Today is 8 December and in Rome the Catholic Church celebrates the Immaculate Conception.
This is still to this day in Republican Italy a National Holiday. The Pope will travel from the Holy See on Vatican Hill to Piazza di Spagna usually taking a route were he will cross the Tiber River at Ponte Cavour, then down Via Tomacelli and Via Condotti turning towards Pizza di Spagna. The streets are effectively closed off thus cutting the city in two creating giant traffic snarls. It may be a holiday but people are shopping for Xmas. He will come deposit a garland of flowers on the arm of the statue of the Virgin Mary a top the column on Piazza di Spagna with the help of the Vigili of Rome ( Fire dept) and a cherry picker. The Piazza is usually crowded on this day, so much so that the metro stop at Piazza di Spagna is closed, the crowds are too great.
All the religious congregations in Rome will come to the Piazza wearing the different uniforms of their congregation to greet the Pope, sing hymns and pray to the Virgin. Leaving at the foot of the column many flower tributes. This being Rome the whole scene takes on a Carnival air.
The column itself was taken from an ancient Roman temple, the statue of the Virgin is in fact an ancient statue of Venus, remodelled somewhat. At the foot of the column sits 4 Hebrew patriarchs from the old Testament. They represent the links to the promise made by God the Father to his people to send a Messiah.
The column stands in front of the College for the Propagation of Doctrine of the Faith, which the current Pope use to be the Head and next to the Royal Spanish Embassy to the Holy See.
This is still to this day in Republican Italy a National Holiday. The Pope will travel from the Holy See on Vatican Hill to Piazza di Spagna usually taking a route were he will cross the Tiber River at Ponte Cavour, then down Via Tomacelli and Via Condotti turning towards Pizza di Spagna. The streets are effectively closed off thus cutting the city in two creating giant traffic snarls. It may be a holiday but people are shopping for Xmas. He will come deposit a garland of flowers on the arm of the statue of the Virgin Mary a top the column on Piazza di Spagna with the help of the Vigili of Rome ( Fire dept) and a cherry picker. The Piazza is usually crowded on this day, so much so that the metro stop at Piazza di Spagna is closed, the crowds are too great.
All the religious congregations in Rome will come to the Piazza wearing the different uniforms of their congregation to greet the Pope, sing hymns and pray to the Virgin. Leaving at the foot of the column many flower tributes. This being Rome the whole scene takes on a Carnival air.
The column itself was taken from an ancient Roman temple, the statue of the Virgin is in fact an ancient statue of Venus, remodelled somewhat. At the foot of the column sits 4 Hebrew patriarchs from the old Testament. They represent the links to the promise made by God the Father to his people to send a Messiah.
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