A Tour of the Duomo...and a Home Away from Home

Don Mario, the English-speaking priest of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, was spear-heading the first meeting of the international student bible study--St. Thomas Moore.

Yes, I joined a Catholic group.

He showed us the 'secret' spaces of the church's sanctuary, rather than the tourist-dominated side with the impressive frescoes, grand marble facade, and massive dome.

We learned about the history of the crucifix and its place within the Roman Catholic Church--that it was not used as 'decoration' until the 1,000s, and that the original crosses in churches did not show the suffering Christ.

Several ornate crucifixes are embellished with a pelican. Upon hearing this, I recalled that I had seen several crucifixes with a pelican somewhere hidden in the embellishments. The reasoning is quite beautiful: the female pelican feeds her young with her own blood, just as Christ feeds us spiritually with His blood.

I also learned that Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise that crowds hover around outside of the Baptistery are in fact copies--the originals are currently on display in the Opera del Duomo museum. I wonder if those poor Korean tourists know...

Following the tour, we all tromped over to Il Gatto e La Volpe, a restaurant located a few blocks away. Don Mario was close to the owners and, as he explained, "could hook us up with some inexpensive wine."

I liked Don Mario. He was kind, soft spoken, funny, and altogether 'hip' for a priest. He was, as it turns out, ordained in Youngstown! The students and I enjoyed hearing his stories and witnessing his love for Christ flow through his speech as he gave the tour. Also pursuing a degree in law, he explained to us that he had a rough week and was looking forward to unwinding at his favorite restaurant with all of us.

I sat next to Don Mario at dinner, which was a wise choice, as he was the man in control of the wine. He and I each had three glasses of Chianti (Leonardo), which was delicious. I couldn't believe the entire time that I was with this wonderful group of people, talking about God, talking about life, and that I was drinking with a Catholic priest.

I looked over to him halfway through the meal and said, "You know I'm a Methodist? I'm not even Catholic!"

Don Mario looked me straight in the eyes, unfaltering, and said, "No. You're not a Methodist."

I looked quizzically at him. "What do you mean?"

He pointed to my well-attended glass of wine.

I laughed. "Oh, I guess you've got a point..."

He smiled. "That's okay," he said. "This just means that if you decide to convert to Catholicism, you're already halfway there!"

(I will say, on a side note, that the St. Thomas Moore bible study is now starting a BYOW initiative for our evening studies. When with the Catholics, do as the Catholics do, I suppose.)

We finished dinner, and sat back in our chairs.

"Did I ever tell you all bout the time," Don Mario started, "that I had my camel stolen in Egypt?"

We listened to his story, laughing and joking and finding friendship in the middle of a small Italian restaurant. I knew that I had found a place where I could talk about God, and that I was not judged because I was not a Catholic. I still knew there was a God, that He made me and loved me, and that He brought me there to that place and put me in the midst of these wonderful people.

Brunelleschi's Cupola

Following dinner, some students and I went for gelato. It was a wonderful night of history and food and wine and ice cream and priests with stolen camels!

Scenes from the bible in the interior of the sanctuary--these are all made onto one piece of wood