Saint Peter, STATE OF THE VATICAN

St Peter Square
Standing in Bernini's piazza di San Pietro (Saint Peter's Square), you will be in the arms of an ellipse dominated by St. Peter. Like a loving parent, the Doric-pillared colonnade reaches out to embrace the faithful.
Holding 300,000 is no problem for this square.
To reach it, take a bus no. 23, 30, 32, 49, 51 or 64.
In the center of the square is an Egyptian obelisk, brought from the ancient of Heliopolis on the Nile Delta, and used to adorn Nero's Circus, which was nearby. Flaking the obelisk at two 17th-century fountains: the one on the right (facing the basilica) by Carlo Maderno, who designed the façade of St. Peters, was placed there by Bernini himself; the other fountain is by Carlo Fontana.
Inside, the size of this famous church (open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April through August, daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. September through March) is awe-inspiring, although its dimensions are not apparent at first. Guides like to point out to Americans that the basilica is like two football fields joined together.
St. Peter's is said to have been built over the tomb of the crucified saint. Originally it was erected on the order of Constantine, but the present structure is essentially Renaissance and baroque; it showcases the talents of some of Italy's greatest artists: Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo and Maderno. In a church of such grandeur - that is overwhelming in its gilt, marble and mosaic detail - do not expect subtlety.
The basilica is rich in art. The truly devout are prone to kiss the feet of the 13th century bronze of St. Peter, attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio (at the far reaches of the nave, against a corner pillar on the right). Under Michelangelo's dome is the celebrated baldacchino by Bernini, resting over the papal altar. The canopy was created in 17th century, supposedly from bronze stripped from the Pantheon. Analysis of the bronze, however, seems to contradict that. In the nave on the right (the first chapel) is the best-known sculpture, the Pieta that Michelangelo sculpted while still in his early 20's. In one of the worst acts of vandalism on record, a madman screaming "I am Jesus Christ" attacked the Pieta, battering the Madonna's stone arm, the folded veil, her left eyelid and nose. Now restored, the Pieta is protected by a wall of reinforced glass. Much farther on, in the right wing of the transept near the Chapel of St. Michael, rests Canova's neoclassic sculptural tribute to Pope Clement XIII. In addition, you can visit the sacristy and treasury, filled with jewel-studded chalices, reliquaries, and copes. One robe worn by Pius XII strikes a simple note in these halls of elegance.
Later you can make a visit underground to the Vatican grottoes, with their tombs, both ancient and modern (Pope John XXII gets the most adulation.). The grottoes are open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. April through September, daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. October through March. To go even further down, to the area around St. Peter's tomb, you must apply several days beforehand to the excavations office beneath the Arco della Campana to the left of the basilica. You can make your applications Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m. It is reached by passing under the arch to the left on the façade of St. Peter's.
For a fee, you can take a guided tour of the tombs that were excavated in the 1940's, 23 feet beneath the floor of the church. The grandest sight is yet to come: the climb to Michelangelo's dome, which towers about 375 feet. Although you can walk up the steps for a small fee, we recommend the elevator for as far as it will carry you (the cost is a little more).
The dome is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. March through September and daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. October through February.
You can walk along the roof, for which you will be rewarded with a panoramic view of Rome and the Vatican.
Note: To be admitted to St. Peter's, women are advised to wear longer skirts or pants - anything that covers the knees. Men in shorts are not allowed in. Sleeveless tops are not allowed for either gender. At noon on Sunday, the pope speaks briefly from his study window and gives his blessing to the visitors and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.
From about mid-July to mid-September the Angelus and blessing take place at the summer residence at Castelgandolfo, some 16 miles out of Rome and accessible by metro and bus.

Vatican and Sistine Chapel
In 1929 the Lateran Treaty between Pope Pius XI and the Italian government created Vatican City, viale Vaticano, the world's smallest independent state, located in Rome. This state may be small, but it contains a gigantic repository of treasures from antiquity and the Renaissance housed in labyrinthine galleries.
The Vatican's art collection reaches its apex in the Sistine Chapel.
The Vatican museums (a house of museums) comprise a series of lavishly adorned palaces and galleries built over the centuries. The entrance is on viale Vaticano, a long walk around from St. Peter's Square.
Take bus no. 19, 23, 32, 34, 49, 51 or 64; the metro to the Ottaviano stations; or a taxi.
The museums are open Monday through Saturday (except religious holidays) from 8:45 a. m. to 1:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. from July to the end of September and the week before and after Easter). Ticket sales stop one hour before closing time. The admission may seem high but it is reasonable when you see what is inside.
Entrance is free the last Sunday of the month.
A cafeteria is open to visitors from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (to 4:30 p.m. from July to the end of September and during Easter week.)
Visitors to the Vatican museums can follow one of four itineraries (A, B, C or D) according to the time they have at their disposal and their special interest. Determine your choice by consulting large-sized panels placed at the entrance; then follow the letter and color of the itinerary chosen.
Facilities for disabled visitors are available.
Obviously one, two or twenty trips will not be enough to see the wealth of the Vatican, much less digest it. With that in mind, we have previewed only a representative sampling of masterpieces. A dozen museums and galleries should be inspected.

Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery):
After climbing the spiral stairway, keep to the right; the path will take you to the Pinacoteca, which houses paintings and tapestries from the 11th to the 19th centuries. For a break with the Byzantine, see one of the Vatican's finest artworks - the Stefaneschi Triptych (six panels) by Giotto and his assistants. You will also see works of Fra Angelico, the 15th century Dominican monk who distinguished himself as a miniaturist (his Virgin with Child is justly praised - look for the microscopic eyes of the Madonna.) In the Raphael salon, you will find three paintings by that giant of the Renaissance, including the Coronation of the Virgin, the Virgin of Foligno and The Transfiguration (completed by Raphael shortly before his death). There are also eight tapestries made by Flemish weavers from cartoons by Raphael. Seek out Leonardo da Vinci's masterful , but uncompleted, St. Jerome with the Lion, as well as Giovanni Bellini's Pieta. One of Titian's greatest works, the Virgin of Frari, is also displayed. Finally, feast your eyes on one of the masterpieces of the Baroque period, Carvaggio's Deposition from the Cross.

Egyptian-Gregorian Musuem:
Review the grandeur of the pharaohs by studying sarcophagi, mummies, statues of goddesses, vases, jewelry, sculptured pink granite statues and hieroglyphics.

Estruscan-Gregorian Museum:
With sarcophagi, a chariot, bronzes, urns, jewelry and terra-cotta vases, this gallery affords remarkable insights into an ancient civilization. One of the most acclaimed exhibits is the Regonlini-Galassi tomb, unearthed at Cerveteri in the 19th century. It shares top honors with the Mars of Todi, a bronze sculpture that probably dates from the 5th century B.C.

Pius ClementinusMuseum:
Here you will find Greek and Roman sculptures, many of which are immediately recognizable masterpieces. In the rotunda, there is a large gilded bronze of Hercules that dates from the late 2nd century A.D.
Other major works of sculpture are under porticoes in cabinets that open onto the Belvedere courtyard.
Dating from the 1st century B.C., one sculpture shows Laocoon and his two sons locked in an eternal struggle with the serpents. The incomparable Apollo of Belvedere ( a late Roman reproduction of an authentic Greek work from the 4th century B.C.) has become the symbol of classic male beauty. The rippling muscles of the Torso of Belvedere, a partially preserved Greek statue (1st century B.C.) that was much admired by the artists of the Renaissance, especially Michelangelo, reveal an intricate knowledge of the human body.

Chiaramonti Museum:
You will find a dazzling array of Roman sculpture and copies of Greek originals in these galleries. In the following section, called Braccio Nuovo, you can admire The Nile, a magnificent reproduction of a long-lost, Hellenistic original, and one of the most remarkable pieces of sculpture from antiquity. The imposing statue of Augustus of Prima Porta presents him as a regal commander.

Vatican Library:
The library is richly decorated and frescoes, representing the work of a team of Mannerist painters commissioned by Sixtus V.

Stanze of Raphael:
While still a young man, Raphael was given one of the greatest assignments of his short life: the decoration of a series of rooms in the apartments of Pope Julius II. The decoration was carried out by Raphael and his workshop between 1508 and 1524. In these works, Raphael achieves the Renaissance aim of blending classic beauty with realism. In the first chamber, the Stanza dell'Incendio, you will see much of the work of Raphael's pupils, but little of the master, except in the fresco across from the window. The figure of the partially draped man rescuing an older comrade (to the left of the fresco) is generally attributed to Raphael. Raphael reigns supreme in the next and most important salon, the Stanza dell Segnatura, the first room decorated by the artist, where you will find the majestic School of Athens, one of the artist's best-known works, which depicts figures such as Aristotle and Plato (and even Raphael himself). Another well-known masterpiece, the Disputa del Sacramento, is across from it. The Stanza d'Eliodoro, also by the master, manages to flatter Raphael's papal patrons (Julius II and Leo X) without compromising his art (although one rather fanciful fresco depicts the pope driving Attila from Rome). Finally, there is the Sala di Constantino, which was completed by his students after Raphael's death. And the loggia, frescoed with more than fifty scenes from the Bible, was designed by Raphael, although the actual work was done by his loyal students.

Collection of Modern Religious Art:
This museum represent the American artists' first invasion of the Vatican. Before this museum opened in 1973, the church limited its purchases to European art, and usually did not exhibit any works created after the 18th century. But Pope Paul VI's hobby changed all that. Of the fifty-five rooms in the new museum complex, at least twelve are devoted solely to American artists. All the works chosen for the museum were judged on the bases of their "spiritual and religious values," but religious groups outside the Vatican are represented as well. Among the American works is Leonard Baskin's five-foot bronze sculpture of Isaac. Modern Italian artists such as de Chirico and Manzu are also displayed, and there is a special room for the painting of the French artist Georges Rouault.

Borgia Apartments: These apartments, frescoed with biblical scenes by Pinturicchio of Umbria and his assistants, were designed for Pope Alexander VI (the famous Borgia pope).
The rooms, although generally badly lit, have great splendor and style. At the end of The Stanze of Raphael is the Chapel of Nicholas V, an intimate interlude within this field of museums.
The chapel was frescoed by the Dominican monk Fra Angelico, probably the most saintly of all Italian painters.

Sistine Chapel:
Michelangelo, of course, considered himself a sculpture, not a painter.
Within his 30's, he was virtually commanded by Julius II to stop work on the pope's own tomb and to devote his considerable talents to painting ceiling frescoes, an art form of which the Florentine master was contemptuous.
Michelangelo labored for four years (1508 - 1512) over this epic project, which was so physically taxing that it permanently damaged his eyesight. All during the task, he had to contend with the pope's incessant urgings to hurry up; at one point, Julius threatened to topple Michelangelo from the scaffolding (or so Vasari relates).
It is ironic that a project undertaken against the artist's wishes would form his most enduring legend. Glorifying the human body as only a sculptor could, Michelangelo pointed nine panels, taken from the pages of Genesis, the panels surrounded by prophets and sibyls. The most notable panels detail the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and the creation of man, where God's outstretched hand imbues Adam with spirit.
The Florentine master was in his 60's when he began to paint the masterly Last Judgment on the altar wall. Again working against his wishes, Michelangelo presents a more jaundiced view of people and their fate: God sits in judgment and sinners are plunged into the mouth of hell.
A master of ceremonies under Paul III, Monsignor Baigio da Cesena, protested to the pope against the "shameless nudes" painted by Michelangelo. Michelangelo showed he wasn't above petty revenge by painting the prude with the ears of a jackass in hell. When Biagio complained to the pope, Paul III maintained that he had no jurisdiction in hell. However, Daniele de Volterra was summoned to drape clothing over some of the bare figures, thus earning for himself a dubious distinction as a haberdasher.
On the side walls are frescoes by other Renaissance masters such as Botticelli, Perugino, Luca Signorelli, Pinturicchio, Cosimo Roselli and Ghirlandaio. We would guess that if these paintings would have been displayed by themselves in other chapels, they would be the object of special pilgrimages. But since they have to compete unfairly with the artistry of Michelangelo, they are virtually ignored by the average visitor.
The restoration of the Sistine Chapel in the 1990s touched off a worldwide debate among art historians. The Sistine Chapel was on the verge of collapse, both from its age and the weather, and restoration has taken years, as restorers used advanced computer analysis in their painstaking and controversial work. They reattached the fresco and repaired the ceiling. No longer dark and shadowy, Michelangelo's frescoes are now bright and pastel. Critics claim that in addition to removing centuries of dirt and grime, a vital second layer of paint was removed as well. Purists argue that many of the restored figures seem flat compared to the original which had more shadow and detail. Others in the media have hailed the project for having saved Michelangelo's masterpiece for future generations to appreciate.

The History Museum:
This museum, founded by Pope Paul VI, was established to tell the history of the Vatican. It exhibits arms, uniforms and armor, some of which dates back to the early days of the Renaissance. The carriages on display are those used by popes and cardinals in religious processions. Among the showcases of dress uniforms are the colorful outfits worn by the Pontifical Army Corps, which was discontinued by Pope Paul VI.

The Ethnological Museum:
The Ethnological Museum is an assemblage of works of art and objects of cultural significance from all over the world. The principal route is a half-mile walk through twenty-five geographical sections, which display thousands of objects covering 3,000 years of world history. The section devoted to China is especially interesting and worthwhile.

The Vatican Gardens:
Separating the Vatican from the secular world on the north and west are fifty-eight acres of lush, carefully tended gardens filled with winding paths, brilliantly colored flowers, groves of massive oaks, and ancient fountains and pools. In the midst of this pastoral setting is a small summer house, the Villa Pia, built for Pope Pius IV in 1560 by Pirro Ligorio. On the left side of piazza San Pierto, near the Arco delle Campane, is the Vatican Tourist Office (6988-4466), open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Here you can buy a map of the Vatican and have your questions answered about St. Peter's or the Vatican museums. Tours of the Vatican gardens, which must be arranged in advance, run from March to October, Monday through Saturday at 10:00; November to February, tours are conducted only on Saturday at 10:00. Tickets are available at the Vatican Tourist Office. In summer, arrange tours as far in advance of departure as your schedule permits. The size of the tour group is limited to thirty-three people and no reservations are taken on the phone.

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