Undicesima Giornata - Parte prima

Disclaimer: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THIS ENTIRE POST. My day was exponentially long and this post will consist of almost everything I learned and observed because I have so much swimming around in my head at the moment. Forgive me. If I had a Sparknotes version I would gladly pass it on.


INFORMATION OVERLOAD.

Those are the only words I can use to describe this day. It is currently 3:25pm, so you can only imagine that I mean this in every sense of the word. So, in order to convey every part of my day without committing murder by blog, I'm splitting this post into two parts. This part consists of my adventure in The Vatican.

The Sistine Chapel

When we arrived to The Vatican after what felt like a 30-second long train ride (I am not arguing - it was actually very pleasant, just an observation) we headed straight for the Sistine Chapel. Dr. Bednarz was afraid we would face a torrent of crowds if we waited until noon, which was a smart decision because it was still considerably busy at 9am.

Well, as you probably could have guessed, it was breath taking (Supposedly there's this rule that you're not supposed to take photos. Yeah...about that...didn't listen. Shrug. Sorry, but it's a once, possibly twice in a lifetime opportunity. I couldn't pass it up.) I remembered a story Rebecca told me about her middle school Social Studies class. Her teacher gave her class the challenge of laying beneath their desks and drawing a picture against the bottom surface. This would put them in the position Michelangelo was in while he painted the chapel. They realized how difficult it must have been. I think it must have been tedious and overwhelming at times, especially once he reached the ceiling. My favorite section was The Twelve Prophetic Figures. Their size in comparison to the rest of the figures was dynamic. I also loved the fact that Michelangelo combined the seven prophets of the Old Testament with five female Classical prophets: The Sibyls.


Immediately after the Sistine Chapel we walked down a long hallway where I saw a globe with the Horoscope on it in place of the seven continents. I had never seen anything like it before. There was no information card beside the globe and it was encased in glass, so I have no idea who made it, when or what they titled it. I'm hoping to find it online. I think it may be similar to Cesar's Horoscope at the Arapache.

The Borgia Apartment and Laocoon

Next up was Raphael's Museum. En route to see Raphael's work we got the chance to walk past the Borgia Apartment. I had this on my list of places to visit in the museum because it's one of the first locations where the Popes started personal collections. It was created under the reign of Pope Alexander VI and originally located in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican. Alexander VI was interested in frescoes and commissioned the painter Bernardino di Betto to decorate the studio. The frescoes were completed between 1492 and 1494 and draw from medieval themes as well as glorifying the lineage of the Borgia family (Alexander VI was born Rodrigo de Borgia. Coincidence?).

Unfortunately, the church didn't agree with Alexander VI's taste in art. The Borgia Apartment was closed down shortly after his death in 1503 because of the negative reputation associated with the Borgia family. His name eventually became a synonym for the immoral standards that drove his pontificate. Ouch. Fortunately, Pope Leo VIII was a little more forgiving and reinstated the use of the Borgia Apartment in 1889 for public viewing. The pieces were inducted into the Vatican Library.

I didn't get a great look at the Borgia Apartment, so hopefully I'll get the chance to go back and explore it along with the other half of the museum. Soon after we took a quick tour of an outdoor sarcophagi exhibit that featured some sculptures. We saw the very first art work the Vatican inducted in the museum. Purchased over 500 years ago was the sculpture of Laocoon. According to Greek mythology, he was the priest that warned the Trojans about the deadly wooden horse they received as a gift from the Greeks (and to think as a kid I thought Orlando Bloom warned them, thank you Hollywood). Athena wanted the Greeks to win the war, so she set snakes on him and his two sons. The Trojans interpreted it as a sign from the gods that the horse was a sacred object and brought the horse and twelve members of the Greek army behind their walls. Well, we all know how that story ends...

Raphael

Anyway, we all agreed that we wanted to see some of Raphael's wall frescoes and saw The School of Athens! It's easily my favorite painting by Raphael and among the best from the Italian Renaissance. I had a silent fit when we walked in to the room. I discussed some of the unique qualities about the painting with Elizabeth. She pointed out to me that Heraclitus (which is supposedly the face of Michelangelo) wore different clothing than the rest of the teachers and seemed somewhat disinterested in the scene before him. I pointed out to her the unique placement of Alexander The Great amongst the teachers.

I didn't want to leave The School of Athens. But soon after we grabbed lunch, which was great because I think we were all pretty hungry at that point. Rebecca finally got her hot dog and fries! I wish they had chocolate milkshakes available for her, but I'm keeping the faith that she can still find one. During lunch I discovered that Dr. Bednarz is a Lady Gaga fan! We talked about our plans to go to the Rome Pride Parade tomorrow night where Gaga is giving a free concert (turns out I didn't have to pay $200 to see her in New Orleans. A-ha!). I think all of us are looking forward to a night on the edge...of glory! I just hope Rebecca's argument for observing the Sabbath was convincing. Oh and shout out to Kathryn for the Bueno White Chocolate bar. BOMB.COM

Saint Helena - Mama Constantine

Before lunch Dr. Bednarz suggested that we split up and explore the museum ourselves. She said there was simply too much in there to cover as a group. The tourist groups didn't help. So I did some exploring. I wasn't able to find the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus or the Dogmatic Sarcophagus - the two art works I planned to present on today. I think I passed them in a different section of the museum that was locked, so I may go back. I might as well see what I've been researching for the past month. I did, however, run into this beauty (if you can call funerary art beautiful):

This is the sarcophagus of St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great (I). The material is Porphry, which is very rare for a sarcopagus. A definite giveaway that she was a prominent figure in Rome. Her granddaughter, Constantinia, has one created from the same material that was on display at her church, Santa Costanza, until a few decades ago. All four sides contain images of battle scenes, specifically scenes of war prisoners and slaves being stepped on by war generals. In Psalms there is a recurring theme of crushing enemies, whether under God's feet or your own:

Psalms 44:5 Through you will we overcome our haters; by your name will they be crushed under our feet who are violent against us.

Psalms 68:21 The heads of the haters of God will be crushed; even the head of him who still goes on in his evil ways.

Psalms 18:38 I crushed them, and they were not able to rise: they fell under my feet.

etc, etc.

The point is, in Roman Antiquity it was not uncommon for the foes of the emperor to be restrained and their heads forced to the ground so the king could step on their heads. It was considered the ultimate form of disrespect and is still considered one in some countries today. Remember the Iraqi reporter that threw a shoe at former President Bush? He didn't throw the shoe in order to hurt him. He specifically aimed for his head as a form of disrespect and hatred, which likely stemmed from Psalms.

The Egyptian Room

After the sarcophagi I went to The Egyptian Room. This was also on my list of places to revisit because I assumed I wouldn't have the time to go. I'm happy I decided against leaving after lunch. At the entrance to the right are panels from Upper Egypt with Coptic inscriptions dating back to the 4th Century AD. The letters are similar to Greek: I was able to spot letters that resembled phis, omegas, pis and upsilons. The Copts were a community of early Egyptian Christians. They were among the first to start practicing the religion. Their art work contains symbols borrowed from the Pagans and the Jews. Copts were the dominant religious group in Egypt until the Muslim conquests, but still remain the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Until today, I had no idea about Copts or their significance in early Christianity.

I also saw the sarcophagus of Imhotep, the high priest. I almost tap danced, no lie. Imhotep is one of the most famous figures in Ancient Egyptian history and I had no idea his sarcophagus was located at the Vatican Museums. If you had asked me yesterday I probably would have guessed it was at the Smithsonian or still in Egypt. However, Pope Gregory XVI acquired it in 1838.



The next room was Roman art. These statues are made of granite and bare Egyptian influence. I didn't realize until today that many galleries in Roman Antiquity were modeled off the Nile river. The Romans thought the decoration made for a calming environment.

The last pieces I want to note here are idols modeled off of deities that were used by the Egyptians to call the gods to their homes. They would burn incense and ring small bells as a means of inviting the gods into their homes. Paul spoke about this in The Bible as well. It's easy to see that Egyptian art work from the 4th to 7th century was heavily influenced by early Christianity, which I didn't realize until today. As a kid I was fascinated by the iconography of hieroglyphics and thought it was a culture completely separate from mine. I'm just now realizing how some of their traditions hit close to home.

I browsed through a room of more statues from Roman Antiquity of Gods and Goddesses and got tired soon after. I wanted to stick around to see the Pio-Christian Museum, but I decided to be a wet blanket and come back to study. I also wanted to rest up so I would be ready for the visit to The Church of Saint Ignatius. I've wanted to go since Jeff pointed it out on the map in the common room during orientation. I think it would help bring my insights on the Jesuits and religious education come full circle. I also heard from Kylee and Antonia that it was beautiful.

This is where Part One ends. Two hours later at 5:25 I've finally finished jotting down my thoughts. To be honest, I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting something. If you're still reading this, thank you. I appreciate your patience and interest more than you know. I'll be sure to post my photos and thoughts on Saint Iggy when I return. Until then, ciao!



P.S. - This picture has nothing to do with nothing. It's the exit staircase at the Vatican Museums. I just thought it looked really cool.