Impressions of Rome: Church of Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli

The nearby parish church, to which our Subiaco Cassinese Congregation curia technically belongs, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary “In Portico in Campelli.” Despite being close to the bustling Piazza Venezia and the Piazza Campidolgio, (the latter housing the Senatorial Palace of Italy), the church of “Santa Maria in Porico” is somewhat hidden, on a quiet side street just off the busy Via del Teatro Marcello.

Santa Maria in “Portico” (literally, “Gateway” or “Porch”) is home to a much venerated, though very small, enameled icon of the Blessed Mother and the Child Jesus, splendidly enthroned above the church’s high altar. You can “Google Image” the church to see its beauty, albeit Baroque.

Devotion to the holy image of the Virgin and Child of “Santa Maria in Portico” is said to go back to the year 524 when, tradition holds, the icon mysteriously appeared on a table in the pantry or porch of Galla, a Roman woman actively engaged in helping the poor.

Since the late 500’s the icon has often been carried in procession and Mary’s intercession sought for the people and city of Rome. When it was carried through the streets of Rome in 1556 prayers to the Virgin saved the city from the plague that year.

Originally kept in an oratory that was eventually demolished, the icon was finally moved to the splendid Baroque church built between 1659 and 1667, shortly after the plague of 1556. Since its construction, the church has been under the care of the Clerks (clerics) Regular of the Mother of God, founded by Saint John Leonardi, who lived from 1541 to 1609, and buried in the church.

Having first studied to become a pharmacist, Saint John Leonardi became a priest and founder of the Order that still ministers at the church of Santa Maria in Portico. The tomb of Saint John Leonardi, patron of pharmacists, is in a prominent shrine within the church of Santa Maria in Portico, on the left side of the nave as you enter the church.

The dynamic current pastor of the church, Father Davide Carbonaro, O.M.D. (Order of Mater Dei—“Mother of God”) has a very welcoming and vibrant parish, with regular sung Vespers (Thursday nights), almost monthly Taize prayer services (to be held eight times this year), as well as Masses regularly chanted by the excellent choir of the parish. See the parish’s website:

http://www.santamariainportico.it/   There is even a photo on the homepage slideshow of the February 2nd Mass and of Abbot President Guillermo and myself concelebrating!

On February 1st some of us monks at Sant’Ambrogio attended a midday sung Litany to the Virgin Mary, as well as sung Vespers that evening and a Solemn sung Mass at 6:30 pm on February 2nd, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day of Consecrated Life. Francesco Cardinal Coccopalmerio presided at the February 2nd Mass and about 25 priests concelebrated. A large crowd of faithful, including civic representatives of the city of Rome, were also in attendance.

The Mass began with a procession into the church from the cloister of the Clerks Regular who live next to the church, and the usual blessing of candles for Candlemas Day (“Candelora” in Italian) was held just inside the church. After the lighting and blessing of candles, we all processed into the body of the church. The singing of the Mass in Gregorian chant was lead by the parish choir, called the “Cappella Musicale di Santa Maria in Campitelli” along with the choir called “Ensemble La Cantoria.” I’m not sure if the latter choir was a visiting one or part of the parish also.

The pastor of Santa Maria in Portico, Father Davide, has a fine singing voice and sang at the Gospel and led the Te Deum at the end of Mass. Our Abbot President Guillermo Arboleda along with the Father Davide, assisted Cardinal Coccopalmerio at the altar during the Mass.

February 1st and 2nd have long been very special days for this parish each year. In December of 1703 a serious earthquake hit parts of Italy, including Rome, and did some damage to the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Special prayers to avert further damage were made before the Madonna of the Portico icon as “Protectress of the City of Rome,” and the prayers were heard.

Ever since, February 1st and 2nd have been days of particular veneration of the Madonna at Santa Maria in Portico. The devotion focuses on the Blessed Virgin Mary as the “Secure Door” to the City of Rome and especially invoking Mary’s care as “Protectress of Rome,” against civic and private adversity. This intention in prayer is still much in need and so, I presume, the reason for including several representatives of the city of Rome at the February 2nd Mass. Part of their duty was to bring a large bunch of flowers and place them before the altar at the beginning of Mass. Also, two of their honor guard stood at attention near the altar all through the evening Mass, as Swiss Guards do at Papal Masses.

Of course it’s a little hard to image such an arrangement in America, with secular groups here doing what we might only associate with Knights of Columbus, for example. Here it appears the Catholic Church is still part of daily civic life.

I am happy to have found this active and vibrant parish of Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli, so close to where I live. Fortunately they send us notices of forthcoming celebrations, so I will keep an eye on what is next for possible participation.

I should mention that at the celebrations of February 1st and 2nd at Santa Maria in Portico, we met the pastor of the Greek Orthodox parish of Saint Theodore here in Rome, Father Simeon Catsinas. His church, “San Teodoro al Palatino,” will be hosting a Vespers for the feast of Saint Theodore on February 18th. That church too is close by and some of us will attend the Vespers, which will be lead by Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Gennadios, Archbishop of Italy and Malta. Father Simeone is from Greece but speaks Italian fluently. Apparently his parish is small and ministers especially to Greeks in diplomatic posts and their families living in Rome.

Father Simeon encouraged us to come and bring any others we may wish to celebrate Vespers with his flock in February 18th. At the Vespers of January 1st and the Mass on February 2nd at Santa Maria in Portico, Father Simeon was placed in a chair of honor in the sanctuary of the church. This ecumenical gesture to an Orthodox guest was encouraging to see, so close to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which officially ended on January 25th, but of course is an important and ongoing prayer.

We wished Father Simeon a happy namesday (feast day) on February 2nd, and he explained that the great temple-dwelling prophet Simeon is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on February 3rd, the day after the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

Read more about Vespers at the Orthodox Church of Saint Theodore in later postings from Rome.