April 25, 2006

• VERY heavy picture post………….you’ve been warned!
  ALL of these can be clicked on to see a bigger version.
  Friday April 7th Rome, Italy.  Inside St. Peter’s Basilica. 

  The
  Basilica is huge but it gives the impression of being much
  smaller.  You don’t even realize how big it is until someone says
  oh that statue is xx feet tall.
  We were here the Friday before palm sunday and while we were in the
  Basilica there was the most beautiful choral music coming from all the
  speakers. (Bose by the way) I kind of figured that it was being piped
  in but then when we were almost ready to leave the church a choir came
  marching down the aisle in their long dresses and dress pants.

  Actually everything is so ornate that you need a lot of time to absorb it all. 

  Baroque and renaissance so there is lots of decoration and gilding etc.

  This
  is called the Baldacchino Canopy it was designed and made by Bernini in
  the 17th century.  The spiral columns are Bronze and are 66 feet
  high, that’s not counting what’s on top of the columns.  We are
  quite a way back and its blurry but you get the idea how big this thing
  is right?  It is situated right below the main dome of the
  Basilica.  If you took this and floated it straight up all but 6
  feet of it would fit in the top part of the dome.  The small
  part. 

  Notice there’s no stained glass, I was expecting it to be everywhere and instead there wasn’t any at all.  surprise!

  Oh, only the pope is allowed to celebrate mass on this altar.  The
  altar itself is just a huge slab of marble but our guide told us it
  came from the Nervi forum so it’s probaly a couple thousand years
  old.  The crypt just in front of the altar is where they tell
  people St. Peter is buried but there’s a lot of speculation on that one.

  Bernini’s last work before he died.  It’s a papal monument to Pope Alexander VII.

  This picture is bad as are most from inside the basilica, I couldn’t
  keep my camera steady and my tri pod was clear across town. 
  That’ll teach me.  But the thing is I saw this from clear across
  the Basilica and hoped that our guide would take us for a closer
  look.  If he hadn’t I would have asked him too.  Bernini
  really had that unexplainable “it”  you can see something by him
  from a long way off and it just draws you in for a closer look. 

  Did you notice the floors?  Three different part of the Basilica so three different floors.
  All of the floors are beautiful.

  We
  don’t really even remember which papal monument this is, after awhile
  your brain just starts hearing a bunch of names and dates.  A lot
  like high school now that I think about it…lol

  The Pieta
  by
  Michelangelo
  25 years old when completed in 1499.

  Stunning
  Luminous
  Sad
  Moving

  One of those “you had to be there” things.

  It still amazes me that I was in St. Peter’s square.
  Me!  This lucky person was in Rome and stood in Piazza San Pietro!

  Wonder
  how many times they get their picture taken in a day?  Because
  when I took this there were 15 or 20 other people right there with me
  snapping away.  Neither one of the Vatican Guards even looked up
  much less posed.  I imagine its completely normal after the first
  month on duty. 

  The
  Pope’s apartments are on the top floor all the way on the right. 
  His bedroom is the second window.  Obviously our guide told us
  this, how else would I know. 

  Still in St. Peter’s square.  Which was also designed by?…………
  you guessed it,

  Bernini!

  

  All the chairs are set for the masses that will be said on Palm Sunday and then again on Easter.

  The Sunday before we arrived was the memorial for Pope John-Paul. 
  There were a quarter million people in the square and in the road
  leading up to the square.

  

  That’s all for now.  To much already huh?  I didn’t even put up any Vatican Museum pictures yet!

  Maybe we can skip those and go straight to Historical Rome instead? 

  • 6:17 am
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