My travel diary entry - Vatican city

The Vatican holds a special place in my heart as one of the best places that I have ever been to because – a. like any Catholic, I have always wanted to see the seat of Christianity and b. the Catholic Church has been a patron of arts since its very inception and therefore the real works of art are right there in those churches and its museums; my special interest was in the works of High Renaissance especially from Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Bernini.

If you have to cover everything in a day which is all I had and you want to soak in the history, the best option is to go for a guided tour as I did from Dark Rome tours (www.darkrome.com). The tour starts just outside the Vatican. So I took the Metropolitana A line towards Battistini (note: Be very careful of your belongings; excited and ever-photo-clicking tourists are easiest to spot, distract and rob) and got down at Ottaviano (note: Many people get down at Cipro & walk back; it is almost the same distance).

I was very excited to enter the smallest sovereign state / country in the world – a walled enclave within the city of Rome with an area of little above 100 acres. Still, it is heavily guarded and frisking of person and belongings are to be expected but all that is forgotten as you enter inside.

Vatican City is ruled by the Pope and came into existence only in 1929 as per the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy. The Pope and the catholic clergy from various nationalities holding the functional posts reside here. I was amazed to learn that the economy of this smallest country is supported by the sales to tourists, admissions to the museums and publications. Quite extraordinary!

Piazza S. Pietro / St. Peter’ Square is a large plaza in front of St. Peter’ Basilica and the credit of designing this space goes to Gian Lorenzo Bernini under the direction of Pope Alexander VII. The Egyptian Obelisk in the center of the square had already been brought in 100 years before Bernini was commissioned. This obelisk was originally constructed in Heliopolis, Egypt around 2300 B.C. and then moved by Alexandria by Emperor Augustus and from there to the Circus of Nero and then to this site during the reign of Pope Sixtus V. Another item that Bernini had to work with was a fountain designed by Carlo Maderno and what he did was something very simple – added a matching fountain on the other side. This gives that elliptical area flanked by Tuscan colonnades a graceful symmetry and volume (I am told it is a very Baroque architectural touch).  Once you reach the steps of the Basilica, turn around and look at St. Peter’ Square beyond those barricades, there lies Via Della Conciliazone on which lies Castel S. Angelo which we saw by night during the Rome city tour.

St. Peter’ Basilica had me awed; I cannot explain why. It is one of the four major Papal basilicas in Rome (all of which I was going to visit later that afternoon). Here lies buried the remains of the chief apostle of Jesus – Simon Peter who was also the first Pope and head of the Christian Church and hence the name of this basilica. During the reign of Emperor Nero after the great fire of Rome, many Christians became martyrs and Peter was among them and he requested for himself to be crucified head down. It is believed that the obelisk now in St. Peter’ Square was then at the Circus of Nero and a witness to this crucifixion. 

After Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, he ordered a basilica to be built for housing the tomb of St. Peter. By the 15^th century the basilica was in dire need of repair. But it was Pope Julius II who came up with the idea of creating a basilica so magnificent that he held a competition for the architects and Bramante’ design was the winner. After Bramante’ death, Raphael modified it and subsequent to his death as well, for some time, nothing of note was done. Till Pope Paul III handed over the reins to Michelangelo who was quite old at that time but he still took it up ‘for the love of God and honor of the Apostle’.  Michelangelo did not throw out any of the early designs but modified it to the masterpiece as it stands today with the largest dome in the world that is quite visible in the Roman skyline. However you have to look at it from Castel S. Angelo to see this dome clearly; up close, the nave added by Carlo Maderno. The dome was completed though by Giacomo della Porta (remember Piazza Navona from my Rome tour) and Domenico Fontana (who is credited with moving the obelisk from the Circus of Nero to St. Peter’ Square).

As you enter the basilica, follow the crowds as they make a beeline to see Michelangelo’ famous Pieta (you have to see it to actually feel the pain of our Mother as she took her only son into her arms; no photo can do it justice).

Look around at the embellishments and its Baroque touch and there is no doubt that it can be the work of only Gian Lorenzo Bernini who was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII starting with the baldacchino – the largest bronze pavilion which stands directly beneath the famed dome above the altar to the showcase balconies where one of his sculptures – St. Longinus with the spear that pierced the side of Jesus. We saw the tombs of the various popes ending with the latest one that of Pope John Paul II. Since we had some time to ourselves, I waited in queue for the confessions which was being heard in different languages.

I saw the Holy Door which is opened only on jubilee years, as I exited the basilica.

The Musei Vaticani to the north of St. Peter’ Basilica was founded by Pope Julius II and the works of art collected by the various popes have been stored here ever since. I skipped the queue for tickets (a blessing since that time can be spent admiring the works of the famous sculptors and painters that the Church has patronized since its inception).

Obviously, it is impossible to do justice to all but some are just not-to-be-missed. Before we entered the museum, our guide was kind enough to walk us through the garden in front of the museum where the posters of the various frescoes and paintings have been exhibited. This allows much more detailed explanation of these works of art rather than crowding at the museum itself.

There are sections / galleries within the museum for each of these great artists around 54 or so. Obviously everyone is interested in the Sistine Chapel but since it is at the end, you cannot miss the Gallery of the Statues which houses important statues from old and Gallery of the Busts which has many busts from ancient times. Raphael’s Rooms originally intended as a suite of apartments for Pope Julius II take your breath away… each fresco is an elaborate depiction of a story from the Bible or a moment in the church’ history. The Gallery of Maps contains a series of accurate topological maps of Italy based on based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti. This is 1580 and there were no ‘satellites’, no Google to guide Danti to create such accurate depictions and I found this immensely impressive. The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV who restored it. Many famous Renaissance painters made frescos about the Life of Moses and the Life of Jesus after which the chapel was consecrated to Mother Mary on the Feast of the Assumption. Then Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling and thereon for four years, he created this brilliant masterpiece – each stroke in bright vivid colours which are clearly visible from below from the creation of man to different events in the Holy Bible… it was all up there. My first thought before perusing the paintings was - how could he reach the ceiling and how did he paint in such an odd position for 4 years? Apparently, Michelangelo built his own scaffolding and painted without leaving a scratch from the scaffolding… don’t ask me how he did it. He returned again years later to paint the Last Judgement above the altar. This work of art cannot be appreciated from hearsay or just looking at a picture; it has to be viewed in person to appreciate what extents can be achieved. Simply ammmmazzzzing!

Raphael’s set of 10 tapestries which were to hang in the lower walls, were looted but it was later restored. I was told that some of the cartoons for the tapestries are in Victoria & Albert museum in London; I made a mental note to see them when I was back in London.

The double spiral staircase (a misnomer since it is supposed to be like a ramp with steps), designed by Giuseppe Momo with the ornate balustrade lends grandeur to this museum of exquisite art.

In the afternoon, I visited the other three major papal basilicas - Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Saint John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore (I visited this one again).  

Saint Paul Outside the Walls is a basilica which was founded by Emperor Constantine over the burial place of St. Paul just few miles away from where he was beheaded. His remains excluding his head was transferred to a sarcophagus which was covered with a marble tombstone and placed in the Basilica’ crypt.

St. John Lateran Basilica is the oldest having the Cathedra of the Bishop of Rome - the Pope, and hence ranked above all other churches; it holds the title of ‘Mother Church’ among Roman Catholics. The Lateran Palace which was later converted into this Basilica fell into Emperor Constantine’ hands when he married the sister of Maxentius who he had defeated in that famous battle of Milvian. The gothic baldacchino in the nave has 12 niches for the 12 apostles; Judas Iscariot has been substituted with St. Paul.

The Scala Sancta are a set of 28 white marble steps encased in a protective framework of wooden steps, located within a building that incorporates part of the old Lateran Palace and is an extraterritorial property of the Holy See.The steps lead to the Sancta Sanctorum, the personal chapel of the early Popes - the chapel of St. Lawrence. According to the Catholic tradition, they are the steps leading up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem on which Jesus Christ stepped on his way to the trial during the Passion. The stairs were brought to Rome by St. Helena mother of Constantine the Great in the fourth century.

St. Mary Maggiore was a repetition for me & I have already described it in my Rome tour.