This is the secret history of the Vatican and its current seat of power …
Allegedly St. Peter’s Basilica was originally built on or near the buildings of a Phrygian cult of Cybele. This mimics the stories I have heard of initiation by fire. Obviously this would clash with Zoroastrian laws of purity. The old UHM site made mentions of Solar worship connected with RA. The timeframe for this matches Constantine’s official mixing of the nobility’s pagan traditions with the poor Roman’s Christian tradition making a single system c. year 325 [era of Roman Empire]. Since Roman Catholicism constantly re-defines itself no one explanation is probably correct as they seem to not really care which particular system they honor or adopt the icons from. Mithra seems to be marginally connected as a combination of Attis worship, Cybele bull slaying and the original Greek pantheon which then morphed into the Roman pantheon. The OT records much of these ritual murders in the books of Kings. They are described as occurring on “high places.” The OT records are obviously not Mithra but other systems surrounding owls (more accurately beasts or Cherubim) and Ishtar. All surround a goddess mythology which may have become Mary.
According to the site here Pope Pius IV Giovanni Angelo Medici rebuilt the original temple of Cybele near the Vatican grounds. The covering of the alter in St. Peter’s called the baldacchino was a gift of the Medici family and has BEES on it as their symbol. This is taught in most Art History classes or medieval studies.
http://gallae.com/The%20Phrygianum.html
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