April 2023 Italy Sat 4/29 Lateran, San Clemente, and Nero

On trips like these we spend many hours planning. We draft a spreadsheet itinerary and print paper copies of tickets for anything that we book ahead and put them in chronological order in a file folder. Each night we pull out the packet for the next day and we each carry a copy of the itinerary. It has contact info and confirmation numbers as a backup. We also email things to people before we leave so we can contact them if we need help. Sometimes we add things after we arrive or delete or truncate something that we had planned.

Saturday was that kind of day, so we started by taking a cab to the eastern side of the Colosseum to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, otherwise known as “The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran”. We just refer to it as Giovanni or Lateran.

This basilica is referred to as “the mother of all churches in the world”. It is the first Christian basilica built in Rome, was founded by Emperor Constantine (more about him below), and is the Pope’s main place of worship.

The story goes that in the first century a guy named Plauzio Laterano owned much land. He got cross-ways with Emperor Nero when it was learned that he was involved in plotting against him and Nero took all of his land.

Pause there and fast forward to the 3rd century, when the Roman Empire had gotten very large and was in chaos. Emperor Diocletian divided it into four parts and put three other guys in charge of parts of it, some being called by the title of Augustus and some Caesar. One of them was a man named Constantinus. When he died in 306, his son Constantine succeded him (although there was disagreement and fighting about that) and spent the next 18 years in battles to finally reunite the empire.

Constantine became known as Emperor Constantine the Great. He is important to Christianity because of an event in 312 when he was in a critical battle and suddenly saw a monogram of the name of Christ in the sky with the words, “In Hoc Signo Vinae,” which meant “conquer by this sign.” That night he had a dream that Jesus told him to carry the cross before him into battle. He had the symbol of the cross painted on the shields of the soldiers, and won. Afterwards he declared himself a Christian and issued (with one of the other rulers) the Edict of Milan, that required the tolerance of all religions. His mother was reportedly a devout Christian.

This was a turning point for Christianity as persecutions and crucifixions were outlawed. Pagan sacrifices were also outlawed, although some pagan practices were still tolerated. Constantine then moved the capitol of the Empire from Rome to Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople – now known as Istanbul.

Rewind to the Basilica. As Constantine is now a supporter of Christianity, he built the Basilica – on the land Nero acquired from the plotter, Laterano. It has been restored many times during its life, twice after fires. The bronze doors were taken from the Roman Forum, just as has happened with materials from many of the ancient, abandoned sites. The bronze door on the right was done for the Jubilee of 2000, depicting the crucified Christ with Madonna and child below.

Inside is hugely impressive, with statues of the twelve apostles, mosaics from the time of Constantine, porphyry columns (https://www.selectstone.com/2012/10/01/porphyry), incredible mosaic marble floors, and a museum of ancient relics from the 11th to the 19th centuries. Unfortunately, the museum was closed and we did not get to go in.

They were setting up outside for an annual concert that takes place in celebration of Labour Day on May 1 (https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/italy-may-day-concert-rome-2022.html). Judging by the sound of the speakers, I would say it will be quite large! I’m not sure how those old buildings are affected by sound waves, but I know I would age a few years if I were to be there for it.

We walked around the outside to the back where the tallest ancient Egyptian obelisk is standing, nearly 100 feet high. It was made around 1500 BC of red marble and weighed about 450 tons.

Our next stop was back in the direction of the colosseum to the Basilica of San Clemente (https://basilicasanclemente.com/eng/). Our primary reason for visiting is the archaeological layers beneath the church that go back to ancient Rome. The present basilica was built at the end of the 12th century. The outside and internal courtyard are very plain, but the inside is ornate.

Under that is a 4th-century basilica converted from the home of a nobleman. Part of his home had been used as one of the early house churches in the first century. There are mosaics on the walls dedicated to the Slavic saints Ciril and Methodius.

Beneath that is what was a temple for worship of the Pagan god Mithras and the remains of a villa and warehouse that had been destroyed in “Nero’s fire” in 64 AD. Spring water still runs to some of the rooms.

Different internet sites will provide some differences in information. One site described the Mithraic temple as being in the basement of the nobleman’s house. It made me wonder if he might have been a pagan who converted to Christianity and allowed his villa to be used as a house church during Nero’s persecutions of Christians.

I probably provide too much history, sorry about that, but the context and impacts of what we are visiting brings it alive to me. You can just skim those parts if you’d prefer.

We left when the church closed promptly at 12:30 – not even time to use the toilets – and walked toward the uneven stone steps that led up to the sidewalk. When we had arrived we noted a woman sitting on the ground who was begging for money. She had a cardboard tray that hung in front of her from a strap around her neck. It is impossible to tell who is poor and who is scamming, but we have seen truly pitiful looking old women who appeared crippled and bent and were begging in a screechy voice that set your last nerve on edge, suddenly stand and walk quickly across the street to approach a new “mark”. This lady was standing as we came closer to the bottom of the steps and began calling to and walking toward us. We tried to walk past and she literally pushed right into us. I suspected that the tray was a distraction and cover for her hands to pick pockets and purses, but we held tightly and pushed past. It was more than a bit disconcerting.

Our next stop was for a quick lunch of shared pizza and salad a block from the colosseum. I can’t describe how simultaneously surreal and exciting it is to look down the street of cars, restaurants, and people in modern day dress and see that ancient structure at the end of it (I know I say “ancient” a lot. I just can’t find a better word!)

We met our archeologist guide and tour group across from the Colosseum at 2:00 p.m. for a tour of a relatively newly opened area called Nero’s Domus Aurea or “Golden House”. The fire of 64 AD that destroyed much of Rome was attributed to Nero – remember hearing that Nero was crazy and fiddled while Rome burned? According to many, Nero was not even in Rome when the fire occurred, but he certainly took advantage of the fire to do at least a couple of major things.

One was to blame the Christians for the fire, which resulted in more persecution, and two was to take land. Apparently according to law, if the land was in disrepair the “state” could take it, so Nero took A LOT of land, including from some of his senators, to build his own “Forum”.

He already had a palace on this site, but he set about building a monstrous, oppulent new complex. He had marble and ivory brought in from other parts of the empire, jewels and gold leaf were used heavily to decorate walls, and top notch artists were commissioned to complete sculptures and paintings. He had a lake in the middle with water cascading down four levels to fill it. The Domis Aurea covered nearly 300 acres with gardens, baths, pools, porticoes, dining rooms, and servants everywhere. He also had a nearly 100 foot high built of himself – the collosus it was called – right next to the arena used for fights and many other forms of entertainment which became known as…the Colosseum. I could go on and on but I’ll give you a link if you want to read more about it – and there is always wikipedia. It is fascinating! https://eternalarrival.com/visit-domus-aurea-tour/

Amazingly it was almost finished within four years, when Nero commited suicide after learning he was to be arrested and killed. He was pretty much a tyrant, although our guide tried to explain that he didn’t start out that way, and many of the Roman people hated him.

The Aurea remained until a fire destroyed part of it in 104. Much of the marble, ivory, jewels and wall coverings were removed. When Trajan became Emperor he wanted to build his own Forum, so he had an entire hill flattened to provide the land. The dirt that was removed was used to fill in the Domus Aurea. The good news was it helped to protect the frescoes on the walls.

In the late 1400s a guy fell through a hole and discovered paintings on the walls. Pretty soon Michelangelo, Raphael, and other young Roman artists were lowering themselves down a rope into the hole to study the frescoes, which had a huge influence on Rennaissance art.

Our tour included portions of what has been excavated and much of it likely never will be. We were also sat on boxes and given virtual reality headsets while still underground, and taken on a virtual tour where I felt as if I were walking outside among the gardens with the birds and trees. Crazy, but I almost think I glimpsed Nero around the corner, and maybe DB Cooper.

I will load some pictures here, and also some artist’s renderings of how some of it may have looked.

We left the two+ hour tour after a big day of walking, made our way down and down steps steps to the street, and used the cab app for a taxi in the misting rain.

Half of our day was spent underground among ancient (that word again) places that had long disappeared and are now resurrected and being restored, some were deliberately destroyed and now are treated with reverence and care. What interesting creatures we are.

Each of us will also face the time of our own demise and none of us will last as long as these stones. But – there will be a human resurrection! For those who follow Jesus it will mean no more destruction or restoration! We will be instantly changed and spend eternity in the new Heaven and earth that He is preparing for His own.

Praise to the King of Kings!!