George Rodriguez week 2
This blog post was written by George Rodriguez. As we moved forward into the fifteenth and sixteenth century, the buildings and pieces got increasingly spectacular. The first site of the day was a familiar place for me, as we visited St. Peter's basilica. On every day off we have had in Rome, I had spent at least half the day in the Vatican and around St. Peter's basilica in an effort to better get in touch with my spiritual side. However, just as Rome was not built in a day, St. Peter's also had a very long, drawn out development cycle. It was originally one of Constantine's commissioned churches that had fallen into disrepair by the time the papacy returned to Rome. Pope Julius II, also known as the warrior pope, commissioned Bramante to make plans for the buildings around St. Peter's until he eventually decided to have Bramante design the replacement for the old St. Peter's which would be the new St. Peter's we know today. After getting the wheels turning on the revamp of the Church, Julius II's successor Pope Leo X had Bramante's designs for the church modified by Antonio da Sangallo the younger. However it would be Michelangelo who would be the executor in terms of actually getting the dome and crossing area built.
The first thing one may notice about St. Peter's square would be the long outstretched Tuscan colonnades designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini which are perfectly reflected on either side and are four columns deep. They represent the reaching arms of the mother church embracing all her children and inviting them to come home to the church. This universal welcome was important during the time of the design, as the split within the church between the Catholics and the Protestants was still a fairly large issue. Between the two colonnades stand two identical fountains designed by Carlo Maderno and built by Bernini. At the center of the ovato tondo is a large, uninscribed obelisk which was secured by the Emperor Augustus long before the legalization of Christianity and then under the order of the Emperor Caligula was transferred to Rome. Interestingly, it is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since ancient Roman times. Even though Bernini had no part in the placement of the obelisk, he still used it to his advantage as an excellent part of his magnificent piazza. The arms and obelisk all lead up to the main attraction, the basilica itself. The St. Peter's we see today is not the same one Constantine constructed, as in 1505 Pope Julius decided to tear down the original basilica, which had fallen into disrepair. It was by his lead that a long line of his successors would continue working on St. Peter's until it became the work of art we know today.
The outside of St. Peter's, along with the piazza, is truly incredible. However it does not end there, as within the basilica are other significant sites. At the porch of the basilica stands a set of bronze doors crafted by Antonio di Pietro Averlino, better known as Filarete. From top to bottom, the door holds reliefs with images of Christ seated upon His heavenly throne, the crowned Virgin Mary, St. Paul beneath Jesus and St. Peter beneath Mary, the execution of St. Paul beneath him and the crucifixion of St. Peter beneath him. Within the image of St. Peter is a donor portrait showing Pope Eugene IV in a kneeling position, humbly accepting the papal keys from St. Peter. Eugene IV is in a smaller scale compared to Peter, keeping the emphasis on the Saint and not necessarily the man who commissioned the work. Despite the bottom two reliefs only being a single frame each, they do an excellent job of telling the stories of the martyrdom of the two saints. In the relief depicting Paul's death, we can clearly see the emperor Nero sentencing Paul to death and the first Paul being escorted out to where he would be killed. Just beyond the horses but still in the foreground is another Paul on his knees, now blindfolded, as the Roman soldier begins the swing of his sword. In the background we see Paul appearing to Plautilla and returning the blindfold to her before her martyrdom. St. Peter's crucifixion shows him being crucified upside down as that is how it is traditionally believed he was put to death, as he felt he was not worthy of being crucified in the same way as Jesus. At the bottom of the relief we see the Tevere river with the pyramids that mark the graves of Remus and Romulus, placing Peter in the middle which shows him as the new founder of Rome.
All in all, as Father Waldrop said, the entire course could have been taught at St. Peter's basilica and the piazza just outside. There were so many intricate details packed into every inch of the incredible structure of Saint Peter's and it is truly a marvel to behold.
The first thing one may notice about St. Peter's square would be the long outstretched Tuscan colonnades designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini which are perfectly reflected on either side and are four columns deep. They represent the reaching arms of the mother church embracing all her children and inviting them to come home to the church. This universal welcome was important during the time of the design, as the split within the church between the Catholics and the Protestants was still a fairly large issue. Between the two colonnades stand two identical fountains designed by Carlo Maderno and built by Bernini. At the center of the ovato tondo is a large, uninscribed obelisk which was secured by the Emperor Augustus long before the legalization of Christianity and then under the order of the Emperor Caligula was transferred to Rome. Interestingly, it is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since ancient Roman times. Even though Bernini had no part in the placement of the obelisk, he still used it to his advantage as an excellent part of his magnificent piazza. The arms and obelisk all lead up to the main attraction, the basilica itself. The St. Peter's we see today is not the same one Constantine constructed, as in 1505 Pope Julius decided to tear down the original basilica, which had fallen into disrepair. It was by his lead that a long line of his successors would continue working on St. Peter's until it became the work of art we know today.
The outside of St. Peter's, along with the piazza, is truly incredible. However it does not end there, as within the basilica are other significant sites. At the porch of the basilica stands a set of bronze doors crafted by Antonio di Pietro Averlino, better known as Filarete. From top to bottom, the door holds reliefs with images of Christ seated upon His heavenly throne, the crowned Virgin Mary, St. Paul beneath Jesus and St. Peter beneath Mary, the execution of St. Paul beneath him and the crucifixion of St. Peter beneath him. Within the image of St. Peter is a donor portrait showing Pope Eugene IV in a kneeling position, humbly accepting the papal keys from St. Peter. Eugene IV is in a smaller scale compared to Peter, keeping the emphasis on the Saint and not necessarily the man who commissioned the work. Despite the bottom two reliefs only being a single frame each, they do an excellent job of telling the stories of the martyrdom of the two saints. In the relief depicting Paul's death, we can clearly see the emperor Nero sentencing Paul to death and the first Paul being escorted out to where he would be killed. Just beyond the horses but still in the foreground is another Paul on his knees, now blindfolded, as the Roman soldier begins the swing of his sword. In the background we see Paul appearing to Plautilla and returning the blindfold to her before her martyrdom. St. Peter's crucifixion shows him being crucified upside down as that is how it is traditionally believed he was put to death, as he felt he was not worthy of being crucified in the same way as Jesus. At the bottom of the relief we see the Tevere river with the pyramids that mark the graves of Remus and Romulus, placing Peter in the middle which shows him as the new founder of Rome.
All in all, as Father Waldrop said, the entire course could have been taught at St. Peter's basilica and the piazza just outside. There were so many intricate details packed into every inch of the incredible structure of Saint Peter's and it is truly a marvel to behold.
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