From Tourist to Pilgrim

Bernini’s sculpture of the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa in the Church of Our Lady of Victory is one of the best examples of how divergent the lens of a tourist can be from that of a pilgrim. While tourists look upon the sculptures and snicker, interpreting the image as a depiction of earthly passion, Bernini's pilgrims would be shocked by this modern reaction.

As Galileo had brought the telescope to Rome to allow the human eye to see hidden celestial bodies, so Bernini became a kind of telescope to the supernatural, allowing us to see what this remarkable saint had witnessed.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

No site offers more hope than Saint John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome. The mixture of its decorative styles reminds us that over the two thousand years of its history, Christianity has seen war, disasters, and persecution.

Yet the Church endures, despite all setbacks, and she becomes more beautiful as the years go on. The first Roman Christian Basilica founded by Emperor Constantine celebrates those who died under persecution and the hard-won gift of being able to share and proclaim our faith.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

The figure of the Good Shepherd has been made famous from one end of the globe to the other. Perhaps this image suggests a good way to understand the arrival of Christian art. Where did Christian art first appear? Not in galleries, not in piazzas. It was first made for the silence of the catacombs, and slowly, as the years went by, Christian art came out of the darkness and into the light. When the early Christians were ready to proclaim their story, they chose the Good Shepherd, the image of a Savior who comes into the world to bring the beautiful truth of the Good News.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

Rome is the city of Emperors and Popes, not Pharaohs. So, why are there so many Egyptian obelisks? These strange and massive needles crop up at every turn.

Pope Sixtus V, in his urban planning campaign, unearthed these massive granite monuments and created a visual network to help the pilgrims coming to Rome find the most important sites of prayer.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

The very word “Pietà” means “to feel sorry for.” So, how was Michelangelo to make people feel sorry for Mary and Jesus? The prototypes he was offered from Germany and France show the Body of Christ in rigor mortis with open wounds and the crown of thorns still visible. But the 23-year-old sculptor chose to do something completely different. And in doing so, he changed the history of art.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

The Pantheon encapsulates the conversion of Rome. It could have gone the way of many of the other building of ancient Rome, fallen into ruin and lost to posterity. But its beauty caught the Christian imagination. Its perfect circular form, used in Roman times for triumphal architecture, became the ideal form to celebrate the Triumph of the martyrs. The Pantheon represents the incredible paradox of Rome: a building constructed to celebrate the idea that anyone can become a god would become the resting place of those defiant Christians who refused to worship idols.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

Matthew’s decision will change everything he has been up to until now and transform him into a new person. As he stands on the threshold of that decision, one hand points to himself, and the other hand still holds a coin, showing his attachment to the wealth and privilege he has earned. Caravaggio’s spectacular use of light reveals not only Matthew’s decision, but also points the path for pilgrims who seek an indication of the Way.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

From the earliest stages of Christian art and even in the catacombs themselves, the image of Moses striking the Rock was the ubiquitous symbol of Baptism. The Moses Fountains, designed to look like a triumphal arch, celebrate not the triumph of war but the triumph of water. This element is imbibed with both the life-giving properties of purification and irrigation, as well as great spiritual power in Baptism and the cleansing of the soul.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

In the magnificent church of St. Augustine, pilgrims venerate the relics of St. Monica, for many the patron saint of mothers of problematic adolescents. Among the many works by well-known artists that embellish this church, one stands out as a truly iconic representation of the pilgrimage: Caravaggio’s Madonna of the Pilgrims. With its dramatic lighting and gritty realism, this painting is one of the great masterpieces of the 17th century ‘bad boy-artist’.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.

This Basilica, the oldest Marian Church in the West, is piled high with beauty and treasures. Built in 432, St. Mary Major has long been the Christmas church, Rome's Bethlehem, especially during the long years when pilgrims were unable to journey to the Holy Land.

"From Tourist to Pilgrim" is a podcast by Liz Lev, with original music by Mara Miceli and Umberto D'Auria, editing and sound design by Mara Miceli, and directed by Johana Bronkova.