Today we split up, going to see different things. Andy went to the Vatican Museum and I went to St. Peter’s. I’ve been to the Vatican Museum many times and the tour ends with the Sistine Chapel. The last time I saw it the ceiling by Michelangelo had been cleaned and the colors were so bright and beautiful. For someone who didn’t consider himself a painter he did a pretty awesome job.
I stood in line for about 30 minutes before getting into St. Peter’s Basillica. The biggest and most ornate over-the-top church you will ever see. The dome was designed by Michelangelo after the dome of the Duomo in Florence. The canopy over the altar and over the remains of St Peter was designed by Bernini who also designed the columns in St. Peter’s square. Popes, Kings and Queens are buried within the church in tombs with huge, ornate sculptures. Pope Saint John Paul II is in a very simple tomb with only his name carved on the front. Then Pope Saint John Paul XXIII is mummified in a glass crypt and looks like he did the day he died. Although St Peter’s I’d the largest church in the world, there is not much space for prayer or sitting in pews. There are only two small (in comparisons) side chapels set aside for prayer. Just as well, because the rest of the floor space is taken up by tourists. One special thing I forgot to mention is the Pieta by Michelangelo. This was carved by him when he was 24 years old and the only piece he ever signed. I remember being able to walk around the statue of Mary holding the body of Christ years ago, but after it was attacked by a man with a hammer, it has been behind plexiglass and can only be viewed from the front. The Pieta is only one of two statues that ever made me cry because of the skill, beauty and emotion carved into the marble.
You can’t go wrong getting books at the Library on St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel or on Micaelangelo. Amazing feats of art and architecture…especially when considering WHEN this was all created in the 1500’s.
The center aisle is cordoned off. Looking at the floor, walking from the front of the church toward the altar, you see bronze plaques, or carvings in stone blocks. Each of these shows where the front doors of major churches around the world are in relation to the altar. This will help you in your mind’s eye realize the enormity of this Basilica. It shows how every church, Notre Dame, Chartes, Westminster Abby, St. Paul’s in London or the National Cathedral in Washington could each easily fit inside St. Peter’s. So, no matter the weather nor the wait in line…St. Peter’s is not to be missed.