My patron!

     Today, we set out to see the church of S. Caecelia, the patron saint of music and musicians - 2 buses and a several block walk later, we came to it! It is a lovely church with a court yard and a piazza.

         In front of the sanctuary is a statue of the dead Caecelia as they found her incorrupt body. Her head had been partially hacked off with an axe and she died of her wounds - this is how she was found, wrapped completely in cloth.

    She is the patron of music because they first tried to kill her by locking her up with no food or water, but she sang and sang and was not starved to death, so they let her out eventually and killed her with an axe. I thought this particularly appropriate, as I know several pastoral musicians who have gotten the same treatment!!! ;-\

This is the gorgeous baldechino and apse mosaic in the sanctuary

     Under the church is the excavation of S. Caecelia's home - I took a ton of photos of the rooms and the structures and the inscriptions, but I wanted to show a portion of the this beautiful mosaic floor which has survived for centuries

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      A bit further on in the excavation is a chapel with some absolutely beautiful mosaics - this photo could be brighter, but this is all I got!

      After this, we had 2nd breakfast (we are turning into Hobbits!) at a little cafe and set off to get the bus. Littel did we know tha we would be on the bus for a complete tour of Trastevere (the other side of the Tiber from where we live!) We were on that bus for at least an hour and the scenery was no hat great. Unfortunately, the walls and buildings are covered with grafitti.....and not even very good grafitti!!! It was depressing. But we finally got back to Piazza Venezia and got our bus for home!
     I am hoping to put the rest of my photos on my Picasa site and I will let you know if that happens!!
Ciao adesso!!