Friday, March 05, 2010

Stational Churches of Lent: Friday after the Second Sunday in Lent

Station: S. Vitale
(Collecta: S. Agata dei Goti)








From Blessed Ildefonso Schuster's The Sacramentary:
The meeting place today is in the deaconry of St. Agatha "of the Goths" in the Suburra, which was restored to Catholic worship by Gregory the Great. From there the procession went to the neighbouring Church of Vestina, dedicated under Innocent I (402-17) to the martyr Vitalis.


From the Churches of Rome wiki:
San Vitale is dedicated to the martyrs St Vitalis, his wife St Valeria and his sons Sts Gervase and Protase. The full name of the church is Santi Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio, or alternatively Santi Vitale e Compagni Martiri in Fovea.

It was built about 400, and consecrated by Pope Innocent I in 401/2. The dedication to St Vitalis and his family was given in 412.

The church has been rebuilt several times, of which the most comprehensive rebuilding was that of Pope Sixtus IV before the 1475 Jubilee. It was then granted to Clerics Regular.

The church was granted to the Jesuits in 1598 by Pope Clement VIII. They carried out a complete restoration, and used it mainly for the noviciate.

[...]

The portico is the most ancient part of the church, possibly dating back to the 5th century. It was altered at the end of the 16th century. The inscription on the portico, with the arms of Pope Sixtus IV, dates from this time.

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