We managed to do most of that … but the subway was still crowded. Fortunately, it was the same train (the “A” line) from the hotel to the Vatican. The group stuck together very well in extremely crowded conditions. The subway line is very nice – the cars very clean and the ride smooth. On the part that we rode, the line comes above ground only once – to cross the Tiber River.
The rain was back (at times with a vengeance) and it was a bit of a hike from the subway station over to the lineup for the museum. Flavio said that he’s been bringing groups here for the past four years – and today was by far the shortest lineup he’s encountered. Flavio may have thought the line was “short” – but “short” is a relative term … if, in the terms of the Catholic Church, Canada is a “young” country, then yes, this was a short line.
The visit to the Vatican museum has two major components: the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. But you don’t go directly to the Sistine Chapel, there’s a long approach through hallways filled with beautiful works of art. In one section, the ceiling has been painted with frescos and the technique used makes it appear as though the entire ceiling is covered with marble carvings. There are large tapestries covering the walls depicting different biblical scenes. And finally, at the end of the passageways, there’s a door, a set of stairs down, and then you enter the Sistine Chapel itself.
No photos are allowed – and visitors are asked to respect the sacred space by avoiding talking. The room is relatively small yet it’s filled with hundreds and hundreds of people. Along the two side walls are scenes painted by some of the finest Renaissance artists … Boticelli, Roselli and Perugino. One of the most famous is The Punishment of Korah by Boticelli. Many other Renaissance artists contributed smaller sections. All of the pieces along one wall are interpretations of the life of Moses; along the other wall, the works illustrate stories from the life of Christ.
But all of it is overshadowed by the two magnificent pieces by Michelangelo – the ceiling and the altar wall.
Michelangelo was first and foremost a sculptor. He was a young man – in his thirties – when he was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling. He began work in 1508 and finished in 1512. Legend says that Michelangelo lay on his back while painting the ceiling – but during the restoration of the ceiling several years ago, the original scaffold mounting points were used to support the restoration scaffolding and the restorers now believe that Michelangelo stood to paint the entire piece. It’s said that this is the largest piece of art conceived and executed by one man.
The restoration in the 80’s and 90’s removed centuries of soot and dirt from the ceiling and the colours are fresh and vibrant. It all looks as though it could have just been completed before we arrived. In the centre of the ceiling is the most famous portion of the work – God giving life to Adam.
Michelangelo returned to the Sistine Chapel in 1535 commissioned by Paul II to paint the altar wall. Michelangelo was now into his sixties and he worked on the wall for six years. The depiction is that of the last judgment with a small book for the names of those going to heaven and a larger book for the names of those going to hell. The story goes that many in the church were offended by the amount of nudity in the depiction – particularly the Pope’s Master of Ceremonies. In retaliation, Michelangelo depicted him in the bottom right-hand corner of hell as Minos – the doorkeeper. The Master of Ceremonies complained to Paul III but was told that “there is nothing I can do, you are already in hell”. A later Pope, Pius IV commissioned Daniele da Volterra to paint over the genitals, but the alteration was reversed during the recent restoration.
And we were given all of 15 minutes to take this in; I could easily have spent several times that looking at the details. If I … no check that … when I return, I’ll be sure to bring a small pair of binoculars. That would help make the details of all the work more visible.
Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Pothier
But that will be for the next visit; now, we were off to St. Peter’s Basilica.
St. Peter’s is the largest Roman Catholic building in the world; 218m long, 137m high covering a total of 22,067 sq m. It is said that 60,000 people can be accommodated in the church. Roman law held that the city was on one side of the river – for the living; the other side of the river was for the dead. It is said that St. Peter’s sits on the site where Nero had Peter crucified – on the side of the river opposite to the city of Rome. Constantine built the first church on this site in 324 but by 1452, the building was crumbling and Nicholas V began restoration. In 1547, Pope Paul III asked Michelangelo to take control of the project. The dome end of the church is Michelangelo’s design; and when the Council of Trent decreed that every church needed to have a sacristy, Pope Paul V asked Carlo Mademo to continue the work on the building in 1606. Mademo copied Michelangelo’s columns and extended the church to its current length. The great Roman architect Bernini (remember him from the fountain at the Piazza Navona?) contributed many of the baroque touches to the building. The church was finally consecrated in 1626.
St. Peter's Basilica
Shortly after we entered, to the right-hand side, is Michelangelo’s La Pietà. Michelangelo began this work when he was 24 years old. Several years ago, the sculpture was damaged when an Australian man attacked it with a hammer. Tourists wrestled the man to the ground, and the statue was repaired. Now, the statue sits behind a glass panel.
We continued along the south aisle and around the church counter-clockwise and saw many more altars in alcoves, statues and what appear to be paintings – but are actually mosaics.
To the right-hand side, as you approach the altar, is a statue of St. Peter that dates from the early 13th century. The touch of pilgrims and visitors to the church over time has worn the feet down to a shiny smoothness; most of us took the opportunity to touch the foot of this statue.
Under the central dome is Bernini’s baldacchino. I had been told (and seen) the replica of this canopy in the Mary Queen of the World cathedral in Montreal. The one in Montreal pales in comparison. The original in St. Peter’s stands 29m high and covers the Altar of the confession. Only the Pope is permitted to celebrate mass at this altar.
To the left of the altar is another Bernini sculpture, this one containing the monument to Alexander VII. One element of the sculpture is a carpet that was sculpted from a single enormous piece of marble.
Mrs. Pothier, Mr and Mrs. Williams (with Evan) in St. Peter's Square
Unfortunately, we had to leave Mrs. Williams behind at the Vatican. She went into a confessional (no doubt to unburden herself of the events yesterday at the Trevi fountain) and was still there when it was time for us to leave. We were going to wait, but when the first priest called for a shift-change relief it became apparent that she was going to be in there for quite a while.
On our way out of St. Peter’s we stopped by a small gift shop to purchase some souvenirs and then came back across the square to head for the subway. As we crossed the square, we saw the obelisk that was brought to Rome from Alexandria by the Roman emperor Caligula.
We got to the subway (nowhere near as busy since it was lunchtime) and returned to the hotel. We had left our suitcases and bags in a storage room at the hotel; the bus was there – ready to go and we loaded up and were off to Siena and Florence.
We stopped for a quick walk around Siena. This is the site of the famous horse races that take place in the town square. Once again, it was raining heavily which put a damper on the exploration of the side streets.
For those of you that wanted a picture with some hunky Italian guys … here it is.
Siena
After we got back on the bus, we continued on to Florence. It was late by the time that we got in – we checked in to our hotel, went for supper – and now, it’s time for bed.
The stomach bug is still hanging around, but everyone is still keeping loose.
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