Vatican
The Lateran treaty of 1929 turned the city of the Vatican
the smallest and more influential independent State of
the world. The Vatican presents an aspect of fortified
citadel thanks to Leon IV, that commanded to construct
the medieval walls that surround it, except in the east
end, where the opening of piazza San Pedro delimits the
border with Rome.
This piazza, that extends before the huge basilica of
San Pedro, was projected by one of the most brilliant
artists of the Italian baroque, Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Four rows of columns, that seems a single one when they
are contemplated from each one of his perspective, form
the stage scene of the elliptical columnata that surrounds
the Obelisk located in the center of the piazza. In the
roman imperial times the Obelisk decorated the circus
of Calígula, place in which it seems was martyred
and crucified Saint Peter.
The piazza takes step to the basilica of San Pedro, seat
of the catholic church and symbol of its power. The first
Christians constructed a small chapel in the place of
the martyrdom of San Pedro and, years later, Constantine
erected this impressive church that keeps treasures of
immense value, like the Pietá of Michelangelo and
the image of San Peter, attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio,
of the thirteenth century.
In their construction participated famous architects and
artists like Michelangelo, the creator of their famous
cupola. Five doors symbolically give access to the interior
of the temple, guarded by the equestrian statues of Carloman
and Constantine. The last one to the right is Porta Santa,
opened and closed by the Pope only in occasion of the
jubilee year. In the center of the facade opens the great
lodge destined to the traditional blessing "urbi
et orbi" -city and world-. In the center of the temple
is the baldachin of Bernini, an enormous bronze canopy
that rises on the sacred part of the basilica, and the
rests of Saint Peter, located under the church, just in
the center of the necropolis that keeps the rests from
several Popes. Framed by the baldachin, appears the Cattedra
Petra, work of Bernini. This wood chair bathed in gold
floats on the hands of four parents of the Church under
the look of the figure of the Holy Trinity. In the right
side of the porch is the entrance to the cupola.
The lodge nailed in their pilasters keep venerated relics
as the famous Veronica, a fabric with the recorded image
of Christ. The fabulous gardens of the Vatican can be
admired from there. In them, there are numerous fountains,
like the Galleon and the Eagle; small buildings, as for
example the famous Casina di Pío IV, that lodges
the Pontifical Academy of Science, and some artificial
grottos. The Vatican basilica of San Pedro and museums
are the only places opened to the public, although it
is possible to be arranged the visit to the gardens of
the Vatican and necropolis of San Pedro through the tourist
information bureau.
The Vatican have numerous palaces that are the official
residence of the Popes from the thirteenth century and
the famous Vatican museums, unique in the world by its
value and beauty. When crossing them the first stop is
in the Sistine Chapel, constructed by mandate of Sixtus
IV between 1475 and 1481. The huge fresco of the ceiling,
that represents the Genesis, was ordered to Michelangelo
and the paintings of the sidewalls and of the opposed
wall to the altar was ordered to prestigious painters
of the time like Boticelli, Perugino and Ghirlandaio.
24 years after finalizing this great work Michelangelo
was in charge to paint the walls of the chapel with frescos
that reflected the Final Judgement. By these touching
images the sacred school meets whenever a new Pontiff
is chosen.
Surrounding the Sistine Chapel appear the four rooms of
Raphael: the lobby of Constantine and the rooms of the
Segnatura, Heliodoro and of L´Incendio, that own
its name to the fire that was declared in the district
of the Borgo and that, according to the legend, extinguished
when the Pope Leon IV was doing the signal of the cross.
Other places of interest are the chapel of San Nicholas,
the rooms of the Borgia, the library of the Vatican, that
lodges the Chiaromonti museum, and the Pío-Clementino
museum. Also it is worth the trouble to visit the painting
gallery, with a select painting selection of authors like
Caravaggio, Giotto and Da Vinci, among others, and the
Profane Gregorian museum, with mosaics coming from the
spas of Caracalla.
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