Santa Galla

<h3 data-rte-spaces-before="1" data-rte-spaces-after="1"> Sanctuary </h3>
<p data-rte-fromparser="true">An organ occupies the apse behind the altar. This is an ugly arrangement, but the instrument itself is of very high quality. See the Italian Wikipedia page for its specifications. 
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">The high altar itself, unusually small, consists of a 1st century pagan funerary altar salvaged from the old church in 1928 but only brought here from <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22internal%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22San%20Giorgio%20in%20Velabro%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22San%20Giorgio%20in%20Velabro%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Atrue%2C%22noforce%22%3Atrue%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5B%5BSan%20Giorgio%20in%20Velabro%5D%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="1750-11452790945f0b55702c1fc" href="/wiki/San_Giorgio_in_Velabro" title="San Giorgio in Velabro">San Giorgio in Velabro</a> in 1988. It had been dedicated for Christian use by Pope <a data-rte-meta="%7B%22type%22%3A%22external%22%2C%22text%22%3A%22Gregory%20VII%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fen.wikipedia.org%5C%2Fwiki%5C%2FPope_Gregory_VII%22%2C%22linktype%22%3A%22text%22%2C%22wasblank%22%3Afalse%2C%22wikitext%22%3A%22%5Bhttps%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fen.wikipedia.org%5C%2Fwiki%5C%2FPope_Gregory_VII%20Gregory%20VII%5D%22%7D" data-rte-instance="1750-11452790945f0b55702c1fc"  class="text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_VII">Gregory VII</a> in 1073, as an inscription on the right hand side declares. It is so small that a rather attractive white metal floor-stand in the form of a grape-vine has been provided for the missal. The front and side panels of the altar are edged in intricate vine-scroll decoration, but the back panel is completely occupied by a relief carving of an laurel-tree. There's a rabbit eating grapes at the bottom. 
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1">The inscription reads: 
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1"><i>Septimus hoc Presul romano culmine fretus Gregorius templum Xp[ist]o sacravit in aevum. Ad honorem D[omi]ni N[ostri] I[esu] [Ch]r[ist]i et Beat[a]e Mari[a]e semper Virginis Genetricis ej[us] Domine Nostre [sic] et om[n]ium s[an]c[t]or[um], consecratu[m] e[st] hoc altare te[m]pore Domni Gregorii VII P[a]p[ae], anni D[omi]ni Mil[le] LXXIII, indic[tione] XI, m[en]se julio, dies VIII. In hoc pr[a]edicto altare q[ui]escunt s[an]c[t]or[um] venerabliles reliq[ui]e, videlicet pars crucis ejus et spongi[a]e necn[on] et crucis b[eat]i Andree et ex ossib[us] ej[us] et s[an]c[t]or[um] mar[tyrum] Stephani, Lauren[tii], Marci, Iacobi, Sebastiani, Cromatii, Menne, Valentini, Bonifatii, Anastasii, Leudicii, Donati, Ippoliti et Iohanni Presbyteri, Agnetis, Cecilie, Agathe, Concordiae, Cirille, Vebrobie [sic].</i>
</p><p data-rte-fromparser="true" data-rte-empty-lines-before="1"> This means: "Gregory, the seventh confident cultic leader at the Roman apex, made this temple holy for ever. In honour of our Lord Jesus Christ and the blessed Mary ever virgin and mother of our Lord and of all the saints, this altar was consecrated in the time of the lord Gregory VII Pontifex. In 1073, in the eleventh indiction, on the eighth day of the month of July in the abovementioned altar were laid relics of venerable saints, notably part of the Cross and the sponge, also parts of the cross of blessed Andrew and of his bones as well as of those of the holy martyrs Stephen, Laurence, Mark, James, Sebastian, Chromatius, Menas, Valentine, Boniface, Anastasius, Leudicus, Donatius, Hippolytus, John the Priest, Agnes, Cecilia, Agatha, Concordia, Cyril and Febrobia."
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