The Sistine Chapel

The famous Sistine Chapel in Vatican City is the Pope’s chapel.    It is well known for the Renaissance art inside as well as the location where papal conclaves take place.  This is the process where a new pope is selected, when the old pope dies.

Construction of the Sistine Chapel started in 1473 and the first mass was celebrated there ten years later.  The measurements of this simple rectangular structure are 134 by 44 feet with its ceiling rising 68 feet. Michelangelo Buonarroti was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV to repaint the ceiling in 1508. He considered himself a sculptor and did not want to accept the commission from the Pope but knew he had to.  He was afraid he was being set up to fail.

With more than 300 figures, the ceiling took four years to complete.  Ironically it has become one of Michelangelo’s most well known pieces of work and is also considered by many to be his crowning achievement.  Personally, I believe his statue of David in Florence is tied for this honor. 

Later on in 1537, when Michelangelo was in his 60s, he was called back again to paint the wall above the altar with The Last Judgement.  Again, this was against his wishes.  He included his self-portrait in this work twice, which he has been known to do.  Michelangelo was not the only Renaissance artist who frescoed on the chapel walls.  Other notable artists included Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, and Pinturicchio.

I have had the privilege of visiting the chapel several times. After visitors work their way through the Vatican Museum, they are led outside into a one-way line into the Sistine Chapel, which is adjacent to St. Peter’s. Each time I visited, it was riddled with tourists.  I had the benefit of a tour guide who explained several of the frescoes before I entered.  This helped give me an area to find and focus on after entering.  The details and beauty of each section of the ceiling and on the walls were so overwhelming that I didn’t know where to look first or what to look for.  I think you appreciate art more when you know what you are looking at. 

There are a few benches along some of the walls of the chapel, which are quickly filled by tired tourists.  Basically you have to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your tourist neighbor while cranking your head up trying to absorb the beauty of the ceiling that permanently damaged Michelangelo’s eyesight, as a result of the paint that dripped into his eyes while he was on his back.  There is absolutely no photography allowed in the chapel, flash or otherwise.  If a tourist tries to sneak one in, they are quickly reprimanded.  I have seen cameras confiscated too.  I was disappointed that I could not try to capture a memory of the beauty all around me.

I recently found this website which is a virtual tour of an empty Sistine Chapel.  It is worth exploring and enjoying, but it does not take the place of experiencing the masterpiece firsthand, which I hope you can do someday.  

http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

Creation of Adam on the Sistine ceiling. Courtesy of Web Gallery of Art.

Confessions in Europe

Going to confession is not one of the more looked forward to parts of religion, even for religious people.  It is difficult to confess your sins to someone, especially if that person knows you.  In most cases, you go to the church you attend to confess and you obviously know the priest, or he knows you. It may be embarrassing which deters some people from going, especially young people.

While on a student trip to Europe in 2008, I encountered an interesting event.  We were in Rome visiting St. Paul’s Basilica, also referred to as St. Paul’s Outside the Walls because it is literally outside the ancient walls of the city.  It is the second largest of Rome's four ancient major basilicas.  The largest is of course St. Peter’s in Vatican City.  The other two are St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major.

When we arrived at St. Paul’s, we had one hour in total to visit the church, take photos, use the restroom, buy water, or whatever else we needed to do.  This may sound like a lot of time, but it really isn’t.  An hour flies by.  The reason why being punctual is so important with group travel is that your school is not the only school on the tour.  We were a group of 18 but there were several other schools with us as well, filling the bus.   So being late would mean holding up other groups of people as well as throwing off the schedule of remaining things to do each day.

For years now I have been lighting a candle for my niece, who has been ill for many years, in every church I visit.  The kids inside saw me doing this and some lit candles too.  There were also many confessional boxes lining the side of the church with priests ‘on duty’. Above each box was a posted sign saying what language(s) the priest spoke.  One of the students asked me if she had time for confession.  With 15 minutes to go, I figured she was safe.  Another student saw her going and got in line too.  As other students were rounding the corner near the confessionals, a few others wanted to go. 

A few minutes later I had to round up the remaining kids in the church and direct them back towards the bus.  I was missing one boy.  When I found him, he saw one of the kids leaving the confessional.  He said he wanted to go too.  So now I had a decision to make.  If I let him go, we would be late.  But how on earth could I say no to a teenage boy who wanted to go to confession?  I waited for him and we walked back to the bus together, to the wrath of the group director. 

I tried to explain that I could not say no to a teenager who wanted to go to confession.  If you read my past blogs, you know I like a schedule and like being on time, as much as, if not more than the next person.  I knew that I should have said no, but I couldn’t.  Shame on me?  I think not this time.

The bus seemed lighter that afternoon.  Perhaps it was because of the lighter consciences of some of the students, or maybe just the mood that being in such a beautiful basilica can put you in.  In any case, I was pleased with our hour ‘and ten minutes’ even though I was wrong to be late.  

One of the English speaking confessionals

Inside St. Paul's Basilica

Part of the outside front of St. Paul's

More of the outside and grounds