vaults of the church are held by 22 vintage columns collected from different temples and Rome palaces. On one of them, the words "sleeping quarters of Augustus" are engraved ... and it is here that the relics of Saint Helena, Mother of Emperor Konstantin, are resting.

In general, all mixed religions, languages, states, history of peoples ...

This is especially felt in the pantheon. The ancient temple of all Roman gods has been preserved almost in primeval form, it was simply consecrated in honor of all Christian saints. The world remains the same. The city remains eternal. Probably because the gods pass this place to each other inherited.

Returning, we carefully revised the film Vladimir Khotinenko "Pilgrimage to the Eternal City" and realized that we had almost seen nothing. Now we are going again.

And the second of the oldest holidays of famous icons is stored in the Roman Church of Our Lady for Tiber (S. Maria in Trastevere), it is strictly protected and opened only on certain days.

Pietro includes the backlight and departs to the side, leaving us "to whisper" with Maria ... When we read the sign that the church from the XIV century is at the disposal of Benedictins, we mentally thank our yesterday's girlfriend-Benedictine for the blessing.

Helpful information

Basilica San Clement - Piazza di San Clemente, 9.00-12.30; 15.00-18.00.

In the system of life priorities of modern man, material values \u200b\u200boccupy the dominant positions, which is why the spiritual is gradually formed by the gap.

Someone does not give it absolutely no meaning, and someone trying to fill this gap with all their might, and therefore, planning his vacation, it begins to be interested in the hotel's not starry and not the presence of the All Inclusive system, and tours that refer to the category of the so-called " religious tourism».

Types of religious tourism

Religious tourism implies visits to places that played an important role in the formation or development of any of the world religions, while the purposes of such visits can be completely different, depending on which in this form of rest and two types of tours are distinguished - pilgrimage trips and religious Tours of sightseeing orientation.

The latter are ideal for those whom the thirst for new knowledge is leading to the shrines, who perceives religious facilities rather as cultural monuments and history than as a place of worship. But the pilgrim can be only the one for whom the definitions are religious feelings.

When choosing the most suitable type of religious tourism, it is also worth considering the fact that in pilgrimage trips you may encounter pretty harsh living conditions - the place where the ascetic monastic cells will be located, and a tent camp. The same story and food - a menu, as a rule, does not shine a variety of dishes, especially if your trip coincides with the days of any post.

Therefore, if you want not only new impressions, but also the usual comfort, then you should think firmly, you can still try on the title of pilgrim.

By the way, the "pilgrim" of the traveler, going worst religious shrines, is fairly called only in relation to Orthodox Christians. In Catholic Europe, such travelers are called "Pilgrim". In Islam, such a phenomenon is called "Haj", in Buddhism, visiting the places related to the life of the Buddha, as well as other holy and greatest masters of this religion, is denoted by the word "bark."

Main directions

For each of the main world religions, you can allocate your directions of religious tourism. However, there is a unique place on our planet, the city, where the shrines of Christianity, Islam and Judaism are concentrated in the most closest neighborhood - Israeli city of Jerusalem.

Jews who arrived here first go to the wall of crying, the only surviving fragment of the ancient complex of the Temple Mountain, where the Jerusalem Temple was located, the main shrine of Judaism. The long-lasting loss of this symbol of the former greatness of Israel, the Jews mourn here so far, but at the same time here they pray for the revival and prosperity of a single country for the Jewish people.

For Christians, Jerusalem is a place where the events fundamental for this religion happened is the crucifixion of chrove and the resurrection of the Lord. In general, in this city and in the territories adjacent to it, the great many Christian shrines are located, and therefore, for adherents of this very numerous world religion, Jerusalem is the most sacred place throughout the land.

Muslims are visited in Jerusalem an octagonal mosque Dome of the rock, where the footprint remained the foot of the Prophet Mohammed and where in one of the supports, according to legend, the hair is stored from his beard.

Thus, the city of three religions for two of them is dominant, and only for Muslims, the sacred cities of Islam Mecca and Medina are paramount.

Hajj here is mandatory for every faithful, and visiting Mecca and Medina will be considered a hajide only ten days before the holiday of Kurban-Bayram, provided that during this time, Muslim will fulfill all the rituals prescribed in the Quran.

In Mecca, there is the main mosque of the Muslim world Al-Haraam and the sanctuary of Kaaba, and in Medina - the grave of the prophet. Also important holy places of Islam are located in Istanbul, Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo and Delhi.

However, as a crazy, the Western Europe is still a stronghold of Catholicism, the outpost of which is located in Rome, in the Vatican, but by and large, Catholic shrines can be found in almost any city of the modern European Union.

As for Buddhism, in this religion it is believed that the body of the Buddha after death was cremated, and the ashes are divided into 8 parts and placed in stupas that are in 8 different places today. From them allocate four most revered - in Nepal, in the city of Lumbini, and India, in Bodhgay, Kushinagar and Sarnatha. Large Buddhist centers also have on Tibet, in Lhasa, the biggest statue of the Buddha is located in the Japanese Nare. In addition, Buddhists are often visited by Sri Lanka, Thailand, the capital of which, Bangkok, even the name of the city of Angels, Indonesia and Cambodia, and in Russia, in Kalmykia, is the largest Buddhist temple of Europe.

Rome. Church of the Sacred Customer, Pope of the Roman

Italy (Italian. Italia, the official name - Italian Republic (ITAL. REPUBBLICA Italiana)) - the state in southern Europe, in the center of the Mediterranean. It is included in the European Union and NATO since their creation, is the third largest eurozone economy.

It borders with France in the north-west (the length of the border is 488 km), with Switzerland (740 km) and Austria (430 km) - in the north and with Slovenia - in the northeast (232 km). Also has internal borders with the Vatican (3.2 km) and San Marino (39 km).

It occupies the Apennine Peninsula, the Balkan Peninsula (small part), the Padan Plain, the southern slopes of the Alps, Islands of Sicily, Sardinia and a number of small islands.

Populated items Italy

• Milan

Orthodoxy in Italy

Orthodoxy in Italy - The second largest religious denomination of the modern Republic of Italy. The total number of Orthodox in the country is estimated for 2012 1.4 million people (over 2.3% of the population of the country), in recent years it has taken tens of times. According to the Archbishop of Egoryevskogo Mark (Golovkov), Orthodoxy is the second religion in Italy (after Catholicism) in the number of believers. Orthodoxy in Italy professes mainly recent economic migrants from Eastern Europe, primarily of Romania, Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries, although the Orthodox tradition in the south of the country, which by the end of the XI century controlled the Byzantine Empire, has a long history.

After the first fall of Constantinople in 1204 from the shocks of the Crusaders and Venetians, Orthodox traditions in southern Italy temporarily lose a moral landmark. With Orthodoxy begins to intensively compete and Catholicism. But the second fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the gradual conquest of the Turks Balkans in the 20th century of centuries led to a powerful stream of Balkan immigration to Italy. Among the arrivals were allocated by Orthodox Albanians (Arbershi) and the Greeks, small settlements of which in the south of the country are preserved to the present day. For a long time, they supported long-standing Orthodox traditions in the south of the country, although over time, given the pressure from Catholicism and the general conflict religious background of that era, most of their descendants gradually switched to Catholicism.

Russian Orthodox Church in Italy

The first state decisions on the opening on the Apennines of Orthodox churches were adopted in 1797 in Turin, in 1799 in Naples and in 1803 in the Papal State, but not one of them was not fulfilled in practice, as a result of the turbulent political events of that era.

The first Russian temples at all operating in the territory of the Apennine Peninsula were the house churches of Russian aristocrats of Princess E. Golitsyna (1817), Count D. P. Buturlin (1818) and N. N. Demidova (1823). The first "diplomatic" was the temple with a mission in Tuscany (1823).

By the decision of the Holy Synod dated December 27, 2007, the parishes in Italy were allocated from the Corsun Diocese and are subordinated to the canonical jurisdiction of the bishop with the title "Bogorodsky". Prior to the appointment of the bishop of the Bogorodsky, the Archpasty bishop of parishes in Italy was preserved for Archbishop Corsun Innochentius.

July 16, 2013 at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, held in Moscow chaired by the His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Synod, expressing gratitude to the bishop of the Corsun Nonber for the works incurred on the management of the Italian parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church, freed him from this post . The Archbishop Egoryevsky Mark, Vicar of the Holy Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Head of the Moscow Patriarchate, appointed to the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy, the Archbishop of the Moscow Patriarchate in foreign institutions.

For 2013, in Italy, there were more than 50 parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church, but mostly worships are committed in churches that are provided by Catholics. Parliaments of the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy - the official site of the administration of parishes

History

Early Christianity came to the territory of modern Italy to the Roman era. The process of gradually swaying the Christian trends to the eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) after the section of the empire on the eastern and western parts in 395 did not affect the southern Italy, which the Eastern Roman Empire returned under its control during the conquests of Justinian at the beginning of the 6th century. The oriental rite as a whole was the predominant form of Christianity in southern Italy and Sicily in the VI-XV centuries, which contributed to the presence of large regions of the concentration of the Greek population with early times. Despite the loss of Sicily in the first century and its gradual Islamization within the framework of the Sicilian Emirate, Orthodox traditions continued to be maintained in the north-west of the island in a numerous greek-speaking environment, and even apparently retained a small numerical advantage on the island as a whole. Separate mainland regions of southern Italy (for example, Bari) continued to be monitored by Byzantium to 1071, that is, their official Orthodox status was fixed after the churches were split 1054. However, he lasted for a short time: in 1060, Reggio, in 1063 - Taranto, in 1070 - Brindisi, in 1071 - Bari, in the hands of Catholics-Normanov. Thus, the 17-year-old history of Orthodox statehood in Italy approached the end.

The road pilgrimage also leads to Rome

Where was the first Christian Temple? INRome! Where is the largest church of the Virgin? INRome! Want to see the table followedMystery evening, Or the holy staircase, according to which Jesus rose to Pontius Pilate? Eternal city will tell you her biblical history.

Rome has long been popular among tourists. It seems that we know about it - both about the Colosseum, and about Parfenon, and about famous fountains. But I want to tell about Rome as a place of pilgrimage, the place where all the milestones of the history of Christianity agreed. Some monuments that I mention are consisted of standard excursion tours to Italy, others find the most meticulous tourists on the map.

Let's start from the most ancient stage - the Old Testament. The famous Temple of San Giovanni In Lathersão - the Cathedral of Rome, the very first temple is not only Rome, but also of the whole world, was founded by Constantine called the Savior's Cathedral after the cessation of persecution of Christians and the recognition of Christianity imperial religion. In the Holy Saints - personal papal chapel of the temple - the ark of the covenant was kept. This is the main shrine of the People of Israel, which is a chest that holds the law given by God to his people as a sign of the conclusion of the Union on Sinai (Ex. 40, 20 and 3 Tsar. 8 - 9). Here it was possible to see the colors of the almond with the colors of the almond, the Moses and his preacher, the first high priest. This rod swallowed the wands of Egyptian sorcerers (Ex. 5, 1), he was used in the first three executions of the Egyptian - "water, which became blood, toads and midges" (Ex. 7, 8 - 13). There was a golden urn with manna heavenly - food of the Israelis during the wasting of the desert, who fell from the sky. Manna - this is "something small, coarsal, small, like frost on earth" (Ex. 16, 4), "People walked and collected it, and Molt in millstones or a lot of fool, and cooked in the boiler, and made a cake from her ... And when Rosa went to the camp at night, then she went on him and manna "(numbers 11, 7 - 9), she melted in the sun (Ex. 16, 21). In the same cathedral, the cape of the Virgin Mary was kept.

The holy of the saints was open to pilgrims until the end of the XVI century, until the French soldiers plundered her. Now you can only look through the grille ...

It must be recognized that the ancient Romans represented a pretty competing people. This was fully manifested in the rite of conservation. During the preparation for the military campaign, the Romans without any shadow of confusion appealed to the gods of the opposing party demanding to switch to their side. If the gods, swords from such arrogance, were obeyed, then the Romans guaranteed them to reverend and relevant honors. Alas, but evidence of the exact number of gods who switched to the side of the Romans was not preserved.

Christmas is represented in Rome in the Rome of Yasnel fragments stored in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. This is also one of the very first churches of Rome and the largest among all churches dedicated to the Mother of God. An interesting story is connected with its basis. On the night of August 5, 352, Mary's Virgin was in a dream, Patricia Giovanni and Pope Liberia, Welers to build a church on the place where snow falls in the morning. The miracle was accomplished, the church was built, and on August 5, the day of the Nobody Snowy was noticed. In the church of the site, Croce In Jerzarusalem are stones from under the saints of nursery, where Virgo Maria put the baby (Luke. 2, 7,12).

In the Catholic Hierarchy, San Giovanni Temple in Latherso is above all the other temples of the world. The inscription above the entrance reads: "Holy Lateran Church, all churches of the city and the world Mother and chapter."

But most of the whole Christian relics of Rome is associated with the passions of Christ. They reflect the entire tragic history of the Holy Week. In San Giovanni, in Latherso was kept part of the table, followed by a secret evening - Easter feast, arranged by Jesus, together with his students on the eve of her execution (MT. 26, 20-29; MK. 14,17-25; Luch. 22, 14 -20; in. 13). A holy staircase is laid next to this temple, according to which Jesus rose to Pontae Pilate - the Roman governor of the Jews, to which he was led to the court. Pontius Pilate, knowing about the innocence of Jesus, "washed his hands before the people, and said: I'm innocent in the blood of the righteous of this" (MT. 27, 24). The 28 marble steps of Holy Elena took out first to Constantinople, and from there they were already in Rome. They used to be located on the street, but later, at the end of the XVI century. They were transferred under the roof. Today, marble steps are hidden under wooden coating, but climbing the stairs can still be on the knees. For me personally, the spiritual experience gained in this kneeling ascent has been invaluable. The staircase is established so that, having started the rise, it is already impossible to interrupt it - after all, you will not crawl down, the stuff on the knees. And to the side it is impossible - the staircase with the railing goes along the walls. Whether the pilgrim was tired, whether he wants to go further or decided that he had already crushed his sins - there is no way back. How often in our life we \u200b\u200bfind yourself in such a situation! And there is only one way out - as soon as possible and stubbornly go ahead ...

In the Church of Santa Prassade, near Altar, there is a small pillar, which is believed to be tied or chained by the chains of Christ during a bias (MT. 27, 26). The pillar was taken to Rome from Jerusalem in the XIII century.

With the last minutes of the Earth's Life of Jesus, the relics of the Church of Santa Croce in Jerusalem are connected.

Here are three sins from his cross, two spikes of a throat crown, a nail (in. 20.25) and a wooden plate with an inscription on the cross made in Greek and Latin - "Jesus of Nazareth, Tsar Judaian." In the same way, the inscription in Jewish (MT. 27, 48) is weak. It must be said that at least 34 holy nails are well known in the world. However, this does not mean that the relics are fake. It is believed that Holy Elena ordered to make from 4 genuine nails of 12 smaller sizes. According to another version, during the casting of new nails, a drop of molten metal of holy nails was added to them, and thus the number of relics increased significantly.

In the same church, you can see the crossbar of the cross, which was crucified next to Jesus good robber (two robbers were crucified next to Jesus). But if one of them gloomped him, then the second leaned the first and said: "We are convicted right, and he did not do anything bad" and asked the Lord to remember him in his kingdom. Jesus answered this: "True I tell you, now you will be with me in paradise" - MK. 23.40).

Rome is also full of places associated with the apostles and the first Christians. Let's start naturally from the Colosseum -amfitheater of Flavia - where the martyr's death was taken for faith thousands of the followers of Christ. In their memory in 1926, a cross was installed here. Here, annually, Pope in Good Friday makes his gloor.

In the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the highest in Rome Bell Tower - 75 meters (perhaps, from here and the name Maggiore is the highest).

In the Church of Santa Crocen, Jerzhalla is kept the finger of the Holy Apostle Thoma, who, who doubted the resurrection of the Lord in the wounds of Christ to make sure that the Apostles were really crucified Jesus (John 20, 27). And in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, you can see the body of the Apostle Matthew, which was counted to those in the lot after the death of Judas Iskariot (Acts 1, 21-26). Regarding his death there are several versions - it was either crucified, or breaks with stones and beheaded at the request of the Romans.

In the Church of San Alfonso there is a copy of the icons of Our Lady with a baby written by St. Luka. Icon, according to legend, liked Mary itself, and she blessed this image. After her ascension to the sky, St. Luca sent an image to his friend Feofil. Until 1453, it was kept in Constantinople, and during the storming of the city, the Turks were destroyed. Icon is filled with semantic content: the Lord in childhood was the vision of his passion and death. Having slept on his mother's hands, he suddenly woke up and saw Archangel Michael holding a spear in his hand with a sponge on the edge. The baby looked at the other side and saw the Archangel Gabriel with a cross and nails. Jesus shuddered, and from his legs jumped sandal. The baby tightly grabs his mother's right hand, and she presses him to him.

Many places in Rome are also connected with the life and death of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

Apostle Peter - His name was Simon - Brother of Apostle Andrei, Fisherman from Vifsada. He was already married and had a house in Kapernah, when Jesus called him. It was Petra Jesus presented the keys to the kingdom of heaven (MT. 16, 18-19) and put his church on it. And it was Petr who was a permanent satellite of the Lord until his death (however, after her, he was renounced three times before the rooster was missing; but he was one of the first witnesses of the Resurrection and confirmed his love for him three times). St. Peter was crucified head under the emperor Nerone.

Let's start with the famous location KVO Vadis (where to go?). In the time of persecution of Christians, Nerrows after arson Rome St. Peter advised to flee from the city. Coming out for the appia of the gate (now the gate of St. Sebastian), he saw the travelers going towards the traveler and found out Christ. The apostle asked him: "Where are you going?" And Jesus replied: "I go to Rome to be re-crucified." Then St. Peter was ashamed and returned to the city, and traces of divine feet remained at the point of the phenomenon. This legend has been preserved in the works of Origen. Now the footprints of the Savior are also stored in the church of San Lorenzo Fori Le Mura.

In the XXI century, the Colosseum turned out to be among the applicants for the title of one of the seven new miracles of the world, which, according to the results of the voting, which were announced on July 7, 2007, and was recognized.

In the monastic courtyard of the Church of San Pietro in Montorio, the place was revered by Saint Peter, whose body rests in the Cathedral of St. Peter, and the head - along with the head of the Apostle Paul - in San Giovanni In Lathersan.

In the catacombs, Domicilla is buried by Saint Petronill, according to legend - the daughter of the apostle Peter.

Apostle Paul was born in Tars. Initially, his name was Sawl. He took part in the persecution of the first Christians until Christ appeared on the way to Damascus and did not ask him, for which he drives him. Then the appeal of Paul, who, being blinded, did not eat and did not drink for three days. At that time, a certain Christian of Anania was the same in Damascus, which the Lord appeared and commanded to go to Paul and heal him. Anania performed said, and St. Paul began to preach in Damascus, and then arrived in Jerusalem (Acts 9, 1-19). Subsequently, he made many missionary travel. In the end, he was arrested and brought to Rome, where he accepted a martyrdom - was beheaded.

Guide to the shrines of the eternal city.

Russian Orthodox pilgrimage in Rome.

The contact of the Russian pilgrim with Rome is extremely interesting, as it is a meeting of Orthodox religious consciousness with a different reality in all its religious, cultural and political aspects.

Italy, which is replete with Christian shrines, has always been the desired goal of the Catholic Bogomolese from Europe, especially after the institution of the Institute of Jubilee (Sainted) years. Otherwise, necatolics belonged to this country. If Protestants, as a result of the reform, they generally lost the reverence of saints, icons and relics, then Orthodox, having it in full and even in a deeper form, rather than Catholics, did not attend the papal state for a long time. Palestine, Athos, Constantinople have always been the roads of the hearts of Orthodox pilgrims, (although these places were in the hands of Muslims), while Italy, albeit the owner of the Great Early Christian shrines, did not cause strong thrust in Russian wanders. The frequent intervention of the pontiffs in the internal affairs of the Moscow state and the extensive anticatolic literature, perceived from the Byzantines, created the atmosphere of distrust in Orthodox circles, so the pilgrimage on the West was isolated, knocking out of the general channel of pious travel of Russians. The Christian East was perceived by his one, a one-terrain (with a number of reservations), which could not be said about the Catholic and the more Protestant West. Even the guides for holy places in Europe appeared only at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, and their authors had to do painstaking work to identify the universal shrines.

However, by the beginning of the 20th century, the natural attraction of Orthodox Christians to a variety of relics, which are in Italian Earth, led to the creation of relevant structures here, including strange houses, as well as a special church for pilgrims in Bari.

The first documented mention of Italian shrines belongs to members of the Moscow Church delegation at the Disorder Cathedral of 1438-1439, which was held first in Ferrara, and then in Florence. In general, this trip ("Hoggling") cannot be called pilgrimage - his tasks were predominantly political - but by virtue of their religious interests, the Russian participants of the cathedral left a detailed description of the temples seen by them, the relics, icons. In total, four documents are also preserved, which are also the first Russian descriptions of Western Europe. The most significant of them belongs to Peru Archbishop Simeon Suzdalsky, who signed the church Ulya with Catholicism, but later refused by his signature and sharply condemned the unional ("robbery") Cathedral. His work is, in fact, the controversy, while the three remaining text, the authorship of which is not established, anticipate the pilgrimage literature properly, the rapidly bloomed subsequently. Travelers, in particular, described in detail their visit to Venice, where they stopped to worship the particle of the relics of St. Nicholas Wonderworker, stored in Nikolskaya Basilica on the island of Lido.

The fall of Constantinople was perceived in Russia as a divine car for apostasy from Orthodoxy on the Ferraro-Florentine Cathedral, and this belief, of course, even more limited the desire of the Bogomolers to Italian shrines.

From early pilgrimages, Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky in the 1740s became the most bright and famous. His descriptions of holy places for a long time became a kind of guide and sample to follow.

Since Clap P. A. Tolstoy, Peter's companion, of course, can not be called a Bogomol, however, judging by his diary, he was a man pious and therefore paid a lot of attention to the temples and shrines2. His approach to the religious life of Italy is also characteristic of the following descriptions of Orthodox authors: restrained, without excessive chips, Tolstoy still clearly makes it clear that there is foreign churches (where the Orthodox shrines are kept). This conflict between "foreign" and "its own" will remain fundamental for pilgrimage Russian literature in Italy.

Unusual, along with many years of mantis in abroad Barsk, but a less well-known trip in Europe, Peasantina K. I. Bronnikov. By the number of pilgrimages, but with reservations, a trip to A. S. Nova on Sicily.

The most important stage in the formation of Russian pilgrimage in Italy was a visit and his subsequent description A. N. Muravyeva. Muravyov entered Russian culture due to the revival of their pilgrim traditions. In Italy, he arrived, however, not as a simple pilgrim: his influence in Russian society was so great that in a sense it could be considered a messenger from the Russian Church. He himself was aware of this, calling him a lot of any little as the "observational Okom Orthodoxy". The writer was well prepared for a dispute with Latinans: on the eve of his trip, he released a solid anti-cultural work, which summed up certain results of the centuries-old controversy between Eastern and Western churches ("True of the Universal Church on Roman and other departments", 1841). The core of the book was theological justification of the universal nature of Orthodoxy, his "catholicity". Especially important was the work of Muravyov, as well as his visit to Rome, in the light of the upcoming visit to the papal state Nikolai I in 1844.

The attitude of the Muravyeva to Rome lay in line with traditional controversy, they are well studied.

In his opinion, the Russian mantistan for the sake of the main goals of his pilgrimage should be "for a while to drain<...> The most feeling of Orthodoxy. " Much attention in their descriptions, as it should be the genre, he paid shrines, first of all the relics, but here he did not regret the paints to criticize the Catholic customs, in particular the absence of opportunity to apply to the relics, so important for Orthodox. In the Vatican Basilica of St. Peter, for example, he was distinguished by the fact that he could not bow the relics of the Apostle Peter. Muravyov wondered where in Italy so extraordinary many shrines of the Christian East, and answered him himself: they came here as a result of the "soreness and theft." Of the eighteen Roman letters, the author actually devoted fifteen letters (from the first to the fourteenth and last). Easy to read speech and not without stylistic mastery of ants described over forty Roman temples, three catacombs, Pantheon, Colosseum and Mamerctic dungeon.

No doubt, he, as well as the composition of his previous books, assumed that it would take advantage of the future as a guidebook and in detail the information about the shrines, including legendary and historical, while not leaving its critical approach and warned the future pilgrim from passionate by the external shine of Catholicism . The writer could not be choke about the concern of the Russian Church (and the government) circumstance - about the transition from Orthodoxy to the Catholicism of several prominent representatives of the highest society (Count Grigory Shuvalov, Princess Zinaida Volkonskaya, Princes of Fyodor Golitsyn and Ivan Gagarin, etc.). According to Muravyov, the winning of this was a vicious education, from children's years, eradicated ("in some") love for the motherland and the faith of ancestors.

A little later, Muravyeva, ITALY, was visited by another educated mantile film, Count V. F. Adlerberg, who appealed to the book of his predecessor and her highly appropriate: "Muravyev gave our spiritual literature with his" Roman letters "." And he erects an ants in his criticism: "Easter service (in the Cathedral of St. Peter. - M. T.) was not so reverent, but magnificent.<...> Singing and prayers flew past my ears without echoing in the heart. "

In the tone of the predecessors, the other pilgrim of that era, hurried sophonia (Sokolsky), Archbishop Turkestan and Tashkent: Cathedral of St. Peter "So little corresponds to the idea of \u200b\u200bthe temple, that I absently stopped, not trusting myself." Pope, according to the Russian bishop, was too "majestic"; Everything happened with an extraordinary pump, however, without proper piety: the pilgrim was particularly unpleasantly struck by the behavior of the National Guard and citizens, who came to the cathedral even with dogs. In general, the criticism of the excessive luxury of Roman temples, not relevant to the principles of Christianity, has become one of the main motives in Russian pilgrimage literature for many years.

The most important evidence of Rome left Bishop Porphiri (Uspensky), who visited here in 1854 and met with Pope IX IX. Officially, he went to ordinary pilgrimage, actually had to collect information of a religious and political nature for the government: he sent his correspondence from Italy by the Russian embassy in Constantinople, the former "Forpost" of Russia during the Eastern Crisis. The bishop belonged to the cohort of the priests that had long served in abroad: he was the abbot at the Embassy Church in Vienna and the head of the Russian spiritual mission in Jerusalem. His views were distinguished by certain liberalism, and the judgments of the Bishop of Porphyrian about Catholicism are somewhat mansion from the tradition established after the Roman Letters of the Muravyev.

An enlightened Vladyka was interested in the secular art of Rome, which he paid a lot of attention. The bishop did not leave aside and the fate of Orthodoxy on Apennins, especially significant seemed to him as Byzantinist the phenomenon of the Greek Church in Venice: it dedicated to the individual chapter, based on the Greek sources translated into Russian. About the modern Russian churches in Italy, Bishop Porfiry practically does not tell anything (although the Roman temple visited, mentioning this in memories): Obviously, against the background of a general religious and cultural life, this phenomenon seemed to him so marginal that did not deserve a special description.

The first Russian author who systematically researched the Roman shrines was V. V. Mordvinov, who visited Italy in the 1880s and who had a detailed guide for the Bogomoles. His book contains a description of over 80 Roman churches and the universal shrines in them, as well as the description of the Fortress of St. Angel, the Colosseum, Mamerctic Dunnament and almost everyone known by the time Catacomb. Mordvinova was distinguished by a discreet style, without lusion. This first experience of the "guiding" description of Rome for Orthodox Bogomoltsev became successful, and the pilgrims at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries willingly used them.

The Mordvinov initiative was born quite on time: it was the 1880s that mass pilgrimages in Italy began to organize. As before, this country did not lie in line with popular Russian Bogomoli, but, nevertheless, many wanderers who sailed by the sea from Odessa to Palestine, Rome (and Bari) were visited on the way back.

The organization of these pilgrimages took over the Imperial Palestinian Orthodox Society established in 1880, whose leadership of the House of Romanov entered the leadership (thus IPGO initially received a semi-state status) and influential priests of St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Palestinian society has paid the greatest attention, "by definition", Palestine, and for a long time the needs of pilgrimage in Italy did not fall into the sphere of his interests. However, the ever-increasing flow of Bogomoltsev in Italy set before IPGO and this task.

For its permission, in the 1890s, diplomatic forces were called in Rome, and "It was the ambassador A. I. Nelidov. This diplomat with strong Orthodox traditions (unlike its predecessor Baron K. K. Ikuskul, Lutheranin for religion and therefore, coldly believed to Orthodox initiatives) before served in Constantinople, where he had to fully face the organization of pilgrimage.

For Bogomoltsev in Rome, as the Palestinian society practiced everywhere, it was, first of all, a stable house was risked and assisted in the inspection of the Roman shrines. Nelidov, who in this case helped the abbot of the Embassy Church Archimandrite Pimen (Blagoovo), found a witty way out. In the eternal city, since the XVII century, there was a residence of Polish Cardinals, the so-called house of St. Stanislav. Under the pretext of the fact that Poland was part of the Russian Empire, the ambassador forced the Polish owners of Catholics to provide free hospitality to the Orthodox Bogomolians. Not all Russian visitors to Rome were accepted at the post, but only presenters of IPGO books. The presence of a shelter in Rome allowed the Palestinian society to formally include the capital of Italy to the routes of Russian pilgrimage: his members were issued a book (III class) for those who wish to visit Rome (and Bari).

Stay in the house of St. Stanislav had its inconvenience, and considerable, as Polish Catholics remained his official owners. At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, a shelter, for example, headed Jesuit, originally from Kiev, Ieromona Iulian (acroy). Pilgrims, most of whom were brought up in the robust of anticatolic controversy, were surprised to find out that their mantis in Rome was headed by a compatriot Yausit. No doubt, a lot of theological disputes arose on this basis when, very possible, he took the world enlightened about. Julian. It is known that the IPGO was displeased with such a situation that threatened temptation for the Bogomoles, up to the cases of seduction in the uniate. Nevertheless, the pilgrims appreciated the new opportunity and eagerly used it: an anonymous Russian Bogomolec, who traveled to abroad with a book of Palestinian society, used her positive impressions of the visit to Rome.

The next one, after V. V. Mordvinov, an attempt to methodically state the routes of Pilgrimov in Italy (and in general in abroad) took P. Petrushevsky. The compiler based its description of the Roman shrines entirely on the Book of Mordvinov, repeating sometimes and his inaccuracies and mistakes. Only a certificate of Basilica of St. The Clement and the introductory article "Historical comments on the fate of Orthodoxy in Italy" were not borrowed to them (an introductory article, in the main provisions, theses of the Muravyov, expressed by half fellow, were repeated). At the same time, with difficulty Petrushevsky, probably as a consequence of all the challenged thread of the Bogomols in Italy, a book was published, without specifying the names of the authors, "Rome and His shrines" (M., 1903). It was already frankly compile labor, repeating the descriptions of the Muravyov and Mordvinov, which were supplemented by a number of information hoped from English-speaking sources.

The top of the pre-revolutionary pilgrimage literature should be considered the "satellite of the Russian Orthodox Bogomolt in Rome" (1912), who came out of the penis of the Embassy Temple of Archimandrite Dionysius (Vyotynsky), the future charter of the autochetal Polish church. His author, in practice, having studied the needs of pilgrims, as well as the entire preceding literature, created exemplary work, where all sorts of useful information about routes in the Eternal City were connected to agiology stories and with information historical and practical nature. In the "satellite" about. Dionysius has entered the references of more than 40 temples and about other saints of Rome.

Performing pastoral debt, oh. Dionysius warned its readers: "It is impossible not to mention that all the sacred and shrine described and shrines are in the hands of non-eopy Christian Latinians. Therefore, the Russian Bogomolets, when driving in Rome's churches, it is impossible to be sanctified in them, neither Latin prayers, nor blessings nor the sacraments, but have to be content with silent worship. " He was warned against Catholic painting and sculptures: "Alien to Orthodox Christians and those later picturesque images and sculptural sculptures, chanting eyes, discharged and producing inflammation of unclean pleasures", which, contrary to the 100th rule of the VI of the Universal Cathedral, are in many Roman churches "However, despite the solid work done above the material, the work about. Dionysius was waiting for unfortunate fate: two years after the release of the" satellite ", the First World War broke out, the revolution followed it, and as a result, the book had only a small number of pilgrims .

An interesting testimony of M. V. Voloshin (Sabashnikova) was left about pilgrims from the pre-revolutionary Russia: "In the middle of the Great Post to Easter (1908), I went to the Russian church and, to my surprise, I saw that she was full of peasants and peasants in the national Clothes - from all over Russia. They arrived from Palestine, were in Bari - worship the relics of St. Nicholas, now arrived in Rome to the coffin of the apostle Peter and other saints. I walked with them in the eternal city. They walked along the Roman streets as confidently as in their village ... "As a curiosity, but at the same time, as a testimony about the conflict of Orthodox culture with Western secular culture, the story of a volitional about one monastery sounds:" She especially wanted to see Tiberius and she said In the Vatican Museum. "And what, the Milka," she said with horror, with every word pulling the air in itself, "what do you think, because it stands there quite naked!" ". So the warnings of Archimandrite Dionysia about the fear of "sculptural sculptures" were not at all in vain ...

Among the pilgrims were not only simple peasants and townspeople. Probably the most cultural and educated in that epoch was Vladimir Ern, an outstanding representative of the philosophical wing of the Russian Silver Century. And he was peculiar to the experience of predecessors: "The feeling of the Orthodox, accustomed to the holy sobriety and simplicity of his native piety, nothing is alien to Rome as these positive figures of saints with abreast hands and harvested eyes." Erna's research concerned primarily early Christianity, including Catacomb, where he gained weighty arguments in favor of Orthodoxy.

Erna's testimony about Christian Rome belong to the number of the latter in this genre. In 1914, with the beginning of the First World War, the flow of Russian pilgrims for a long time stopped, resumed only in the early 1990s.

The new development of the eternal city in our times gives rise to the appropriate literature into which, we hope, the story of Rome, written by Russian Roman, Countess D. V. Olsufyeva, will be full. Unlike all the aforementioned texts, this story "from the inside", warmed by the warmth of love for the permanent city of a permanent resident of the shores of the Tiber, found here, along with family happiness, high inspiration and creative power.