Back when the Pope himself kept the Stations on a regular basis, the Stational ceremony of each ferial day in Lent began at the “Collect,” a church not too far from the Station, where the faithful would gather over the course of the day. The Pope would come there in the later afternoon, vest for the Mass, and process with the clergy and faithful to the Station; the common Roman custom of singing the Litany of the Saints at the Lenten Stations is a remnant of this tradition. The Collects, however, dropped out of use fairly early; they are not listed in the Missal, and several of them were at churches which no longer exist. (See this article from 2010 for more details.) Nevertheless, some of the Stations are now kept in Rome in a similar fashion; the one for Ember Friday at the church of the Twelve Apostles is generally preceded by a procession from the nearby church of the Most Holy Name of Mary at the Forum of Trajan. (This is the cardinalitial title of H.E. Darío Castrillón-Hoyos, retired President of the Ecclesia Dei commission.) Likewise, on Ash Wednesday, the Popes have in recent decades traditionally processed from the abbey of St Anselmo to the nearby Station at Santa Sabina.
From Fr Alek: the coat of arms of the Conventual Franciscans, whose generalate has been located at this church since the 15th century.
Pope Leo X (1513-21), the first Pope of the Medici family, was made the Cardinal-Deacon of this church in 1489, when he was 14 years old, and held the title until his Papal election. The ceiling was made as part of a major restoration of the church which he commissioned; the various sections represent the titles of the Virgin Mary from the Litany of Loreto, but some are different from the standard text used today.
The apsidal mosaic, one of several from the time of Pope St Paschal I (817-24). This photograph as taken on a previous visit; the mosaic is currently under restoration, as can be seen above.
The church is also known as Santa Maria alla Navicella, “at the little ship”, from this ancient Roman sculpture of a ship, which was incorporated into the fountain by the Medicean restoration.
The chapel which has the relics of St Cyril, Evangelizer of the Slavs, who died in Rome and was buried in San Clemente in 869. The relic can been seen through the window in the altar. During their mission to the Slavs, the two brothers had discovered the relics of Pope St Clement I, the titular Saint of this church, who was martyred in exile on the Crimean peninsula in the reign of the Emperor Trajan (98-117). In the lower church, there is a fresco which depicts them bringing the relics to Rome and giving them to Pope St Nicholas I (858-65).
Ember Friday - Station at the Twelve Apostles
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| The procession from Holy Name of Mary |
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| Entering the church of the Twelve Apostles |
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| The church was originally dedicated to the Apostles Ss Philip and James, whose relics are now kept in the crypt, along with those of a great many other martyrs. “The bodies of the Saints are buried in peace, and their names shall live forever.” |
Ember Saturday - St Peter’s Basilica
St Peter’s Basilica boasts possession of the relics of the Holy Lance, the Veil of St Veronica, and a piece the True Cross, all of which are displayed for the veneration of the faithful on the station day...
...along with a great many of the Saints, included relics of all of the Sainted Popes.
The showing of the relics of St Veronica’s veil.
From Fr Alek: the famous statue of St Peter by Arnolfo di Cambio, made for the Jubilee of 1300. The feet have been worn down by 7 centuries of being touched and kissed by pilgrims.
An image of St Peter from the loggia in front of the church.
The inside of the roof of Bernini’s baldachin.
The Second Sunday of Lent - Santa Maria in Domnica
From Fr Alek: the inscription recording this restoration on the façade.
Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici’s coat of arms.
Monday of the Second Week - St Clement
These are all from Fr Alek - trecking to the 7am Station Mass organized by the NAC.
The glorification of Pope St Clement I in heaven, depicted in the ceiling of the nave.
