Wandering Rome: the Vatican

Explore the immense beauty of Vatican City.

The Vatican, or Vatican City, is the smallest state in the world, both by size and population. However, it is one visited by millions every year. It is a country ruled by the Pope and famous for its basilica. Millions see it as the center of Christendom. I see it as a fantastic place to explore.

Let’s start with the famous Saint Peter’s Basilica.

St. Peter’s Basilica, or its formal name Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano, was originally founded between 318-322 by the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine the Great, although the degree of his belief in question, more likely a Pascal’s wager sort of thing, or to please his very religious mother, Helena. Nevertheless, he ordered a large basilica to be built over the area, where according to tradition, St. Peter was buried after his crucifixion in 64 CE. St. Peter’s sits near the place where the Circus (racetrack) of Nero was located and where St. Peter was supposedly crucified.

Contrary to popular belief, St. Peter’s is not the head church of the Catholic Church, or even the cathedral of Rome, that honor belongs to St. John’s Lateran in Southern Rome, but since St. Peter’s sits on top of St. Peter’s tomb, it gradually gained in importance as a major pilgrimage site. The interior of the basilica was lavishly decorated with mosaics and frescoes and could fit 3,000 to 4,000 worshipers at one time. The building lasted until the beginning of the 16^th century. The old basilica was falling apart. It was decided it would be easier to just build a new church, and the current St. Peter’s was born.

The rebuilding had been imagined by previous popes, but it was Julius II that ordered it to be rebuilt. He was planning on having Michelangelo design him an epic tomb to be placed within the old St. Peter’s. In 1505, he decided he needed a better place to put his monumental tomb and had the old basilica demolished and a new one built in its place (his tomb ended up being much smaller and not in St. Peter’s, but in San Pietro in Vincoli). It took 120 years, and many popes, architects and artists to finish St. Peter’s. To finance this great building, the selling of indulgences was introduced, ultimately leading to Martin Luther’s actions and the Protestant Revolution.

Michelangelo took the previous schemes and made them grander, including a larger dome. His plans were eventually modified again by Carlo Maderno, one of the founders of Baroque architecture. He is the one responsible for extending the nave of St. Peter’s even more and creating his palatial facade. The facade, completed in 1612, included the balcony on which papal blessings are given.

The interior was embellished by the great Bernini. Bernini is considered the greatest Baroque architect and sculptor, and I can see why he has been considered that. The interior of St. Peter’s is breathtaking, almost too much to handle, and I have been there three times.

Bernini’s finest work is said to be the baldacchino, the pavilion-like structure placed directly underneath the center of the dome, and over the altar. The 98 ft (30 m) tall structure is claimed to be the largest piece of bronze in the world. It sure is impressive.

Another one of Bernini’s masterpieces is the shrine to the so-called Cathedra Petri, or “Throne of St. Peter.” The shrine consists of a large bronze throne which housed the chair, raised high by four large bronze statues depicting the four “Doctors of the Church,” Saints Ambrose, Augustine, Athanasius and John Chrysostom. Behind the Cathedra, a blaze of light comes in through a window of yellow alabaster, illuminating the Dove of the Holy Spirit at its center.

The dome of St. Peter’s can be seen from almost every rooftop in Rome. Many possible designs of the dome were envisioned, but it was Michelangelo’s that ruled the day. Based off of the dome of Florence’s cathedral, it has two skins, an inner and an outer. Inside of the skins, is a staircase winding its way up to the top, which you can actually go up (it is worth the exhaustion).

The dome is an engineering marvel, completed in 1590, although it has had some repairs over the years. It is amazing that a dome this high was even constructed. You cannot grasp the height of the dome until you climb to the top. During this climb, you are allowed to walk out on a balcony of sorts (hidden from view from below) to catch a closer look at the top of the dome. And then there was the view from outside the dome. Simply amazing…

The view of St. Peter’s from the piazza (St. Peter’s Square) is probably the most well-known image of the Vatican. This Baroque piazza, in its present arrangement, was designed by Bernini and was constructed between 1656 and 1667. A famous element in the piazza is the Egyptian obelisk from the 13^th century BCE, which was originally stolen and placed in Nero’s Circus. It was moved to its present location in 1586. Two large fountains were added to the piazza. Bernini had to work around the previous additions and ended up with the oval shaped plan of today, framed by a colonnade of double pairs of columns, topped with statues of saints.

There are countless other elements in St. Peter’s that I have not covered, chapels, the treasury, the enormous crypt. St. Peter’s is just one of those places that you need to experience for yourself. The enormity of the building alone cannot be felt until you are standing under the dome looking up. The beauty cannot always be recreated in photos. Whether you are Catholic or Protestant, Christian or whatever, it does not matter, even at Christmas. This building will still leave you awestruck.

Now onto the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museums hold a huge collection of artworks from around the world and across time. I have only explored it in depth once. Most people rush through to see the Sistine Chapel, but in 2016, I decided to take my time. I confess to rushing through in 2019, but at least I spent about three hours in the museum and closed the place down, which I highly recommend, by the way. The Sistine Chapel is almost empty near closing time.

Famous for periodic papal elections, the Sistine Chapel also deserves attention for the impressive frescoes which cover the walls; these frescoes were painted centuries ago by the great artist Michelangelo, and today form the single biggest attraction in Vatican City. Countless millions of people have traipsed through the Vatican Museums in order to walk through the grand Sistine doors and see this Renaissance masterpiece.

The ugly secret?  Michelangelo never really wanted to paint this grand chapel. He was forced to do so, and most likely despised mostly every minute of it.

Michelangelo was not the first artist to paint the chapel. Pope Sixtus IV commissioned the room (giving the Sistine its name) between 1473 and 1481, complete with beautiful frescoes which now cover the lower walls. On the southern end, scenes depicting the Stories of Moses were painted by various artists. On the opposite wall, Stories of Jesus were drawn in vivid detail, such as the Baptism of Christ and the Sermon on the Mount.

Michelangelo’s involvement with the chapel began a long ordeal with Pope Julius II in 1508. Julius hired the artist to sculpt a huge tomb, one day to be occupied by the Pope himself (a bit Pharaoh-ish, right?). Michelangelo started sculpting for the tomb, but Julius soon ceased paying him. After a protracted fight, the pontiff forced Michelangelo to paint the ceiling. Michelangelo agreed, thinking that he would be able to finish the tomb after he was done. Michelangelo audibly and publicly hated the work. Having not painted since he was a kid, the artist felt out of his element and frustrated with his fickle boss. The sculptor did not know how to fresco; he had to hire experienced people to help! (For some reason that gets left out of the history books.)

Michelangelo endured trial, error and constantly shifting plans from Julius II. For four years, he and a band of fellow painters plugged away at the Sistine Chapel, often without payment for labor or supplies. He did not lie on his back to painstakingly detail, however; all the painting in the chapel was done in a standing position. Still, I cannot imagine how neck and vision problems would not result after four years of staring up at paint.

Four agonizing years of trials and difficulty led to Christianity’s most incredible ceiling.

The ceiling depicts scenes from the Bible’s Old Testament, with the central panels depicting nine scenes from the Book of Genesis. Countless other figures from the Old Testament and others cover the other space on the sides of the central panels. Michelangelo painted in great detail, making sure to design realistic architectural elements. From the ground, it is difficult to realize that the ceiling is completely flat; all the dips and details are actually painted on the ceiling.

 

 

Michelangelo devoted the whole western wall to the epic fresco, the Last Judgment. Painted between 1535 and 1541, this image depicts the Second Coming of Christ, and the subsequent final and eternal judgment of humanity. The souls of humans rise and descend to their respective fates, judged by Christ and surrounded by prominent saints. The depictions within the fresco created some controversy, especially all the nudes in a sacred space. After Michelangelo died in 1564, the genitalia in the fresco were deemed too racy, and the Vatican painted over them.

The Sistine Chapel remains an impressive work of art by many different artists, some of which are forgotten in the shadow of Michelangelo. It is not until you are standing on the floor of the chapel looking up do you realize the full enormity of the ceiling, along with the other frescoes lining the walls.  In my view, the Sistine Chapel is well worth the wait and the crowds. If wait to go into the Rafael Rooms and Sistine Chapel until the last hour the Vatican Museums are open, the crowds are a lot less. Found this out on accident.

Vatican City is a place of immense beauty. You might as well enjoy it if you are in Rome.

 

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