Colosseum:
“Legend has it that as long as the Colosseum stands, Rome will stand, and when Rome falls, so will the world.”
The Colosseum is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and I got to go see it! The mammoth amphitheatre was built by Emperor Vespian, and dedicated before his death in 79AD, however wasn’t finished till 80AD under Titus’ reign. It held 50,000 spectators. Wild animals were imported form surrounding countries like Africa and would fight to the death in the arena, as well as gladiators. After the fall of Rome, some of the materials were taken to help build and decorate newer construction.
In 1349 an earthquake destroyed half of its structure, leaving what we see today.
The Vatican is the smallest country in the world. Its 440,00 square meters and has 900 people living there, including the Pope. Inside the city is St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel.
St. Peter’s Basilica:
St. Peter was crucified between 64 -67 AD and his tomb is inside of the church. The most exciting thing to me about this church is Michelangelo’s sculpture that he did at the age of 24 in 1499. “Pieta” (which means sorrow) made Michelangelo famous and is his only work that bears his signature.
Sistine Chapel:
Built in the 1470’s, matching Solomon’s temple described in the Old Testament with a 12,000 square foot barrel vaulted ceiling, was named after Pope Sixtus VI. The ceiling was an “expanse of azure fretted with golden stars” until 1504 when a crack appeared. Patchwork was done by Barmente (an architect), but signs of damage still appeared. The new Pope Julius II had the famous sculptor, Michelangelo paint the 135ft long by 44 ft wide ceiling with illustrations from the book of Genesis in the Bible. Michelangelo considered painting to be an inferior medium for “rascals and sissies.” He did it only because the Pope threatened to wage war on his hometown of Florence. The ceiling took him 4 years to finish creating an arch to his spine. The “Creation of Adam” is Westerners most famous image. We were not allowed to take pictures in the Chapel, but one of the guys on my tour was daring enough to get a shot with an iPhone. I'll get the picture from him when I get home and post it then.
No comments:
Post a Comment