Tridentine Mass in St. Peter's Basilica

For those lucky enough to be in Rome, it is interesting to note that Fr. Mark Withoos, an Australian priest who works for the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED), celebrates the Tridentine Mass most mornings at 07:00 at the Altar of the Transfiguration in St. Peter's Basilica.

The Altar of the Transfiguration, is famous for the mosaic reproduction of one of the masterpieces of Raphael (1483-1520), the great painter's last work. Jesus, bathed in light, is borne aloft between Moses and Elijah, also in ecstasy, while the Apostles Peter, James and John, prostrate, contemplate this glimpse of paradise. On the left are Sts. Felicissimus and Agapitus, who are commemorated on 6 August, the Feast of the Transfiguration.

Beneath the altar are the remains of Blessed Pope Innocent XI, his face and hands covered with silver.