Saints John and Paul

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Bart led us on his self-titled tour of the 'Churches of Early Christian Rome.' This tour included a stop at the Church of Saints John and Paul. This is the titular church of the Diocese of New York (each Diocese has a 'base' church in Rome). This church was named after two 3rd century martyrs, John and Paul, whose remains are in a sarcophagus below the main altar. The fact that it is the home of the New York Diocese in Rome explains the 23 crystal chandeliers along the central nave and over the altar. These chandeliers were given to the Diocese when the Waldorf Astoria was renovated. The Diocese chose to donate them to Sts John and Paul. When we arrived they were not lit, and seemed, honestly, rather tacky. Even though surrounded by gilt and baroque ornamentation, they looked anachronistic. We encountered the grounds keeper who was directing the clean up after a wedding. He was delighted to show us the 12the century frescoes being restored in a room off of the main altar. He also stopped us as we were leaving and turned on the chandeliers. The transformation was astounding. The picture doesn't do justice and neither would my words. Sometimes hanging around with a guy in a roman collar does pay off.

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