THE
BASILICA AND SANCTUARY OF S.TERESA DI GESU’ BAMBINO
An
architectural complex of special religious and artistic interest. It lays
gently at the entrance of the Latium’ small town, in front of the
immense expanse of the sea. It reminds of the young French Saint.
 |
The
history
Its history is relatively recent dating back
to 1925 when Teresa was proclaimed Saint at a distance of only 28
years from her death. The
enthusiasm aroused was so high amidst the Italians and the inhabitants
of Anzio that they wanted to erect in her name an imposing temple,
from a plan and realisation of the Roman architect Alfredo Paoletti.
 |
In
1926 the diocesan bishop Cardinal Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte in
the presence of religious and civil authorities and a celebrating
crowd, blessed and laid the foundation stone of the temple. It took
13 years to build, amid many difficulties that seemed to threaten
the construction.
In 1939 the Sanctuary was solemnly inaugurated and Pope Pious XI for
the circumstance, wanted to be present by means of a written message,
in which he expressed : “ Fired by lively gladness for the opening
of the votive temple raised in honour of S. Teresa di Gesù Bambino
in Anzio, we pray that the Sacred edifice will be a fecund centre of
Christian compassion and virtue and whole-heartedly we bless all who
have contributed to its construction and those who will take care of
its dignity”.
|
The
papal wish was accompanied by a concrete gesture consisting in the
financing of the high altar in honour of the person he had defined as
“Star of his Pontificate”. Even
the sisters of the Saint, living at that time in the monastery of
Lisieux, wanted to be spiritually presents by means of a telegramme
wishing a celestial shower of roses over Anzio and Italy. Very
soon the war raged, spreading death and destruction in the small
pleasant town and the Sanctuary, miraculously undamaged, became a safe
shelter for many thousands of people.
The
artistic profile:
Grandiosity
and austerity, luminosity and simplicity characterise the almost
monastic style of the Basilica: it is the Romanesque, underlining
inside and outside the temple the slender and agile lines which want
to synthesise in some way the structure of the “story of the soul”
of the Saint, that the architect wanted to read before he set about
the work.
 |
Coming
in, one remains, so to speak, fascinated by the atmosphere of
silence and meditation which lead irresistibly to the meeting with
Our Lord. The
Basilica is 50 meters long, 20 meters wide and 25 meters high. Its
plant is a Latin cross with three naves bounded by a series of
columns supporting arches |
of
different sizes culminating in the grandiose apse. Everything is
harmonious interlacement of lines, double and triple lancet
windows which give motion and singular beauty. The
high altar is elegant and sumptuous and is formed by an ideal
lacework of small columns supporting the central little temple,
from which the marble statue of the Saint dominated with the
gesture of hugging Christ Crucified amid a bunch of roses. The
side altars make a worthy crown to it, consecrated to the Virgin
and to the Saints of Carmel the one on
the right with canvases by Ballerini and the other one with
Sacred Heart painted by Carnevali and the Chapel of Relics on the
left side.
|
 |
The
Chapel of relics:
It
was decorated by Carnevali and is so called because of the keepsakes of
the Saint here jealously guarded. On the little marble temple of the
small altar there is one vertebra of the Saint and a rosary which
belonged to her; on the kneeling-stool there is the Crucifix which the
Saint used and covered with kisses. They are a precious gift which the
Carmel of Lisieux wanted to offer to the Sanctuary of Anzio together
with the statue portraying her on her deathbed while by her hand is
plucking the petals off a rose in favour of her devotees.
 |
The
altar and the arrangement of the urn were a generous gift of Umberto
Bruni for the first anniversary of the consecration of the Basilica.
Recently the chapel has been totally restored.
Particular beauty is also reflected from the grandiose floor which
recent and appropriate interventions have restored to its original
brightness; it is evident, in a
particular way, the precious guide in the Cosmati style which goes
across it. The stained glass windows decorated with scenes that encircle
the Basilica depict some Saints of Carmel and, projecting a golden and
multicolour light, give to it a mystic fascination.
|
ATTENZIONE !!!
La riproduzione o distribuzione,
totale o parziale, non autorizzata del testo riportato in lingua inglese
è vietata e punibile per legge.
|
|
|
