Aracoeli Apparition in Rome

History of the Aracoeli Apparition

High on one of the highest hills in Rome, majestically towers the splendid church, Santa Maria in Aracoeli. 

It was originally called St. Mary's on the Capitol, because it was built on the site where once stood the ancient Roman Capitol, the Capitoline Fortress. 

That is until the Twelfth Century when the name of the church was changed to Aracoeli or Altar of Heaven.

It is on this spot that Senators in the ancient Roman Senate would congregate and discuss important issues in the Temple of Juniper, located next to the Temple of Juno Moneta. 

It is documented that not only is this so, but in the Thirteenth Century, city officials would gather there to discuss affairs of state and determine civic strategies and courses of action, as well as draft up charters to be used to carry out city laws.  

No longer a pagan temple, having been built over the ruins of Temple Juno Moneta, Santa Maria in Aracoeli is still looked upon as the Church of the Senate and the people of Rome. 

Looming high over Christian and Pagan Rome, Santa Maria in Aracoeli not only symbolizes, it personifies, it very embodies the victory of Christianity over paganism.  It is in keeping with our tradition that this glorious tribute to God would rise from the ruins of a temple to Juno Moneta.  Just as Jesus conquered death, and the only True God defeated false gods, our majestic churches have soared from the ruins of pagan temples; therefore, it is fitting that a church honoring our Queen and Mother should arise from the ashes of a former temple to the pagan goddess Juno Moneta.

Interestingly enough, it is popularly believed that the Temple Juno Moneta was also the original home of the Roman mint.  It only stands to reason; this is where we derive the word money (or moneta in Italian).  Isn't it interesting that a false goddess' name was used to develop a word for monetary exchange!  Is the Lord trying to tell us once more, do not worship false gods?  When I think of how people's lives are manipulated by the whim of this false goddess, money, it brings to mind what Jesus said, "Wherever your treasure lies, there your heart will be."[1]  The false goddess of money wins our hearts only to betray us, over and over again.  It is self-evident, now more than ever, with the sad state of the economy, that the false goddess of money has betrayed those who have had faith in her.  It is time for us to turn to Our Queen and Mother Mary, and ask Her to reign in our hearts, as She does in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.  She, true Mother, will never betray us.  

As your eyes travel from this, one of Rome's seven hills, to the Rome of yesterday and today, you cannot but marvel at the contrasts.  Below are the imposing churches still standing after centuries of strife and devastating wars, glorifying God, silently extolling the power of God's everlasting love.  And then in sharp contradiction are the ruins of what was once proud Rome and the Roman Empire. 

The metamorphosis of temple dedicated to a Pagan goddess, to church honoring our Blessed Mother, was not without foundation.  The Church has always risen, throughout her 2000 year walk toward the Kingdom, although at times bruised and battered from the onslaughts and bombardments of the enemy of God.  And as we meditate on what we see - grand civilization after grand civilization destroyed and before us our Church triumphant - we know Jesus is with us; He has not left us orphans; He will be with us till the end of the world.

Legend of Emperor Augustus and Santa Maria in Aracoeli

Our story goes back to the time of Emperor Augustus.  As it unfurls, it appears Emperor Augustus got wind of a movement in the Senate to laud him as God.  This greatly upset the Emperor and he turned to the Tiburtine Sybil for a word. 

Whereupon, after three days of fasting, she prophesied the descent from the heavens of "the King of the ages."  She exclaimed,

"I see clear signs that justice will be done: soon the earth will be wet with sweat and from the sky will descend the King of the ages."

As she was imparting her prophetic message, the Emperor was doing all he could to try to discern the unclear prediction, when he had a vision of the Blessed Mother.  Before him stood the Virgin Mary on an Altar, radiant, bathed in a flood of blinding light illuminating Her and the Infant Jesus nestled in Her arms.  As he stood there, mesmerized, he heard a mysterious Voice from above say, "This is the Altar of the Son of God." 

Upon hearing this, the Emperor fell to his knees, prostrating himself on the ground, in homage to the Heavenly Image.  He subsequently refused the title of King, which the populace were about to confer upon him.  He immediately erected an Altar dedicated to the First-born Son of God and built a church over it, which was eventually enlarged.  He called it The Altar of the Heavens or The Ara Coeli.

The unusual and miraculous aspect of this account is the fact that Caesar Augustus, emperor of Rome, ruled before the birth of Christ.  He was emperor from 27 b.c. to 14 a.d.  How amazing is our God to have given us an apparition of Our Lady and the Child Jesus to a pagan emperor before she was even born?  So this Altar of the Heavens and the church built over it, which was dedicated to the First-Born Son of God, was all done before Jesus or Mary were born.  You can call it amazing; you can call it fantastic; we like to call it Divine!

We see documentation of this in Rome's first guide book, from the Twelfth Century.  Prior to this, the Church had issued an official booklet showing a copy of John Malalas' Eighth Century Universal Chronicles relating an even earlier Byzantine historian, Timoteus, from the Fifth - Sixth Century.  From this, alone, it is highly plausible (and most likely) that a church dedicated to the Virgin existed on the Capitol hill, since before the fifth century, called St. Mary's on the Capitol.  It was only after the twelfth century that it officially became The Aracoeli.

Santo Bambino Aracoeli High on one of the hills in Rome, right near the Piazza Venezia and City Hall, is one of the oldest and unusual churches in Rome, Santa Maria in Aracoeli, built as the result of an apparition of Mother Mary to Emperor Caesar Augustus before Jesus or Mary were born. The church itself has a great tradition, as the image of the Madonna of Aracoeli has given the people of Rome many miracles, but we want to focus on the little Santo Bambino, miraculously brought from the Holy Land to Rome in the 15th Century and placed by the Franciscans in a special Shrine at the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.  See the image; experience the tribute paid to the Child Jesus, especially at Christmas time.  Walk the 124 steps with Bob and Penny as they climb to the great Church. For DVD Normal Retail $19.95 - Special Price here $14.95 click below

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