Day 8 in Verona!Jun 10, 2012
|
|
This is a picture that I took Friday at the Basillica of...
This is San Fermo's Church!
This is the main altar at San Fermo's!
| Today marked exactly one week that we have been in Verona. It seems like we have been here so much longer than that but it probably feels that way because we have seen and done so much in the past week! I am totally ok with time going by slow because that just means more memories to make! This morning I got to sleep in late for the first time since we left home - it was great!! I spent the entire day doing homework and catching up on a lot of information that was lost when my jump drive broke off in my computer. This evening, Michelle and I went to mass at beautiful, Gothic style Catholic Church that we have been seeing everytime we go into town. The church's name is San Fermo and its REALLY old but awesome. There is a lower and uppper level of the church. The lower was the orginal church and the upper part, where we had mass today, was added later on. The main altar of the upper church seems to have been well preserved and probably repaired because it was fully intact but the side altars had frescos above them that were not complete. The church was absolutely gorgeous though. It had an awesome wood ceiling that made it feel open. The mass was really nice tonight as well. I still find it funny how the Catholics here all leave their benches at one time for communion - therefoer there is no order to going up to Communion at all. We really enjoyed church and I came back this evening to skype with Dyland and get some more homework done. Seeing Dylan made me a little bit homesick, but I knew that would hit eventually! I love it here though and I will miss Verona when we leave on Saturday evening! I did do a little bit of research this evening on the four Gospels in the bible. We have repeatedly seen in the architecture and sculptures in Italy, that there are many angels, lions, oxen and eagles. Our tour guide mentioned that these symbols represented the Gospels in the bible and so this evening I read up more on it. It turns out that there are really cool meanings to each one that make a lot of senese. The first, the Book of Matthew, has the symbol of an angel because his Gospel begins with the human geneology of Jesus. The book of Mark has the symbol of a lion because his Gospel begins with John the Baptist whose preaching is described as a voice crying in the wilderness like the roar of a lion. The Gospel of Luke is symbolized by the ox or calf becuase his Gospel begins with the story of Zacharias making sacrificies in the temple and oxen and calves were ofente used for sacrifice, this became his symbol. Finally, the book of John is symbolized by an eagle because his Gospel begins with Jesus existing in heaven as "the Word of God" before He came to Earth. HOW COOL IS ALL OF THAT?! I love the meaning that there is behind each and every detail in every sculpture and church and building that we come across. History is really cool when you take the time to understand it and I am so thankful that I have been given an opportunity to see all of this first hand! I am loving the learning part of this trip! |
Advertisement 
|
