*Visit 1 - Santa Maria in Trastevere

At the end of our first full day, Santa Maria in Trastevere appeared in front of our eyes. Facing a small quaint square with a fountain in the center, it stands in front of a social place day and night. With a large bell tower to the right it stood, golden and colorful mosaic around the top, and bordered in blue and pattern, it seems typical, but grounded in it’s own aged beauty. A faded pediment attests to its age, along with four antiqued and dirtied statues that stand across a balcony-like structure beneath the mosaics.

Late afternoon on tired feet while some sat by the fountain, a few of us wandered into the church out of curiosity. For those of us dressed, we stepped in onto patterned floors and discovered a rather elaborate gem of a space. Intricate with gold, carved wood, and painting after painting, the space seemed to emanate a feeling of royal grandiosity.

When I enter churches, one of the first things I always notice, or make an effort to look at first are the ceilings. Now, after seeing a few variations, Santa Maria seems to have a beautifully worked ceiling just as many other churches do – no lesser or more. Shapes worked together to create a pattern laced with gold and paintings set into them, all along the center nave.

What seemed most beautiful to me was of course the main altar. For such a dark church, the candlelight and golden shine seemed to create an atmosphere just light enough for my camera. Flanked by marble columns and a wide arch, the business of the altarpiece and the surrounding area are almost overwhelming. Not in the sense that I am bothered by it, but rather awe-struck. A coffered ceiling painted and sculpted with figures inside rises over several golden mosaics and paintings. Crowding the walls with narration and color, it creates quite the backdrop for the altar.

Two smaller rooms at the front of the church flank the main centerpiece. Equally crowded, these rooms are more about the paintings than the gold or woodcarving. Every empty space, no matter what shape or size, is colored in with figures of all kinds. Gold borders surround the works, along with text and various small protruding sculptures.

It was many of our first churches, and I must say it created quite the impression. To see every detail was simply impossible, and yet, the overwhelming sense was not negative. The golden gem that is the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere was beautiful like a small, antique locket.