The front of the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli is deceptively simple. It has a funny shape, it looks like a pentagon, but the top two lines never meet. Instead they jut upwards, making a square of the roof. There are three doors, the center ones being the largest with a cross on top. Directly above the doors are small windows: two circular windows above the side doors, and a slightly larger stain glass above the middle door. On either side of each door are small circular panels that display either holy imagery or emblems. A small cross stands above the middle door. The entire thing seems to be made of finely layered brick, and is devoid of much color besides redish-brown. The most noticeable attribute to the front of the church is the large row of stairs that leads up to it. To get to this church, you need determination: you need to walk up 124 steps.
According to the Mirabilia Urbis Romae, this church is at the location where the emperor Augustus saw a vision of the Mother Mary holding the Baby Jesus. This gives the church its name ‘aracoeli,’ or ‘altar of heaven’. Therefore, this church was a very popular place for pilgrims to visit, and is still a popular church today. Due the plain façade, entering the church feels like entering another world. Inside the church the lighting is dim, and the designs are spectacular and intricate. The church, which did not look so large from the outside, suddenly seems gigantic.
Walking along the left wall, I am met with a statue marking the tomb of a dead cardinal. Looking down, I see more engravings of tombs in the ground. It makes me a little uneasy, how many of them there are. The engravings have fine detail, showing facial features and positions of the people down below. They look like they are sleeping. I cannot bring myself to walk over them, and instead walk around. Looking at the paintings between the arches, I see one that is 3-D, made like a pop-out book. It shows God coming out between the clouds. There is so much detail I feel like I am dreaming; I can’t begin to take in how much there is. I notice I am standing on an inlaid tomb and a make a frightened squeak, quickly jumping off and catching the attention of a man nearby me.
In the right transept, there is a small altar shaped like a temple. It has eight columns that go in a circle, and a small, painted statue in the center. In the left transept, there are a series of tombs and fancy coffins. I do not linger there long.
In the back of the left side there is a room dedicated to a small statue of baby Jesus covered in jewels. There is a stack of letters in front of him; apparently it is common for people to send the statue their wishes. The real statue was said to be carved from a famous olive tree, but it was stolen in the 1990’s and been replaced with a replica. The stare of baby Jesus is a little frightening to me, since it seems to lack life. As I am standing there, and man kneels down and crosses himself. I automatically feel a strange sense of guilt, as if I should not be here thinking such un-pious thoughts. Exactly as I begin to turn to leave, a man’s cell phone goes off, blasting a ring tone of Lady Gaga. I feel a little bit better.
Finally, I sit down in front of the high altar. The altar is grand, and hard for the eye to take in all at once. A series of white crystal chandeliers surround the altar, making it seem the highlight at a fancy party. The altar itself holds a small painting of Jesus, and the painting is surrounded by gold designs. Statues of angels flank the top of the marble altar, opening their hands to a golden emblem that looks like the sun. On both sides of the altar there is a statue holding the bible, and a smaller bust of a man. There is a grand organ behind the altar. I spend a lot of time sitting there and looking at it. I feel like no matter how long I look, I will never be able to make sense of the sheer amount of detail present in front of me.
Eventually, I decide to get up. I walk back down along the right wall, looking at the dark paintings hidden in each arch. I avoid the graves on the floor and look at the ceiling, covered in gold. I make my way back outside into the daylight, feeling like I just woke from a dream.
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