Three-Church Day

     Yesterday (Wednesday) was quite an eventful day.
     First we met our Art and Architecture teacher, Prof. Elizabeth Lev. She is quite the character. Very funny, very dry, very sarcastic.
     After class... WE SAW THE POPE!!! There was a general audience yesterday (which made getting to class a bit inconvenient, as our usual course is to cut through St. Peter's Square), and it was going on as we were heading back from class. Coming out of the terminal and towards St. Peter's, we could hear his voice, so I raced around to look for him in between the columns. I finally got a glimpse of him and was even able to take a pretty decent picture, considering how far away I was. SO EXCITING! I easily could have jumped up and down and screamed if it weren't for the fact that the Holy Father was talking. :)

GAHHH!!!!!!! :-D

     That afternoon was devoted to church-hunting, the object being a Russian Orthodox church that I spotted the other day from the roof of the North American College (Pontifical; it's a seminary). This hunt, unlike a previous hunt for a Syrian church, was a success. It did take a good hour and fifteen minutes to find it and get there, though.

     So St. Catherine of Alexandria church was found, and it was totally worth getting lost twice and having aching feet. Sadly, they were touching up on the paint, so the candles weren't lit. I was also sad that I couldn't smell incense. It was still awesome.

     Before dinner the whole group went to see the church of St. Pressede; beforehand, I saw St. Mary Major as well. St. Mary Major has what is believed to be the crib of Christ, and St. Pressede (a woman who aided St. Peter) has part of a column that might be the one at which Christ was scourged. Whether or not it is this particular pillar is debated.

Reliquary of the Crib

Exterior of St. Mary Major

 

Inside St. Pressede

    And dinner..... We had hamburgers at an Irish pub that was in a Chinese area. The American food and the Irish decor made us all SO happy. It was very homey. :)