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Vatican City & the Great
Basilica |
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The "Stanze," i.e. the apartments in which the Pope worked in the Vatican,
are a place of unrivaled artistic splendor. The first part of the fifth
volume in our journey is dedicated to these Stanze. The great Raphael Sanzio
had just turned 25 when, in 1508, he was commissioned by Pope Julius II to
decorate the Stanze, the rooms of his apartment on which Piero della
Francesca had already begun work at the behest of Pope Nicholas V. At the
same time and no more than a matter of meters away, Michelangelo was
painting the Sistine Chapel. Raphael worked until 1517 with the assistance
of Giulio Romano and Gianfrancesco Penni who were later to continue the
unfinished work of the great master. The paintings in each one of the Stanze
is dedicated to a series of events whose memory they preserve for posterity.
the Stanza of the Fire in the Borgo
the Stanza of the Signature
the Stanza of Heliodorus
the Hall of Constantine
From the top of the dome of St. Peter's the camera can clearly see the
trapeze-shape of the entire surface area of the Vatican City state, enclosed
by imposing walls built in the 100 years between 1540 and 1640. One third of
the area is made up of monumental buildings, one third by well-designed
squares and courtyards and the last third by carefully tended gardens.
The center and heart of everything is the tomb of the Apostle Peter inside
the Basilica. During the persecutions of the years 64 - 67 AD, the apostle
Peter, head of the Christian community in Rome, was martyred along with a
large group of his brothers in faith in Nero's circus, the large stadium for
games and chariot races. Peter was buried not far off. Archaeological
excavations under the central nave of St. Peter's Basilica have brought to
light a necropolis running along the axis of the nearby circus of Nero. Our
camera advances along the narrow lane, 70 meters in length, that runs
between two lines of burial buildings, mainly from the 2nd century. Here,
during the 60's decade of the first century, a trench was dug out for the
tomb of the apostle. It lies directly below the Papal altar over which hangs
Bernini's bronze baldachin. Next to the burial place of the first Pope is a
little kiosk-shaped monument with two over lapping niches divided by a
marble corbel resting on two small columns. This is the most venerated part
of the sepulcher where many earthen graves were discovered surrounding
Peter's tomb.
The Basilica is perhaps the most famous monument in the world. Inside there
is all the genius of Michelangelo (and Bramante, responsible for the first
architectural plans) as well as countless other artists who were engaged on
a work that lasted no less than 110 years and was inspired by 18 Popes,
ending in 1616 with Julius II and Paul V. The surface area of the great
Basilica is 44,000 square meters. It is decorated with 450 statues, 500
columns and 50 altars and can house 60,000 people. The total length of the
Basilica is 211 meters. Tricks of perspective control the shape and measure
of the internal architecture. For example, looking at the holy water-font
and the angels supporting it, we do not notice anything exceptional about
their dimensions at first. If we draw closer, however, we realize that they
are in fact enormous. The richness of the gold and the grandeur of Bernini's
scenographic art-work are overwhelming.
In the side chapels there are works of art that have made history such as
Michelangelo's Pieta which the artist sculpted when he was just 25 years
old. In other chapels there are the Tombs of the Popes and other illustrious
persons. However, it is not possible to list the countless other works of
art that the camera captures on film. Of the many, special mention should be
made of Bernini's baldachin. It is 29 meters high, yet to see it with its
beautiful wreathed columns, it seems perfectly proportioned, even
light-weight.
Below the huge dome on the floor of the central aisle near the entrance
there is a porphyry disc where Charlemagne knelt down on Christmas Day in
800 AD to receive his emperor's crown from the hands of the Pope. In the
early Basilica, this stone was located in front of the high altar. The
Treasury and the History Museum are part of the Basilica.
After a close analysis of the precious segments of history and art that make
up the Vatican city, this last part of the eighth volume casts a glance over
the whole territory, 44 hectares in all, and at the organization of the
smallest sovereign state in the world. While the Papal palaces have no
equals for grandeur and while the Basilica is a masterpiece of the art and
genius of the Renaissance, a full vision of the city must include not just
these but also the admirably laid out gardens, the statues and marble works
such as the Belvedere Apollo or Arianna and the celebrated Torso. Then there
are the splendid fountains such as the Aquilone (Eagle) designed by the
Flemish artist Jan van Sauten. Paul V restored and enlarged Trajan's
aqueduct, bringing water from Lake Bracciano to Rome, water that was known
as 'paola' in honor of the Pope. The fountain takes its name from a tufa-stone
eagle placed on top of the backdrop to the fountain which was designed as a
huge rocky grotto.
Yet a glance at the whole necessarily draws the eye towards St. Peter's
Square and its colonnade. Bernini spent a long time studying the colonnade
and square. The square is 196 meters at its longest point. The exceptional
prospect is enclosed by an ellipse of 284 travertine marble columns 16
meters high, arranged in four rows and forming three tunnel walkways. Above
the colonnade, at a height of 18 and a half meters, are 96 statues standing
3.20 meters high. These form a crown of martyrs, confessors, virgins and
anchorites sculpted by pupils of Bernini after designs by the master. In the
120 years it took for its completion, the Basilica, which was supposed to be
the ultimate expression of the Renaissance alone, became a monumental
complex not lacking some touches of the Baroque, which here are its most
elevated expression.
The city, however, is not just a "jewel-case of memories, no matter how
beautiful. It is also a living city. The Paul VI Hall is the organizational
hub of the Catholic Church which looks after its faithful from all the
nations of the world and is regarded by them as their bustling point of
reference. It acts as the reception center to which missions to the Vatican
arrive. This great hall, inaugurated in 1971, was daringly conceived by Paul
VI who commissioned Pier Luigi Nervi to carry out the work. A beautiful
piece of new architecture, the sober magnificence of the interior is
enriched with the oval stained glass windows by Giovanni Hajnan and the
Resurrection by Pericle Fazzini, an imposing bronze and brass backdrop that
overlooks the Papal podium.
Panoramically positioned near the dome of Michelangelo is the huge Nicholas
V tower. From this tower the station Vatican Radio broadcasts in forty-two
languages to all continents. At a distance of 250 meters from the tower, the
Marconi Broadcasting Centre, designed by Gugliemo Marconi and inaugurated by
Pius XI on 12 February 1931 by a radio address, is still in service. Not far
from here is the Vatican Television Centre, which was instituted a good
number of years ago. The Administration Palace (Governatorato) is the
administrative heart of the little state. It houses the headquarters of the
Pontifical Commission of the Vatican City State as well as the directorates
dependent on the Commission. Vatican City has its own postal service, a
railway station and all services necessary for the life, preservation and
protection of its territory, at once an invaluable treasure-trove and a
living testimony to the announcement of the Good News of Christ to man
perpetuated through the Apostolic Magisterium of the Popes.
LENGTH: 1 x 60 Minutes
ORDER CODE: JM20062V
VHS
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