June 15, 2016

Vatican City, Rome

It is an understatement to say the Vatican has had influence over the past 2000 years on international political life and direction of the established Christian Church. As the Roman Empire expanded, so did the building of churches and increase of influence. I certainly wanted to see where this influence resides while I had opportunity.

Visiting the Vatican city-state is like going to another country, moving through its walled perimeter and levels of security. Within this walled enclave near the center of Rome, visitors are allowed to see the incredible edifices of St Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel along with numerous museums that house centuries of papal history.

I didn't think much about this during my visit but I learned that the Vatican is defended by the Italian Armed Forces while soldiers of the Swiss Guard are entitled to hold Vatican passports/nationality as they oversee the security of the Pope himself. Arrangements of the Swiss Guard are worked out between the Vatican and country of Switzerland with guard members needing to be young men between ages of 19-25 and of Swiss origin.

Our tour started at the Vatican museums that, as I understand, has the oldest and largest collections in the world and where admission tickets support a large part of the Vatican budget. Actually, the museums were started in 1506 when the Laocoon statue was discovered buried in Rome. Pope Julius II sent Michelangelo out to appraise it and on his advice bought it and started collecting sculptures for the Vatican. Popes have added to the collection ever since, most of which is on display throughout the museums today.


I found the museums well-organized as we moved from one room to the next, each focusing on a different theme or genre. And later I discovered a list of popular museums on the Vatican's website that are open to the public, revealing varying museum artifacts on display (see above).

Our group certainly didn't visit all 40+ museums at the Vatican but we did walk through The Gallery of Maps that displayed over 40 maps of Italy through the centuries.


The Tapestry Gallery displayed two sets of tapestries with varying themes. One set depicted gospel scenes from the life of Jesus done by Raphael's students and the other set are scenes from the life of Pope Urban VIII Barberini.


Disciples with Jesus in the Gallery of Tapestry

The Gallery of the Candelabra contains ancient Roman statues and artifacts. The name of this gallery refers to various candle holders on display that were used to light the Vatican over the centuries.


Pope Julius paid Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling and then paid Raphael to paint the papal apartments, which are now part of the museums open to visitors listed as The Raphael Rooms. This is the period of Renaissance as seen by the paintings and sculptures in these rooms.


The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple

Walking between rooms was a treat in and of itself when remembering to look up and down! Floors were often tiled with inlaid marble design while the ceilings could be considered painted masterpieces. Our guide said if we were to look at every article in the 40+ museum rooms at the Vatican, each for 1 minute, then we would be in the museum for some 20 years... and I believe it based on the amount I saw there in just one morning!


One of the highlights of the tour for me was visiting the Sistine Chapel whose name takes after Pope Sixtus IV, the one who restored the Chapel between 1477 and 1480.

My first impression of the Sistene Chapel was that it seemed smaller than I imagined it would. Perhaps the interior space seemed smaller because of all the detailed artistry on the ceilings and walls...? Regardless, it was amazing to witness Michelangelo's scenes from Genesis to the story of Noah on the ceiling, Botticelli's frescoes along the side walls and various statues throughout.

The Creation of Adam

A piece of trivia I learned from our guide: there is a door in the corner of the Chapel above which Michelangelo painted someone who criticized his work. The scene depicts a snake eating at this individual and when that person went to the Pope to complain, the Pope said "he was in charge of heaven, not hell".

Vatican City is home to some of the most famous art in the world and St. Peter's Basilica, whose successive architects include Bramante, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta, Maderno and Bernini, is a renowned work of Renaissance architecture. St Peter's Basilica, considered the burial site of the apostle Peter under the high altar, is the largest church in the world and the dome remains the highest point in central Rome since building highrises is not allowed near the Vatican!

St Peter's is also regarded as one of the holiest of Catholic shrines. When the authorities open the main door to the Basilica, they advertise that all who enter can be absolved of their sin. While I appreciate the Catholic Church's respect for God and Scripture, I do not respect their teaching of blatant contradictions to the New Testament, such as making saints out of humans/disciples and guaranteeing that which only God can do in the absolving of sin.

A highlight of the tour for me was entering St Peter's and witnessing the enormity of the interior. The basilica is in the shape of a cruciform with elongated nave and a central space that is dominated by one of the largest domes in the world.






Pietà is a work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo 1499

After spending some time in the Basilica, we ended the tour by walking in St Peter's Square located directly in front of the church. It was not difficult to imagine the masses who gather in the Square at Easter and Christmas to listen to the Pope's address from the balcony.


According to an internet source, an Egyptian obelisk is located at the center of the Square, erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed this piazza almost 100 years later, including the massive Tuscan colonnades (four columns deep) which embrace visitors in "the maternal arms of Mother Church". A granite fountain constructed by Bernini in 1675 matches another fountain designed by Carlo Maderno in 1613. Here is an image of St Peter's Square in 1909...




After visiting the Vatican, I decided to have lunch in an outdoor cafe with a view of the wall that surrounds the Vatican. The wall was started by Pope Leo in early 1500s and its purpose was to protect the holy shrine, not papal seat, since raiders and pillagers were common during this time. The perfect ending to an incredible morning.