The Vatican
is a nation within a city, and is a world unto itself. It is the center of Catholicism and
home to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.
St. Peter’s Basilica is the centerpiece of the Vatican and is the
largest church in Christendom. It
looks like just another government building from the outside, maybe the Hall of
Justice or the Ministry of Finance.
But just step inside
and “WOW!”
I wasn’t
prepared, couldn’t have been, for the size of St. Peter’s. The atrium alone is
larger than most churches. The dome
towers more than 300 feet above Bernini’s main altar, itself seven storeys
high. The scale on the marble
floor showing the relative sizes of other cathedrals ends halfway to the nave! Statues and paintings abound and even
the cherubs are as tall as a man.
Michelangelo
had a hand in the design and Bernini created both the starburst dove alabaster
window and the main altar under which St. Peter is (or maybe isn’t)
buried. Michelangelo’s “Pieta” is
tiny in comparison to the church.
A youthful, serene and oversized Mary holds her life-sized Son, just
removed from the cross. Even
tucked away from the center of the church, this masterpiece stands out in the
vastness . . . and in my mind.
The Vatican
Museum was a total surprise. It
wasn’t all papal memorabilia as I expected – most of the 40,000 pieces on
display (another 50,000 are in storage) weren’t even Christian. They are ancient Greek or Roman
reproductions, pagan works of art!
Many of the nude statues have broken off penises (intentional?) while
others are adorned with strategically placed fig leaves. There are galleries filled with maps
and tapestries, gold and jewelry and entire sections devoted to Egyptian and
Etruscan artifacts. There is even
a collection of post-Impressionist and modern paintings. My favorite was the former papal
chambers, frescoed by Raphael, and my favorite among his works is the original “School
of Athens.” Michelangelo was added
after the cartoon, which we saw in Florence, was drawn, and Raphael himself
appears in one corner.
