MILLIONS of tourists flock to Italian churches every year. Some are devout believers; others are just interested visitors. Whatever their point of view, they may be quite surprised if they listen and look carefully when viewing some of the most famous works of art.
My wife, Barbara, and I took part in an organized tour of three of the most well-known Italian cities, Rome, Florence and Venice, and we took our four-year-old son, John, along with us.
Rome
Our first stop was at Rome, a city that is truly fascinating for anyone interested in art and what it reveals about the history of religion.
Although we had already visited several large European cities, none of them could rival Rome for its wealth of ancient monuments, including forums, triumphal arches, its famous Colosseum, the aqueducts and Roman baths. During the whole tour we were looked after by the same guide, a man about 50 years of age named Carlo. Though small in stature, he soon commanded our attention.
On the morning of the first day, Carlo gave us a summary of Roman history, and at a certain point he asked: Did you know that Rome is often called the City of Obelisks? Nobody did. In fact, some of those present were not sure what an obelisk was.
After having explained that they are Egyptian monuments in the form of tapered four-sided stone pillars topped by a pointed pyramid shape, our guide observed: No other city in the world has as many obelisks as Rome. Sure enough, soon afterward the first one came into sight and Carlo continued his commentary: We are now in the square of St.�John Lateran. This is one of the 13 Roman obelisks still standing, but once there were many more. This one was erected on its present site by Pope Sixtus�V in 1588.
What did obelisks represent in Egypt? Barbara asked.
They were fetishes of the sun-god. Pliny the Elder, an ancient Roman writer, claimed they represented rays of sunlight. They were erected in temples and alongside altars, and the priests made offerings to the gods in front of them because they were even believed to personify various divinities.
How high is this one and how much does it weigh? some of our companions wanted to know.
It is the highest in the world, measuring exactly 105 feet 6 inches [32�m] and weighing 455 tons, our guide replied without batting an eyelid.
But what about that cross on the top? I could not resist asking.
Carlo responded: Oh, that's nothing to be surprised about. The popes saw to it that the cross and other symbols were put on pagan monuments because they thought this was a way of making Christianity triumph over paganism. Sixtus�V was particularly keen on this sort of thing.
I asked: It was rather a strange alliance, don't you think?
It certainly was. Soon you will be seeing an even more evident example of what you call a 'strange alliance,' he replied. He was beginning to take a liking to Barbara and me because our questions gave him a chance to demonstrate his wide knowledge.
The next day, on our visit to the historic city center, we saw what he meant. That is Trajan's Column over there, Carlo said, pointing to a white marble column 125 feet [38�m] high. It was erected to commemorate Trajan's military campaigns, but Pope Sixtus�V had the emperor's statue removed and put one of St.�Peter in its place. Soon afterward we visited another square containing a very similar column. This one was erected in honor of Marcus Aurelius, but if you look at the statue on the top you will see that it portrays the apostle Paul. The statue of the emperor was replaced by order of the same pope in his efforts to 'Christianize' pagan Rome.
In a moment we will be visiting one of the best preserved of our ancient monuments, Carlo said later on. When we pulled up in a nearby square, he showed us a typical pagan temple construction. This is the Pantheon. It was built between 27 and 25�B.C. As you can see, it is laid out in a circular plan behind the facade. The dome is visible from here, but you will get a better view from the inside. It has a diameter of 142 feet [43�m] and is the largest masonry dome in the world. It was not until this century that larger ones were built, thanks to the introduction of reinforced concrete. The temple was originally dedicated to the worship of the pantheon of pagan gods. Then, during the Renaissance, Pope Urban�VIII ordered the porch to be stripped of its bronze covering. Part of the metal was melted down to make the canopy over the papal altar in St.�Peter's and the rest was used for the cannons at Castel Sant'Angelo.
As we walked inside, Barbara and I expected to find ourselves in a museum or something similar, but not .�.�.
Ah! I forgot to tell you .�.�. , Carlo hastened to add when he saw the surprised expressions on our faces, after the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave the building to Pope Boniface�IV in 609�A.D., the Pantheon was transformed into a church dedicated to the cult of the Madonna and the Martyrs. As you can see, it is still in use as a place of worship. It is the burial place of the famous painter Raphael and contains the tombs of a number of Italian kings who fought for Italian independence.
A great many other Roman churches have been built over pagan temples and often existing structures were reutilized. He began to reel off a list of these: St.�Mary's was built over a temple dedicated to Minerva, the church of St.�Lorenzo in Miranda was formerly dedicated to a deified imperial couple. .�.�.�
The morning of the third and last day was set aside for a visit to the Vatican. We made our way to St.�Peter's Square, enclosed by the magnificent colonnades, which give it such an imposing atmosphere. Our group gathered around a large obelisk in the very center of the square. Carlo seemed to know all there was to know about these Egyptian monuments.
Look at it carefully, he said, and you will see there are no inscriptions on it. Emperor Caligula had it brought to Rome and it was erected on this site by Pope Sixtus�V. It is said that the transport and erection of this monument was a very difficult and costly operation. In fact, it took 900 workers four months to complete. In view of the difficulties involved and fearing the slightest distraction, the pope decreed that anyone making a noise while the operation was under way would be punished by receiving the death sentence.
As we entered the colossal basilica, glittering gold and splashes of red velvet met our eyes. Around us were the works of many of the greatest artists of past centuries.
How ever much is all this worth? a young boy asked.
Obviously, it is impossible to calculate the value of everything it contains. However, I can tell you this: By order of Pope Julius�II, the basilica built in the days of Emperor Constantine was demolished and begun to be rebuilt as it is now. The popes financed the construction by selling so many indulgences as to arouse a wave of indignation that is said to have accelerated the Protestant Reformation.
Over to our right we saw the famous Piet� by Michelangelo, representing the dead Christ laid across the knees of his mother, Mary. After having drawn our attention to the pervading mildness and dignity expressed by the statue, Carlo guided us toward another one in bronze. A number of people already were in front of it; some of them awaiting their turn to go forward to kiss its right foot. When there was room, we managed to get nearer.
Look, Mummy! Daddy, can you see? John cried. They're kissing its foot! In fact, we saw that the toes of the statue were almost worn smooth! Over the centuries, the lips of millions of faithful worshipers have worn part of the toes away, our guide explained. The statue represents St.�Peter, but its origins are obscure. According to tradition, it was made from a melted-down statue of Jove. Recent opinion has it that the statue dates back to the 13th century.
During the afternoon, we visited parks, monuments and squares. Our overall impression was that Rome is indeed a beautiful city, with its characteristic dark-red buildings and its gardens where lofty umbrella-shaped pine trees seem to be etched against the sky.
Later, as we traveled on to Florence, we talked about the many beautiful things we had seen in Rome and the singular mixture of sacred and profane, which cannot fail to strike the attentive observer.
Author: Flor Ayag
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