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Santa Prassede |
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written
by ninamil7 / 10.24.2005 |
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Assignment |
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St. Peter’s was built at a time when the church was an established institution, and it was sure to convey the power and prestige of that institution. Even before you step inside the basilica, you know you’re about to see something huge and spectacular. The grand piazza just outside has that written all over it. When I stepped inside St. Peter’s basilica for the first time, my jaw hit the ground. The place was huge. How else can I describe it? I was utterly impressed, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling of complete inferiority that was imposed upon me. I felt like I should be at least ten feet tall and dressed much more nicely to deserve to be in this place. Certainly this was all very intentional in the design of such a grand building. Make the visitors feel small so that they have no trouble submitting to a power greater than them. I know I was ready to succumb to the power of this place. The decoration alone was so overwhelming that I had to sit down halfway through my trek down the length of the basilica and take a breather. Everywhere I looked there was colored marble incrustations, stucco figures, rich gilding, mosaic decoration, and marble figures on the pilasters, ceiling, and walls. It was incredible, sure, but not particularly intimate or spiritual.
In Santa Prassede, visitors are greeted with a much more inviting feel as they enter the church. It is smaller, more accessible, and more humble. Mismatched columns and detailed mosaics make up the bulk of the church’s decoration. Compred to St. Peter’s, I felt a lot less out of place and much more comfortable inside the walls of this basilica. The very foundation of this church arose from the welcoming nature of Santa Prassede. Prassede offered shelter to numerous prosecuted Christians. She was granted sainthood for welcoming Peter and offering him a place to stay when he first came to Rome. Today in Rome, visitors are still welcome to this very place and are sure to find comfort in its modest yet impressive interior.
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