2. The most beautiful image of Mary
in the city of Rome is hidden.
This mosaic, dated 650, is the oldest
surviving image in Rome of Mary in the
apse—the sacred space above the altar.
This mosaic is in St. Venantius Chapel
in the Baptistery of the Lateran Palace,
the longtime home of the popes.
5. No, not this demure mother Mary.
The baroque altarpiece hides the 7th
-century Mary.