Day 12

Today we headed to the Pope's vacation house in Castel Gondolfo which was about a 45 minute train ride from termini in Rome. We met with a Jesuit scholar, Guy Consolmagno, who have us a small tour of the papal palace and one of the telescopes. We stood inside the doors of the popes summer home and learned a bfrief history about the home and the surrounding communities. Towns in Italy are built on hills because the valleys were swampy and you could catch malaria. Apparently many older Italians don't like to open windows at night because the "bad air" could come in and make you sick. Bad air in Italian sounds like the word malaria. The swamps were eventually drained so I'm sure you can open windows at night now. The Barberini family built the summer home and when their family member later became Pope Urban the eighth, the house became the official vacation house of the Pope. The palace looks out over a volcanic lake and is situated on the lip of the volcano. The palace is also one of the extraterritorial properties of the Vatican. The Vatican also owns the gardens that are near the palace and during World War Two many Jewish refugees came to the gardens because it was a neutral territory. 

Where the gives his audiences when he's in town.

The view from the roof of the papal palace.

The palace wasn't built with future accommodations in mind (why would it be) and so it can be very cold and there was only one shower for the Jesuit scientists who lived there. Brother Consolmagno said that the living conditions were not grand by any means. The Jesuit priests recently moved into another building that is a bit more comfortable and the Vatican still allows them access to the telescopes. In the past, the clergy were the educated people and so it only made sense that they were given the clerical jobs such as recording dates or tracking star movement. We learned that Pope Francis doesn't live in the normal area where popes usually live in the Vatican.  Instead, he chose to live in the guest house so that he could be closer to the people. He is a Jesuit pope which is very interesting because usually Jesuits won't take leadership positions in the church because they want to be close to the people. The fact that the Vatican is so insistent on having scientists study astronomy is a great example of how the church isn't against science. You would think that the church would be against it, but they have their own team of people studying up on the universe and the ways that it could affect the Catholic Church. I also like how not only does the Vatican have scientific people, but many of them are clergy. This shows how there must not be as much of a disconnect between religion and science as many people believe. 

Day 11

Yesterday we were up by 6am and headed to the Vatican for the audience with the pope. We arrived by 7am and there were already crowds of people waiting at each of the entrances. Our tickets were "special", but we didn't know what that meant until later. Everyone pushed each other because they wanted to get through security and have the best possible chance to see the pope up close. The layout of the audience is the stage on the stairs to St. Peter's basilica with small sections of chairs on either side and then two large sections of chairs in front of the stage area. We found out that our special tickets got us in to the right side of the stage section, which was really cool because you need special permission from a bishop to sit there. At 9:30 an announcer started reading off the names of all of the groups in attendance. Eventually, they got to the English speaking countries and gave a special welcome to DePaul. The popes comes out after and rides around in the divisions between the sections in his popemobile. There is lovely organ music to accompany his ride. His sermon was about the last judgment and how we shouldn't be fearful of it. Even though it seems terrifying, the scripture gives many examples for why it's a good thing. One very important reason is because we will finally be able to join Jesus in heaven. 

Here is a picture of the pope during the audience. 

It was really cool to see how many people came to see the pope at the audience. There were so many Italian communities that would come together and bring signs. It seemed like their communities really bonded over being able to experience the audience with the pope together. I liked how the sermon was about the last judgement because we learned about Michaelangelo's portrayal of the gospel in class. The fresco is not a happy painting on the lower half at all. We see bodies that are being dragged to hell or being pushed away from heaven. Towards the middle are the martyrs and many of the tools they were killed with. The sermon stated how the last judgement shouldn't be terrifying even though it can be perceived that way. This is portrayed very well in the painting because we want to be with the angels in the top of the painting, but fear we may fall and join the devil. The cross that is stationed in front of the cave is a perfect representation of how God is protecting us from hell. 

Day 10

Today we presented on the painter Caravaggio and his painting that is called "The inspiration of Saint Matthew". Caravaggio was an Italian artist who worked in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily. He had a realistic view of the human state and a baroque influence. A lot of his paintings had to be redone because of their realism was too vulgar for the church. There were two paintings of the Inspiration of Saint Matthew that were commissioned for the Contarelli chapel in the church of San lungi del francesi in Rome. Another artist attempted to paint the inspiration first, but after years of work he submitted a subpar painting and Caravaggio was chosen to paint it instead. 

The first version of the inspiration of st Matthew

This black and white copies are all that remain of the original. After it was rejected, a private collector purchased it and put it in his own home. It was later burned during World War Two in a fire. Although it appears to be a painting, it was actually three dimensional and had solid modeling. The foot was positioned so that it would be directly above a priest when he was holding up the Eucharist. One of the reasons it was rejected was because it looks like the angel is telling Matthew what to write. Another reason is because Matthew doesn't look like a saint in his commoner clothes.

The Inspiration of Saint Matthew 

This was also done by Caravaggio and completed in 1602. Saint Matthew is kneeling and looking at the angel above him. He appears to be on a tottering stool because he just ran over to the table to start writing. The angel is counting the generations on his fingers because Matthew is tracing his family tree. His clothing is much more elegant and fit for a saint. Both paintings have the same subjects, but the distance between Matthew and the angel differs. The clothing in the two paintings is another important difference. The first painting also depicts his closeness with God. It was really interesting learning about these paintings in class and then being able to go see them in person. I was very surprised how thick the canvasses were from all of the paint. I was surprised by how short his life was and how his most prominent paintings came for  1599-1606, his second period in Rome where he painted sacred subjects. I didn't like how dark most of his paintings were after we saw how bright Michaelangelo's were. I did notice that Caravaggio's humans were more anatomically correct than Michaelangelos. 

Day 9

Today we visited the Gesu church as well as St. Ignatious. The Gesu church was the first that we visited and was my favorite. It was a 16th century church and features the baroque style. It is a Jesuit church and many other churches are modeled after this church. 

Here is a picture of the Gesu church. 

The church is dedicated to the most holy name of Jesus Christ and in the portion that looks like the sun are the letters IHS. God chose the name Jesus, meaning savior, which is the holiest form of Jesus. The inside of the church is very ornate. It has lots of frescos and gold framework as well as marble walls. There are also statues coming out of the wall called bas relief that are incorporated into the decorations. The decorations try and make the viewer excited about the name of Jesus. 

In the ceiling image there are also the letters IHS in the fresco.

Ceiling of the Gesu church

You probably can't see them because they are painted in light colors, but they are located in the center of the light. It's almost like Jesus is radiating from that point. In the painting, the people who go towards the light are accepting of Jesus and so they go to him. The people who are sheilding their eyes and are turning away or have closed eyes are the damned. Some of them are even falling out of the fresco. In class we watched a movie about Michaelangelo and how when the popes men were prepping for the painting they drilled holes in the ceiling. Today, as I looked up at the ceiling I noticed holes and wondered if they used a similar hanging technique instead of scaffolding. We also learned that a fresco was painted on fresh plaster which is where the name comes from. The color penetrates the plaster and that's how it lasts for a long time. I noticed how the ceiling painting is similar to the last judgement painting in the Sistine chapel because they both have the people who are accepting of Jesus moving towards him while the damned are at the bottom or moving off the painting.

We stopped by the pantheon today and were approached by little Italian children asking us to fill out a survey for them for their English class. The surveys were about Christmas and were really cute. Yesterday I went and saw the colosseum, palatine, forum. It was a long day of walking, but really cool. The colosseum was what I expected, but the forum and the palatine were my favorite parts. 

Colosseum 

Forum

Palatine

Day 7

Today we visited the Sistine chapel and the Vatican museum. Before coming to the museum I didn't really know anything about the chapel other than that it's smaller than you assume. It was very different than the other churches that we had seen because the area for the clergy was much larger than the area for the lay people. These two areas were separated by a screened wall called a Rood. The architecture from the chapel is the original, but the paintings we see now were not the original designs. Michaelangelo was commissioned to redesign the ceiling, but he was hesitant because he was a sculptor and not a painter. There were other artists commissioned to design the side panels, but Michaelangelo also painted the last judgement on the wall behind the alter. The side panels show a parallel between Moses and Jesus and depicts the call of Moses to the last supper. The chapel was built inside the Pope's residence because it was a secure place to hold the conclave. It's location is deep inside the papal palace because it was more controllable for the papal army and they wanted to make sure the election of the new pope was free. The pope decided on a chapel instead of a meeting space so he could hold mass and because the space was also about god and his  people. I found it very interesting that the size of the chapel corresponds to the size of the temple of Jerusalem. The theme of the ceiling begins with creation and shows how to be led back to god. Even through it is a Christian church it has pagan oracles in the design because God also created pagans and worked through them to realize the coming of Jesus. Jonah's story is in the church as well because his story remesembles Jesus. The pascal mystery of Christ is represented in the alter. The cave from the last judgment is the face of the devil and the cross from the alter stands before it as a representation of what's saving you from hell. In class we learned that there are many saints in the fresco that are painted with the instrument they were killed with. We also learned how Braggatonie put "pants" or some sort of coverings on many of the naked images because they throughout the images were too revealing and inappropriate for a church. 

The last judgement picture

The ceiling of the Sistine chapel 

After our visits we found a Mexican restaurant that opened two hours early so we could eat. It was beautiful. We kept saying how we felt at home now that we could have guacamole. There is no food diversity here. This restaurant was no el tequila, but it was much needed. Then we went back to St. John's and had a sing along with Italian music which was pretty fun. We went to campo di furi and I met up with a girl from DG at DePaul who was studying here for the quarter. The public transportation here stops at midnight so navigating a city at night can be kind of confusing. Surpringly Fawn and I found a bus and got on hoping it would take us where we needed to go. It did!

Ceiling in a hallway at the museum

Day 6: Back to Vatican City

For our blog we are writing reflections of one event from now on, but I'll still include what I'm doing.

Today we went back to Vatican City to see St. Peter's Basilica. We've already been inside, but this was our first day inside it where we learned about the main parts. When we first walked inside we saw a statue to the right called Pieta. The statue was made by Michelangelo from 1498-1499 and was commissioned for the old basilica before it was placed in the current one. Michaelangelo took a piece of marble and wanted to conform it so that it showed mercy. It depicts a scene from after the crucifixion because Mary is holding a dead Jesus. Mary seems sad, but serene at the same time. According to Dr. Robert White, the meaning is based on a mother with her dead son more than Mary holding the savior of the world in her lap. Jesus is positioned in her lap like a mother would hold a baby. If you look closely you would notice how large her legs are so that they can support the marble Jesus. It can be hard to spot because of the draping of her dress. I feel like seeing your son die would be really traumatic, but of all that Mary went through she seemed to be very strong both mentally and physically. Maybe that's a reason her legs were so big. It was really interesting how young Mary looked in the staue because she should be about 46 at the time of Jesus' death. Fun fact, Jesus was born around 4 BC and died around 30 AD. Her face was very youthful and very similar to statues of her holding a baby version of Jesus. I also thought it was weird that the statue was encased because every other statue is either out in the open or roped off. We were told the reasoning behind it was because a man came to the basilica and started chipping it with a pick axe. If you look closely you can see Jesus' left foot lifted up a bit. We were told this was to give the impression that he would be falling to the alter below. It was really cool how detailed the statue was. You can see the indents in Mary's body from holding Jesus. This statue was very smooth and finished compared to michaelangelos last statue that we saw in the movie. The rondanini pieta looks abstract because michaelangelo kept chipping away at the stone until there wasn't enough left. Knowing many of these specific details makes this statue even more impressive because I have a better sense of what Michaelangelo was thinking. I want to research this statue more so that I can find other significant yet hardly noticeable placements that are important. 

Pieta 

Here is a picture from where the American press stands when there is a new pope.

I found my favorite food place today. I don't even remember what I had, but it was amazing. I believe the restaurant was called da Roberto, but don't quote me on it. We had class in the building where I took the picture above. After class we started walking back to the dorms because we are all exhausted and found a supermarcado where I got bread, olives, cheese, and popcorn. Surprise! In a little bit we're going back to class to watch a three hour movie on Michaelangelo. Wish me luck!

Statue from the roof of the basilica. 

View from the dome of the basilica. 

Getting to the dome was not an easy task. We had over 300 stairs and some really tight spaces. There were a bunch of people that had to stop and rest in little windowsills. At one point you were practically walking sideways. I think the trip to Assisi really prepped me for this.

Day 5

Today we woke up at 5:45 to take the train to Assisi. They train was delayed, but we made it! The town is two miles from the train station and we debated walking, but I'm so glad we took the bus. I don't think I can feel my legs after all of those hills and stairs. We found a fortress towards the top of the hill which had breathtaking views. There were tons of tunnels and staircases to explore and we were running around trying to see it all. There was one couple that kept laughing at us because we would just pop out of random places. We walked through the wall to get to a tower that had an amazing view of the basilica of st. Francis. There were so many houses tucked away in the mountains. I wish we could have visited them and seen what a typical Italian countryside house looked like. 

We attempted to follow Rick Steve's walking tour, but I think I've already seen too many churches and so I just wanted to look around and read the signs. It was interesting that so many of the churches had basements with either ruins or relics. The basilica of st. Francis had an entire church below it and then his remains below that. There were no pictures in the basilica, but it was beautiful. 

The view of the city from the basilica.

Our train back was really delayed as well so I didn't get back until 10:30. The first thing I did was run to this great place and get this really good bread. Then I went next door and got a gelato frappe that was delicious. My supper today was really nutritious. 

Day 3 and 4

Yesterday we toured three churches that had very beautiful mosaics and frescos. The first was Santa Maria Maggiore. It was very long with many arches and an alter at the end. There was  also another alter underneath it that you could get to using stairs. By the bottom alter there was a larger statue of a pope praying. The top alter wasn't the original, but the position was the same. A cute older Italian man came up to us and tried speaking to us in English about the church. Our conversation consisted of us listening and nodding our heads while smiling. There was a cute little chapel off to the left side that had mass twice a day. The man told us we should go, but we were on a listening tour so we weren't able to. I actually wish I could have went to see the differences between mass here and in America. There were a bunch of priests positioned on the sides of the church for reconciliation. Their languages were written on the box they were in so people knew which priest to go to. We learned that you can have your wedding In the church so maybe I'll have a destination wedding? 

I swear all of my good pictures must be on my camera.

The second and third churches had beautiful artwork. The second church had a cool victory arch. A victory arch is displayed outside and is made for military conquests and victories. It isn't structurally necessary for the church. It was brought inside to be a monument and a symbol of pascal mystery. 

The third church had a 4th century mosaic and is the oldest church. In the mosaic peter points the way to heaven. Some of the frescos were destroyed because of the humidity, but it was FREEZING in these churches. I actually have pictures of this one!

The door

Outside the church

The alter and the picture where peter points to heaven

The mosaic

The afternoon of yesterday was the best. We had a private tour of the mosaic room of the Vatican. No one usually gets to do this so we were really lucky! They were putting the finishing touches on the mosaic for pope Francis when we were there so we couldn't take pictures. The pope saw the mosaic of himself this morning so it was amazing that we could see it before he did! Next week they will take the mosaic and hang in 40ft off the ground in St. Peter's Basilica. I got to see where he lives, but no live sightings yet. The director of the mosaic room took us through secret passageways of the basilica and into a secret room filled with archives. We were the first ones in the room and we took off running through the hallways furiously taking pictures incase they told us we couldn't. Again, most of them are on my camera, but here are a few. 

Outside the mosaic studio

A statue In the secret room 

A huge replica of the old model of the basilica before michaelangelo's design. This opened up and we went inside of it. My old barbies would have loved this house.

Today we saw a 12th century basilica that was built on a 4th century basilica that was built on a 1st century neighborhood. The them of the top two churches was st. Clement. On the top church there were many anchors because he died by having an anchor tied to his feet and being thrown in the Black Sea. The 4th century church had lots of frescos and many pieces of old art. The frescos were from the 9th century. The basilica was built to remember Clements house church. There were colums inserted into the church so that it would hold up the church on top of it. Further down in the excavation site was the 1st century neighborhood. There wasn't really artwork and we looked for thin bricks to determine where the original walls were. The neighborhood was rebuilt after Nero's fire burned down parts of Rome. The lowest part was cold and mildly terrifying. There were no pictures allowed, many random tunnels, and a dimly lit area. I felt like I was stepping into a horror movie and was ready to go back to the 12th century basilica. 

The courtyard of the 12th century basilica. The only place we could take pictures.

I went to the Spanish steps, but we didn't take pictures. We walked around the shopping areas for awhile and got a great lunch. After class we went to a more lively part of town to see what the city of Rome is like after dark and it was really fun! As of now I'm prepping to go to bed before I have to get up In 5 hours for my trip to Assisi!! 

Day 2

Today we went to the Vatican and toured the crypt underneath St.Peter's Basilica. We learned how the Basilica was built so that the alter was above Peter's grave. To build the Basilica they had to take the roof off each family mausoleum and fill it in with dirt so that the hill could be level enough to construct the Basilica. The hill has a gradual slop from east to west and a steep slope from south to north. This is why the Vatican is longer as apposed to wider. There were actually two Basilicas and the current one is the second. The first was built by Constantine, but had to be rebuilt because of structural issues. That was really interesting to learn because I thought that the current structure was the original. In the crypt, there was a row of doors to the families mausoleum. The insides were painted with frescos that had pagan symbols, hidden Christian symbols, and artwork that payed respects to Venus the god of fertility. In this time period it was very customary to have lots of children because infant mortality rates were so high. The inscriptions on many of the women's sarcophagus' described them as chaste. This meant they were pure, a good wife, had many kids, and were loyal to their husbands. Towards the end of the tour we got to see the place where Peter's bones are stored from the eastern edge and from the northern side. From the northern side we could see two of the boxes they were kept in. The guide told us that seeing the grave is like touching the grave of Peter with your eyes. We also got to go into the pope's chapel that faces a wall that is next to the bones. Apparently every priest can say mass there once and it is a really exciting thing for them to do. We also enjoyed talking to the Swiss guards. Our professors told us that they have to have certain qualifications to become a guard and being single is one of them. They were all pretty cute if you could look past the jester outfits.

I'm really glad that I've had the opportunity to come to the places that we are visiting because I understand the material much better when I can experience it. My favorite part so far is when the tour guide spoke to us about Constantine and Nero and I already knew most of the information from previous classes. Most importantly, the croissants here are amazing. There is a great place called Vero where I've been getting cappuccinos and chocolate croissants that are amazing. Besides that the food isn't really what I was expecting because every restaurant has been about the same. Hopefully I have an opportunity to branch out more in the coming days. We're planning a day trip to Assisi on Thursday that I'm really excited for too!  

St. Peter's Basilica 

Day 0 & 1

Our first flight left from Chicago around 4pm and arrived in Frankfurt at 7:30am. The flight was about 7 1/2 hours and I slept for a majority of the first half only waking up for food and apple juice. When I was awake I couldn't help but notice how often the flight attendants came around asking if you wanted wine or shots of liquor. The guy next to me was on his fifth glass of wine after two hours and I just kept asking for more apple juice. I've never flown anywhere where they offer free alcoholic beverages- except the time where I was bumped to first class on a midnight flight. I could not wait to get off the plane though because there was not enough leg room and I needed to stretch out. The second flight was much shorter. Some Italian man was sitting in my seat when I boarded, but I was not about to offer him my prized window seat for a middle one. The lunch on the second flight was a tuna and turkey sandwich. Needless to say I went hungry. We're staying in a dorm like community above some priests at St. John's University. It's very different from the states in the way that the dorms are for international students. The university doesn't have a gym, athletic center or most of the amenities that we have in the US. For our first meal we went to the Lay Centre which is by the colosseum. It's a place where people come from all over to stay when they study religion in Rome. We had a 'typical Italian meal' which had the best lasagna and gave Fabio's tiermasu a run for his money. Don't worry mom, Siena Tavern is still my favorite.

This morning some of my friends and I went to the Trevi Fountain. When we got off the metro we were standing in the Piazza Barberini trying to decide which way to go. There were about six different streets to choose from and six girls who guessed different ways to the fountain. Lizzie, our "mentor" (a joke that turned into a reality) decided that we should walk around the piazza until we found the right way. This was probably the first time that I realized how American we look. The fountain itself was huge. It's weird because I know what to expect, but when I actually see it I'm blown away by the detail and size of these landmarks. All of the carvings were really intricate, but none of us really knew any of the history behind the artwork. Of course when we came back from class the history was part of the days lecture. After learning about the statues and meanings behind them, we decided we will try and go back at night and see it again. Hopefully when we go again I will appreciate the fountain more.

We went back to the Lay Centre today and toured the area. It is built on one of the seven hills of Rome called the Caelian hill. We learned about the palatine hill, the colosseum, and the Case Romane del Cielo which was the house where John and Paul were martyred. It was really amazing to see the detail in the wall decorations and how they weren't considered Christian. The wall paintings were typical of a Roman citizen from the era. It was interesting to learn that even after it was legal to be a Christian, Paul and John's dwelling wasn't decorated with any religious artwork. The buildings were built on top of each other and it was really cool to see the layers of the history. I have pictures of those on my camera! My favorite was the church because it was so intricate and magnificent. They had alters commemorating different saints which were really pretty. I even lit a candle in honor of my Great Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Everett. For dinner we went to a ristorante close to the colosseum and had pizza. It was huge for one person, but really good! It's very different from home where we tip after our meal. Here the tip is included in the table fee and water is something you pay for. The dinners are also a lot longer than what we are accustomed to, but we were all so hungry that we ate quickly. We are all becoming experts with the two metro lines that they have here, but the busses are another story. For now we are planning what we're doing for the rest of the trip and I'm hoping I actually sleep tonight. 

View from the lay centre

Candles

Trevi fountain

Alter

Alter in the house where John and Paul were martyred. 

Trevi

Fresco in John and Paul's house