Bibiana julian biography of william

Walking along the south side of Rome’s aggressively non-descript central train station, one eventually comes to a church, as one always does in Rome: a relief to see, perhaps, after the station, but in and of itself, not particularly interesting either. (Until about 160 years ago, the area was mostly gardens, and the walk would have been much more pleasant.) The inelegant façade is little more than a square with a pediment sticking out of it; if it were in the center of the city, near the Trevi fountain or the Piazza Navona, it would likely attract no notice at all. And yet, the interior houses a sculpture of the church’s patron Saint, the virgin and martyr Bibiana, whose feast is today, made by one of the greatest artists to grace the Eternal City with his talents, Gian Lorenzo Bernini.