Rome Newsroom, Feb 14, 2024 / 10:50 am
In the Church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, which sits in Rome’s Rione Regola neighborhood, a tradition that dates back to the 16th century lives on as a way to help the faithful prepare for the season of Lent.
The “Quarant’Ore” or “Quarantore” (“40 hours”) is an exposition and continuous devotion in front of the Blessed Sacrament where the church remains open day and night for the faithful to spend time in prayer and personal reflection.
The ceremony started this year with the celebration of a solemn high Mass on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 11 a.m. After the distribution of holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed in a monstrance and placed in the Eucharistic throne perched above the high altar while Guido Reni’s altarpiece, dating to 1625, was covered in a red velvet tapestry.
This was followed by a procession around the interior of the church and a communal Holy Hour. The devotion ended on Tuesday at 7 a.m. with a Mass in “coram sanctissimo,” or in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.