You are in the General House, which is the central point linking all the Marist communities in the world and the headquarters and residence of the Superior General and his Council. Originally, the General House was at the Hermitage and Saint Paul-Trois-Chateaux in France, and in Grugliasco, Italy. The present one was erected in 1961 according to the standards of the time. The grounds, which had been destined to house the “Ministry of Agriculture and Forests”, has an area of 55,000 square meters. It is situated in the district of Rome called EUR, which is an acronym for Esposizione Universale Romana. In the 1960s it was one of the sites of the Roman Olympic Games. Nearby you can view a beautiful lake, and the Palazzo dello Sport, the work of Nervi, the architect who designed the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican.

Currently, our Generalate is home for the Superior General and his Council, the community of the General Administration, and the community of Brothers studying in universities.

The central structure serves as the Marist administrative center. The building alongside houses the International College.

In 2000, to obtain maximum use from the existing complex, another building was renovated and is now the Villa EUR – Parco dei Pini Hotel.

FRONT ENTRANCE

To the left you can see a statue of Marcellin, the work of Eugenio de Courten, symbolizing Marcellin’s teaching presence among children and young people: “Be with the children, love them, lead them to Jesus.”

RECEPTION CENTER

In the Reception Center the statue of Our Lady stands out. It is a polychromatic ceramic work, 2.4 meters high, by the master Biancini. Bearing Jesus in her womb, Our Lady’s open arms extend a welcome to all who enter the house. Especially striking are the different colors of the ceramic.

Paintings from the beatification

Beyond the glass-enclosed entrance is a set of original paintings depicting moments in the life of St. Marcellin. These were published in a booklet commemorating his beatification in 1955. On the wall beyond the staircase is a large picture that recalls the martyrs in our Marist history.

Mural of the Marist Family

The artist Goyo used a paint with acrylic resins in working on this mural from August to September 1988. It measures 9.56 x 1.85 meters. You need to gaze slowly from left to right to fully appreciate the dynamism of this work. It shows Marcellin Champagnat inviting people everywhere to become part of the Marist Family. It portrays figures representing other Congregations with Marist roots. We see our Blessed Mother leaving behind contemplating motherhood and becoming the mother of a family that leads us to Jesus.

The Blue Room

In what is called the Blue Room, named for the color of its floor tiles, you will see a picture of Champagnat painted by Brother Wulmer from Holland in 1882, another of Brother Stratonic, and a print reproduction of the statue of Champagnat created by the sculptor Jiménez Deredia. The statue is in Vatican City, in a vaulted niche outside St. Peter’s Basilica.

The courtyard

The beautiful courtyard, a project of the architect Lenti, has a distinctly modern design. In contrast to monastic models, notice that there are no pillars here, a sign of openness to the world, to change, and to young people; a fitting image of religious life for a congregation of brothers, i.e., to lay religious.

CORRIDOR OF SUPERIORS

This corridor gets its name from being a gallery featuring a portrait of Saint Marcellin (the work of Santini) and those of the Superiors General who have led the Institute from 1839 to the present day. Most of these pictures are the work of Goyo.

THE BIG CHAPEL

As envisioned in the plan of its architect, Enrico Lenti, the big chapel is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. It suggests the idea of a great star with its nascent comet tail resting on four pillars, each one recalling a characteristic of our Blessed Mother: her Immaculate Conception, her Divine Maternity, her Assumption and her role as Mediatrix. The silence, lighting, architecture, and symbols provide optimum conditions for personal prayer.

The stained glass windows in the cupola favor the color blue and bring to mind invocations in the Litany of Our Lady. They are the work of D’Aloisio.

The altar is a huge ceramic composition, the work of Biancini. In her lap Mary is carrying the naked Infant Jesus, a symbol of the Incarnation. At each side there are angels and also the figure of Marcellin, barefoot, praying to our Good Mother, his Ordinary Resource.

Two ceramic walls, 13 meters long and 2.15 meter high, the work of the same author, surround the altar depicting different symbols.

Stations of the Cross

The fourteen Stations, measuring on average 0.9 x 1.4 meters, are considered masterpieces of their genre due to the dramatic nature of the scenes they depict and the spiritual power they contain.

Over the side entrance, the gigantic enlargement of Goyo’s picture is the same size as the one that was seen during the Canonization ceremony in Saint Peter’s Square in 1999.

The main doors and adjoining walls

When you are leaving, it is worth- while to look at the bronze main door with its scenes, the work of Biancini. In them he has placed six women of the Old Testament seen as prefiguring Mary: Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel on the left side, and Ruth, Esther and Judith on the right.

FIRST FLOOR

Chapel of the General Council

At the far end of the first floor is the chapel used by the General Council. The six stained glass windows are the work of the Giuliani-Melis workshops in Rome. They recall six moments in the story of Marcellin. These are, from left to right: his kneeling in prayer before entering the village of Lavalla; his meeting with young Montagne who was dying; his praying the Memorare in the snow; his sending the first Brothers to Oceania; his suffering and death; and his Beatification by Pope Pius XII. To the left, facing the altar, is the statue of our Good Mother before which Marcellin prayed. The statue was recently restored by Br. Claudio Santambrogio

You can also view the picture painted by Ravery in 1840, moments after the Saint died. As one of the three existing originals, it is an exceptionally valuable work.

The chapel’s altar is the very same one that Marcellin used to celebrate Mass during his lifetime.

Bas-reliefs

Two parallel bas-relief works with equal dimensions (3.6 x 1.6 meters), to the right and left of the doorway were fashioned by Brother José Santamarta to mark the bi-centenary of Marcellin’s birth (1989). You can observe the combination of empty spaces (symbolizing God’s calls) and hands (symbolizing our human response). Both these works are replete with Marist symbols.

Above the bas-relief is a mural, a painting by Auusto Ranocchi, which depicts the different Generalates from the days when it was in the Hermitage, “cradle” of the Institute, until its present location here in Rome. A sentence in Latin reminds us that “time passes, the work remains.”

The Council Room

To the left of the bas-relief is the Council Room where the Superior General and his Council meet periodically to study topics and make the necesaary decisions.

Entrance way to the Superior General’s office

In the small entrance way leading to the Superior General’s office, you can gaze at the original picture of Marcellin that Goyo painted for the canonization.

SECOND FLOOR

On this floor you will find many offices of the General Administration, including those of the Econome General, BIS, the Postulator General, Procurator General, Commission Secretaries, Communications, translators, accounting office, computer center, and print services. Also a conference room for work-related meetings.
The community chapel is at the far end of this floor.

THIRD FLOOR

This floor contains the Brothers’ bedrooms and the community room.

TERRACE

On the rooftop terrace, you can enjoy a magnificent view of Rome, including the top of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.

GROUND FLOOR

CHAPTER HALL

This is the large hall where General Chapters convene. These are held every 8 years and bring together Brothers representing every part of the Marist world.

Its duties are to elect the Superior General and his Council, as well as to provide important guidelines for Marist life.

INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE

The International College community welcomes brothers from various countries who come to study at Roman univiersities. A wing of the main building has been set aside for their personal and community needs.

VILLA EUR – PARCO DEI PINI

The Villa EUR Hotel complex has 92 rooms, for single, double, and triple occupancy, suitably furnished. The facilities are easily accessible, and there is ample parking for cars and buses. For more information, please contact www.villaeur.com

Our desire is that not only will your eyes have been enriched with what you have seen during this brief tour, but also that your heart has been filled with those values that Saint Marcellin Champagnat embodied.

We Brothers living in the General House will be most happy if you have felt at home in this common hearth.

Marcellin has welcomed you. Thank you for visiting us.
Make yourself at home.