The Madonnine of Rome
In Roman times there were no churches.
Churches were an invention of Christians, but not early christians!
First of all, for the first 300 years after Christ, till the famous “Edict of Milano” of Constantine the Great in 313 A.D. the Christian religion was simply illegal!
Ancient Romans among other things had various gods, not even a single God!
They solved the problem by placing their gods at crossroads.
So people would stop to pray at the crossroads!
Christians took many things from the ancient Romans.
This is one of those things.
The Christian icon most present at the crossroads of the streets of Rome is obviously the Virgin Mary.
So when you walk down the streets of Rome just remember to raise your eyes, because someone probably looks on you and is watching over you.
