Elizabeth Lev’s column at Zenit – on St. Petronilla, her legend, and her importance at St. Peter’s Basilica; and a quick overview of the history of San Clemente, which this week observed the 150th anniversary of the beginnings of the excavations revealing its multi-layered history.

Most visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica wonder why the candles on the altars are never lit. Early morning Mass attendees of course know that all the candles on the side altars are lit every morning from 7 to 8:30 a.m. as the individual Eucharistic celebrations are taking place.

But as the last taper is extinguished, the altars fall dark, except the one that will be used for the regular morning Masses. But on feast days of saints venerated in St. Peter’s, the altar dedicated to the saint is adorned with flowers and lit candles, standing out among all the others.

Sometimes the honoree is a well-known saint, such as St. Gregory the Great or St. Joseph, but often these little celebrations allow visitors to reacquaint themselves with long-forgotten saints and realize how important they are to Christian history and culture.

On May 31, St. Peter’s paid homage to what is today a somewhat obscure saint, St. Petronilla, but closer study reveals that some of the finest art in the basilica was dedicated to her altar.