December 7, 2013: The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel

Today we visited the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museum was the first of its kind to gather artifacts and use them to educate people. It was supposed to be a place for people to gather and learn, as well as showcase the unity between faith in Jesus Christ and human reason. What is interesting about the Vatican Museum is that it is an ongoing reality given the fact that new collections of art are continuously added.

At the Vatican Museum, behind is the dome of St. Peter's Basilica 

In the museum we saw some very unique pieces. On of them was an artwork panel that showed three different scenes. The scene on the left was of the crucifixion of Peter. We know this is Peter's crucifixion since he requested to be crucified upside down. The right panel shows Paul being beheaded. We know this panel is of Paul for two reasons. The first being that Peter and Paul are almost always showed together, and the second is because the legend of his martyrdom states that after being beheaded, his head bounced three times. On the panel we can see little tick marks to indicate these three places. It was also thought that a spring erupted through the ground at each spot his dead bounced. In the center is Jesus on this throne, surrounded by saints. The bottom ribbon is interesting because instead of Jesus being worshiped by the twelve apostles, it shows Mary holding a baby Jesus who is sucking his fingers. This is meant to highlight Jesus' humanity.

Another piece of artwork I found interesting was a piece that showed Prassede and Prudenziana, the two martyrs I spoke about in an early post. I recognized the painting to be of them given that they were ringing out a cloth filled with blood. This was a common way to represent them since they would gather martyr bones and give them proper burials.

Reflection #2:

I would like to go into more depth about the Sistine Chapel, as well as the artwork of Michelangelo on the ceiling. What is interesting about this chapel is that it is built inside the Pope’s residence, which is located next to St. Peter’s basilica. Many chapels already existed in the Pope’s residence prior to the Sistine Chapel, so one might wonder why would he build another? The reason is because the Pope and bishops needed a safe place to gather to decide on the election of the Pope. They also wanted to ensure that the election was made freely, and finally they wanted to prevent another Great Schism (this was a time when there was up to three Pope’s all preaching different things). The reason a church was built instead of a meeting hall was because they still wanted a place to celebrate mass, and they wanted it to be a reminder that what they were doing was about Jesus Christ. The dimensions of the building are also somewhat strange; however, the reason the chapel has so many angles is because it was thought these were the dimensions of the chapel in Jerusalem. The chapel is also unique in the fact that there is little space for lay (non clergy) people. This was intentional given that the Sistine Chapel was meant for clergy. 

The frescos in the chapel by Michelangelo are absolutely stunning. On the ceiling is his first painting. The panels from one end of the chapel to the other show the creation of man by God, the creation of woman coming out of the side of Adam (this image could also represent the creation of the church), the great fall where Eve eats the forbidden fruit, Kane and Abel, God sending the great flood, and finally Noah becoming a drunk. Essentially, this fresco is the down fall of man, and ultimately the separation between God and man that is created after the great fall. On the sides, Michelangelo painted saints, as well as lay people, to show that while humanity fell, God continued to send worthy people. It was interesting to have the opportunity to see this after discussing it in class. For many this may seem like just a beautiful piece of art, but in reality great controversy surrounded this work given the nakedness of the people, as well as how Michelangelo chose to represent humanity and divinity. There is so much more to the history of Rome than what one sees through the naked eye.