A friend brought me this pretty prayer card with a lovely medal from the Basilica di S. Maria del Popolo in Rome. St. Mary of the People!
I visited Rome when I was in college, and while I saw quite a bit of the city, I missed out on having a truly Catholic experience there. I hope to one day return and visit all the churches and sites that would be meaningful to me. I think visiting this basilica would be a meaningful experience. Of course, the artwork would be a huge draw with pieces by Raphael, Bernini, and Caravaggio. But I discovered that the church has another aspect that really speaks to my desire for pilgrimage.
It’s history, or rather, legend, is pretty interesting. Apparently, at one of the primary entrances to the city was a walnut tree possessed by demons that made life impossible for travelers trying to enter Rome. It was so awful that Pope Paschal II performed an exorcism at the tree in 1009. Then he struck the root which toppled the tree and revealed the remains of Emperor Nero. They threw the remains in the Tiber and built a church on the spot where the tree was destroyed. Over time the basilica was built.
I’d like to make my pilgrimage to Rome and enter the city there, like so many pilgrims before me. Have you been to S. Maria del Popolo?