Rome: Santi Apostoli, Lent [4K]

Welcome back to Cruc Stationalis, the Roman Station Church Network. Today we find ourselves at the Roman Station Church of Santi Apostoli, the church dedicated to the 12 Holy Apostles. I invite you to subscribe to Cruc Stationalis to become part of the community here, to like this video, and to share with your family and friends. Let's explore Santi Apostoli. Santi Dodici Apostoli, the Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles, commonly known simply as Santi Apostoli, is a 6th century Roman Catholic parish and titular church and minor basilica. Santi Apostoli is a church well known to the followers of Cruc Stationalis. We come here every Ember Friday of the year, which is four times a year, and we visit Santi Apostoli on the fourth Sunday of Advent. The church was originally dedicated to Saint James and Saint Philip, whose remains are kept here in this crypt. It later was dedicated to all the apostles. Today the basilica is under the care of the conventual Franciscans, whose general house is adjacent to this building. Built by Pope Pelagius I to celebrate the victory of Narcissus, the general of the Emperor Justinian over the Ostrogoths, and dedicated by Pope John III to the Apostles Saint James and Saint Philip, the basilica is listed as Titulus Sanctorum Apostolorum in the Acts of the Synod of 499. Santi Apostoli was ruined by the earthquake in the year 1348 and was left abandoned. In 1417, Pope Martin V, whose Colonna family owned the adjacent Palazzo Colonna, restored the church while the façade was built at the end of the same century by Baccio Pontelli. But today we explore an aspect we have yet to explore here at Cruc Stationalis, and these are the frescoes by Melozzo da Forli, whose wall paintings at Santi Apostoli were renowned for the innovative techniques of foreshortening and came to be regarded as Melozzo's masterpiece. Unfortunately, these works are no longer housed here at Santi Apostoli. The fresco of Melozzo da Forli was taken down in 1711 when Clement IX enlarged the choir. The figure of Christ is now in the Quirinale Palace. Some of the other portions, which influenced Raphael, are in the Sacracy of St. Peter's, and the Vatican Museums now has an exhibition which shows us what this fresco would have looked like. While we gaze at these images, I want to speak of a future reality beyond the Lenten meditations that we are making in focusing on the Passion of Christ. I want to speak of the Ascension of Christ. In Melozzo's fresco in this apse of Santi Apostoli, we would have found the Ascension of Christ, and we see a technique called foreshortening, which makes it appear as though Christ is punching through the ceiling as he ascended into heaven, surrounded by the holy apostles who gazed upon this mystery as Christ departed from earth. I didn't understand the great importance of this feast prior to reading a work concerning the angels, entitled Angels and Their Mission. My understanding of the Feast of the Ascension paled in comparison to the beautiful explanations provided in the work, specifically those of the Church Fathers. I will try to convey the striking beauty of the Ascension of Christ into heaven by citing this text. The book introduces the Fathers with these words concerning the mystery of the Ascension of our Lord, Quote, The author adds, The Ascension is not only the elevation of Christ in his body into the midst of the angels, to be more theologically precise, it is the exaltation of human nature, which the Word of God has united to himself, above all the angelic orders that are superior to it. This is a complete reversal of the regular order, and it affords the angels an unheard of spectacle. The author further quotes Saint John Chrysostom to speak more about the Feast of the Ascension. And further, Saint Irenaeus describes the scene, for me the most beautifully, as he expounds upon Psalm 23, verses 7-10. He says, Rise up, gates of eternity, and the King of glory shall pass through. The gates of eternity are heaven. Seeing him approach, the lower angels cried out to those who were above them, Open your gates, rise up, ye gates of eternity, the King of glory will enter. And when the angels from above asked in their astonishment, Who is he? Those who saw him cried out anew, It is the Lord, strong and mighty, it is the King of glory. And Saint Athanasius highlights as well the dialogue between the choirs of angels during the ascension of our Lord. He said, The angels of the Lord who followed him upon earth, seeing him arise, announced his coming to the virtues of heaven, so that they might open their gates. The powers were filled with amazement at seeing him in the flesh. That is why they cried, Who is this? Astounded by this mysterious order of salvation. And the angels rising with Christ answered them, The Lord of powers, he is the King of glory, who teaches the great mystery to those who are in heaven, that the King of glory has won the victory over the spiritual enemy. We no longer have these frescoes to gaze upon here at Santiapostoli. Rather, in the sanctuary, we see this victory announced over the spiritual enemy. We see the fall of Lucifer and the fallen angels, defeated by Saint Michael the Archangel, through the passion of Jesus Christ. This is the truth of the incarnation of Christ, the reality that Christ took upon himself our human frailty, our flesh. He took all that is man upon himself, save sin, so that we might be redeemed. And so as Christ the God-man ascended into heaven 40 days after his resurrection, the angels were certainly amazed. The entry of the incarnate word into heaven appears to the heavenly powers, the angels, much like an unforeseen revelation. How could this lower human nature ascend past that of the angels? By our own power we cannot, but through Christ, in Christ, with Christ, we are lifted up to the very throne of God. Spend some moments today with the angels, the cherubim and the seraphim, who marvel at the mystery of the incarnation and ascension of Christ into heaven. Our pride blotted out, stumbled upon, we can only remain humble in the face of this mystery, if we too desire to be brought up at the last day into Christ, ascended into glory.