The Holy Baby Jesus in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli made me an indelible impact. The word Aracoeli means “altar of the heavens.”
The statue of the Baby Jesus dates back to the 15'th century. The story is that a Franciscan friar carved it from the wood of an olive tree that is said to have grown in the Garden of Gethsemani. Over the centuries this holy image of the Baby Jesus has been honored with gifts made of gold, jewels and rich garments.
Every year, little children of all ages from Rome and all around the world address letters to the Baby Jesus. During Christmastime the children of Rome visit the Baby Jesus in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, to preach little sermons, to recite poems, and to sing to Him.
On the 25th of every month it is customary to bless oil taken from the lamp that burns near the Holy Baby Jesus. The oil is distributed in small bottles and is used in praying for the sick.
The statue is kept in the sacristy (a copy sits in a private chapel on the premises), but on Christmas Eve, it is brought out and unveiled at the sound of the Gloria, processed to a nativity scene, placed in Mary's lap, and kept there until the Feast of the Epiphany (6 January). On that day, the statue is taken to the top of the staircase outside the church so that Romans might blow it kisses. Then the statue is returned to its private chapel. Nowadays, all of these purposes are served by use of a second copy, as the original was stolen in 1994.
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