Vatican Treasures
(May 2001)
No visit to Rome would be complete without a
tour of the Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and the
center of all Christendom. Even if you are not a Christian, the
Vatican will inspire you with its vast array of beloved artistic
treasures. There is so much too see—the architecture, the sculpture,
the frescoes, the history, and, if you are lucky, the
Pope.
If you only have one day to spend in the Vatican, a
guided tour is highly suggested. Our guide, Alexa, led our group
into the confines of the Vatican while holding a car antenna with a
bright red scarf tied at the top. I found this quite comical since
we looked like troops going off to battle—in this case, our fearless
leader was a demure Italian art connoisseur, and our battle plan was
to conquer a better understanding of art and perhaps the divine
inspiration behind it. Battle plans aside, it was obvious the
antenna/flag was the only way to keep the “troops” from getting lost
within the massive crowds. The Vatican is more crowded this year
than in others due to the Jubilee, a holy year proclaimed by the
Pope every 25 years. For Catholics, it is a time of repentance,
forgiveness, and pilgrimage.
The Vatican
Museums
The Vatican Museums’ vast collections could keep
an art enthusiast captivated for a lifetime. They contain several
extensive collections spread throughout the Stanze di
Raffaello (Raphael Rooms), the Stanza della Segnatura
(Room of the Signature), the Chapel of Nicholas V, and the
Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery). The Borghese Gallery, the
17th-century palace of Cardinal Borghese, is both a showcase of
Roman architecture and interior decoration, and a showcase of great
works by Raphael, Titian, and Caravaggio. Alexa was passionate in
her explanation of each important piece that we stopped to
contemplate. However, even Alexa knew that no explanation was
necessary to describe the Sistine Chapel.
Sistine
Chapel
Built in 1473 by Pope Sixtus IV, the Sistine
Chapel is the private chapel of the popes. When I entered the
Sistine Chapel, I got goose bumps. Not to sound clichéd, but the
place is so beautiful that it leaves you speechless. Despite the
hundreds of people in the room, it was serenely quiet. The paintings
on the ceiling and walls and are the chapel’s most engaging
features. Frescoes by Perugino, Pinturicchio, Botticelli,
Ghirlandaio, Rosselli, and Signorelli cover the side walls. They
depict scenes from the lives of Moses and Christ. As beautiful as
these frescoes from these artists are, they pale in comparison to
the most famous achievements in the chapel, the works of
Michelangelo.
Michelangelo was in his 50s when he was
commissioned by Pope Julius to paint the chapel’s ceiling. Over a
four-year period, from 1508 to 1512, Michelangelo devised an
intricate pictorial of scenes from the Book of Genesis,
including God Separating Light from Darkness and including
the Creation of Adam, the Creation of Eve, the
Temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Flood. As
you look up at this masterpiece, you cannot help but wonder how one
man painted it. Perhaps it was a tempestuous four years of painting
for Michelangelo. He once wrote, “Here I am 65 feet up, my neck
nailed to my spine, plaster speckling my face. I may be a sculptor
and a bit of a poet but no painter.”
While Michelangelo may
have doubted his abilities, his work clearly spoke to many,
including Pope Paul IV, who brought Michelangelo back to the Sistine
Chapel 10 years later to compose The Last Judgement.
Fittingly set upon the wall over the altar, this painting makes up
the most colorful area of the chapel. It depicts the idea of people
being dragged down by their own demons, with valiant martyr saints
above them. Michelangelo was in his 60s when he painted The Last
Judgement, and, perhaps feeling a bit temperamental with his own
faith, he painted himself among those being dragged
down.
Hundreds of years of exposure to light, soot from
burning candles, and pollution have taken their toll on the chapel’s
frescoes. In 1980, a massive undertaking to clean and restore
Michelangelo’s frescoes began and was not completed until 1994.
Michelangelo’s works had always been considered “dark” and
“foreboding,” but what restorers and art experts uncovered under the
soot amazed them and would forever change art history—Michelangelo
was in fact a master colorist. Bright cobalt blue dominate the
The Last Judgement, while gentle hues of pinks and lilac
decorate the scenes of Genesis. The restoration was a divine
rebirth of a masterpiece that had been misunderstood for centuries.
One couple on our tour, who had toured the Sistine Chapel in the
late 1970s, stated it was like seeing it again for the first time.
Since the restoration, visitors are no longer permitted to take
pictures or video, as light is damaging to these priceless
works.
St. Peter’s Basilica
While Michelangelo certainly worked his magic on
the Sistine Chapel, he again left his mark on another Vatican
treasure, St. Peter’s Basilica. Adjacent to the Sistine Chapel, the
massive Basilica of St. Peter (St. Peter’s Basilica) is
Christendom’s largest church. This building, with the exception of
some sites in Jerusalem, is Christianity’s most important
site.
Entering St. Peter’s Basilica is an amazing,
yet humbling, experience. The marble-covered basilica is capped off
by Michelangelo’s famous dome that towers 400 feet above you, making
you feel incredibly small. Much of St. Peter’s beauty is inspired by
the Pantheon, not only in design but also in composition. The gilded bronze canopy
covering the altar (designed by Bernini) is made from the bronze
that once lined the dome of the Pantheon. Beneath the altar is the
tomb of Simon Peter. The basilica is also home to many great works
of art, but none is more beloved and treasured than Michelangelo’s
Pieta, depicting Madonna holding Christ’s body in her
arms.
After wandering around the basilica, we were led
outside to St. Peter’s Square. We had the good fortune to be able to
go through St. Peter’s porta santa (holy doors) that are
unsealed with the Pope’s blessing only during the Jubilee year. It
is said that passing through these doors is to be forgiven a
lifetime of sins. As people passed through the doors, I noticed
their hands symbolically touching the bronze reliefs (door
sculptures). Without hesitation, I found myself doing the
same.
St. Peter’s Square
Exiting out of the
basilica to St. Peter’s Square is quite a sensation as you go from a
massive, dimly lit indoor area to an immense, bright outdoor piazza.
The square was designed by Bernini and is surrounded by a curving
succession of pillars topped by statues of 140 saints. The focal
point of the square is the obelisk at the center, which was
originally from Alexandria and was brought to Rome by
Caligula.
The square is vast and can hold up to 300,000
people during a Mass. For many Catholics celebrating Mass,
celebrating it in this place is a spiritual highlight of their
lives. Every Sunday morning when the Pope is in Rome, he stands on a
balcony to give his blessings to the crowds gathered below.
I
had not come to the Vatican on a pilgrimage as many had, but I found
myself surprised at how emotional an experience it had been. I left
with a feeling that perhaps divine intervention works in mysterious
ways. Maybe in some small way I was a pilgrim. After all, part of
travel is discovery and every journey is ultimately an act of faith.
Related Sites:
The Holy See: Official Vatican
Website
Europe for
Visitors
About.com's Italy for
Visitors
Italia Tourism
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