The Christian Origins of Trastevere
Trastevere is one of the first areas of Rome in
which the early Christian preaching took root.
There was in fact a strong Jewish community
there, which was among the first to adhere to
Christianity.
These people, coming from a poor
background, found in the gospel a source of hope.
From then on, for two thousands years, one
Christian generation has succeeded the next.
Alongside
the
historical
and
artistic
dimensions, this area has also a profound spiritual
treasure. Recalling the memories of the apostles
means reliving intensely the vocation of the Church
of Rome which is deeply rooted in the city and also
is at the universal service of charity.
The social and religious environment of this
ancient Roman area, has changed much in the
course of the centuries. Linked to the ancient
presence of the parish churches, different religious
experiences have flourished in successive eras. In
recent years, the presence of the Community of
Sant’Egidio, which is based at the heart of
Trastevere, has become another element of this
precious heritage. Trastevere is a meeting place
with two thousand years of Christian tradition as
well as with a church alive today in Rome and in
many other parts of the world.
Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere – The apsis
The Community of Sant’Egidio :
from Rome to the world
The Community of Sant’Egidio founded in
1968, by Andrea Riccardi, was born in Rome, just
after the second Vatican Council. Today it is an
apostolic movement involving 30.000 people,
committed to evangelisation and charity in Rome,
in Italy and in more than 35 countries in the
different continents. From 1968 it has been
recognized a “Public Lay Association of the
Church”. The different communities spread
throughout the world, follow the same spirituality.
The fundamental aspects of the path of Sant’Egidio
are:
-
-
The seven Churches and the seven Tents
The visit of pilgrims to Sant’Egidio has over
time developed its own particular style. The
evening gathering for prayer at 8.30 p.m., can be
preceded or followed, as you wish with an
illustration of the activities of the Community.
These meetings give pilgrims an insight into the
Christian life of today and also help them rediscover of the Christian roots of this area.
Prayer which accompanies the life of all the
communities in Rome and in the world
Evangelisation aimed especially at those who
are furthest away from religion
Service to the poor in the spirit of Vatican II, of
“a Church of all and especially of the poor”
(Pope John XXIII)
Ecumenical and interreligious dialogue,
offering the hospitality and the friendship of the
Church in Rome with believers from other
denominations and other faiths to promote
peace and coexistence.
The Community has its centre in the Roman
Church of Sant’Egidio, from which it took its name.
From the beginning the Community has a continual
presence of prayer and welcome to the poor and to
pilgrims.
Prayer, which takes place every evening at
8.30 in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, is
an essential element in the identity of the
Community. It gives an orientation and a focus to
the pastoral and social action of the Community
both in Rome and throughout the world. The link
between prayer and the solidarity is for the
Community of Sant’Egidio the way to live the
experience of a committed lay life..
Christmas lunch with the poor
By contacting the Community of Sant’Egidio,
the pilgrims from your diocese can include the
journey in Trastevere in their Jubilee visit. The
Pilgrimage is a trip around the seven churches of
Trastevere which are not all part of the average
tour. As well as artistic treasures these churches
reveal other significant historical and spiritual
aspects
- San Bartolomeo all’Isola : here is kept the
relic of St. Bartholomew the Apostle. This is a
symbolic place in the relationship between the
city of Rome and the Roman Jews.
- San Francesco a Ripa: is linked to the
presence in Rome of St. Francis of Assisi
San Benedetto in Piscinula: recalls the
memory of the presence St. Benedict in Rome
- Sant’Egidio : the heart of the Community that
bears its name, noted for its activities in favour
of the poor and peace in the world
- Trinità dei Pellegrini: remembers St. Philip
Neri, who invented the idea of a personalized
welcome of pilgrims on a grand scale for the
Holy Years.
- The Basilicas of Santa Maria in Trastevere
and Santa Cecilia: conserves the memory of
the first Christian communities
In those Churches the Community prays and
has “seven tents” of friendship with the poor of
Rome
- From 1989 in Via Dandolo a soup-kitchen for
people with no fixed abode
- The school Louis Massignon for the immigrants
in the same premises
- A House of welcome for terminally ill people in
Via Anicia
- The Genti di Pace Centre distributes food,
clothes and medicine to thousands of poor
people at the above address
- A Family House for the homeless in Via della
Cisterna
- A House for abandoned and sick children,
newly restored, in the historical Palazzo
Leopardi, in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere
- A Home for the elderly in Via Sacchi
- The Restaurant Pane Amore e Fantasia, run by
the disabled, in Piazza Sant’Egidio
These are the places in which friendship is
lived with the poor according to the spirit of the
Community of Sant’Egidio.
Thus, Trastevere has become more and more
a place in which one can meet the Christian
tradition alongside the manifold poverties of the
city of Rome. Here is an occasion for everyone to
live a Jubilee year in all its richness.
-
Community of Sant’Egidio
Community of Sant’Egidio
Piazza Sant’Egidio, 3a
00153 Roma
Booking Office for Pilgrimages in Trastevere:
Tel. 06 58.56.61
Fax 06 58.00.197
Jubilee 2000
Pilgrimage in Trastevere:
From Early Christianity to Today
Internet site
http://www.santegidio.org
eMail address
[email protected]
Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere
Church of Sant’Egidio - Rome