St. Peter in Chains Cathedral

This afternoon we went to a concert at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral downtown. The concert featured the cathedral's own choir, accompanied by orchestra, singing works of Purcell and Haydn. As you enter the cathedral you are immediately struck by the huge mosaic at the front of the church of the figure of Christ seated on a throne, construcded of thousands of pieces of handcrafted Venetian glass in various colors, accentuated by a gold background made by infusing glass with 24-karat gold. Christ is depicted giving the keys of authority to Saint Peter who kneels before Him. To the left, below the figure of Christ, the mosaic portrays the miraculous release of Saint Peter from the prison in Jerusalem. His deliverer, an angel, loosed his chains and led Him to freedom. In the opposite corner, it portrays a prison scene, showing Saint Paul visiting Saint Peter in the Mamertine prison in Rome. In the center, below the figure of Christ, a Latin text is inscribed: "Et Petrus quidem servabatur in carcere vinctus catenis" - "And Peter was imprisoned, bound with chains. " The title of the Cathedral, Saint Peter in Chains, is represented by continuous links of a chain framing the mural. This design emphasizes the fact that from the very beginning anti-Christian forces have tried to obstruct the work of the Church. If you're interested in seeing the outside of the building or knowing more about it, please see my entry for November 11th 2008.

This evening we celebrated Valentines Day a day late, by going out to eat. We figured it would be so crowded everywhere yesterday, and since we were going out to the concert today anyway, we decided to concentrate on the decorating yesterday and go out tonight instead.