Down an equally long hall lies the map room. Alex especially love maps, and we enjoyed seeing these wall size panels and the details early cartographers put into these maps, mostly of Italy. The pope needed to have a great deal of knowledge of the lay of the land while executing his roles, and the room definitely kept him informed.
Another thing to note about these rooms; the hallways themselves deserve accolades for their craftsmanship. From wallpaper to ceiling decor, each detail trumpets the skill of the artisan involved. So much to take in deserves appreciation that the few hours we spent there just cannot give justice, and my failing words are only a faint shell of a description.
At some point, I'm unsure just where, we stepped out on a patio and in the darkness got a great view of St. Peter's dome. I knew seeing the basilica would be amazing, I did not know how profound the museum's masterpieces would effect me, and some of the most notable parts stood before us. We reflected on our blessings to get to do this so early in our lives, and wondered about what adventures await us in the coming years.
Our tour brought us next to a room of "epic paintings" -- like every painting seen thus far wasn't epic enough. In this case, the title speaks more to the dimensions of the painting and not the magnitude or quality of the work, though each displayed incredible mastery and most certainly requires something of a unique skill set. A painter must be quite talented to paint standing on stairs to reach the top of his 20 foot work and still integrate all the sections seamlessly.
Next came the room of the Immaculate Conception. Frescoed after the papal decree of the Immaculate Conception (which is the doctrine that Mary was born without original sin), the works are some of the latest in the collection, the walls depict scenes from the life of Mary. In the center of the room is a wooden structure containing the original decree. Of all Catholic teaching, the treatment of Mary is the most difficult for my Protestant mind to wrap my head around. The room was awe-inspiring, but its hard for me to find the rationale.
The so-called Raphael rooms come next. Pope Julius II, recognizing the talents of a then young and relatively unknown Raphael, commissioned him to fresco his private apartments. Some of the most well known works of art in the Western canon resulted from this decision.
Many readers might recognize the School of Athens, which portrays many of the heavy hitters of the Renaissance portrayed as the Greek philosophers from whom the Renaissance drew so much of its inspiration. In the center, Leonardo da Vinci plays Plato conversing with Aristotle (a lesser known contemporary to the modern reader, Guiliano da Sangallo). An interesting story we heard says Raphael originally wasn't going to include Michelangelo in the painting (today's misunderstood, tortured artists who feel they must suffer for their art and don't hold candle to Michelangelo). After sneaking a peak at Michelangelo at work down the hall (where the Sistine Chapel started taking form), Raphael begrudgingly found a spot for him in the school of Athens (bottom center, with his head on his hand.)
Of course many of the other walls must receive some note. Readers might recall that the Cathedral of Orvieto housed a relic commemorating a miracle where the Eucharist took the form of flesh and blood. The connection between this painting and an earlier stop on our trip really appealed me. Speaking of transubstantiation, Raphael provides an excellent depiction of this doctrine which so clashes with my Protestant sensibilities in another of his works. I also really enjoyed scenes from the life of Constantine and the incredible meeting between Pope Leo and Atilla the Hun.
But we really must move on. The last room claims the most notoriety, the Sistine Chapel. This room still serves as the meeting place where the Cardinals choose a new pope, imagine the civilization altering questions and decisions made in this room. The gravity of the importance of those decisions might just knock you backward before the marvel of Michelangelo's handiwork gets a hold of you. Once it does, you are imported into a whole new world.
My knowledge of the chapel before this trip came from that iconic image of God reaching out his hand to Adam, and I originally thought the entire ceiling would be that painting. In reality, the ceiling is partitioned into ten panels, each one depicting some scene from Michelangelo's conception of a history of everything, from creation to the coming of Christ. The front wall, its entirety, displays the final judgement. In the corners and arches, Michelangelo places the patriarchs and prophets. The side walls (not done by Michelangelo) reenact scenes from Christ's earthly ministry, and we enjoyed going around the room and surmising what story was depicted where.
We had enough time left on our tour to go back and view some of the antiquities again, especially Laocoon, but the Vatican was definitely the climax of our trip. There was a group playing music in the courtyard so we sat on a bench listening to an Italian opera singer attempt Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. Tomorrow we would be heading home, and there was definitely something akin to sadness in the fact that we would be returning to our routine lives. But what an incredible 2 weeks it has been seeing and experiencing just a corner of this wonderful world.
After we left the Vatican Museums we were giddy. We couldn't quite wrap our minds around what we had just experienced. We celebrated by stopping and getting our second gelato cones of the day but after all we had Euro change we needed to spend and there is not a better way to blow a few coins than licking gelato, walking the streets of Rome with your incredible spouse, and discussing the events of the day. We lay in bed that night and couldn't sleep. We were heading back home in the morning to small town Kansas. A part of us wondered what we could do in the rest of our lives that would ever match the experience.
My, it was a blast, and the memories from the trip continue to inspire and motivate. It reminds that the best things in life are so much more valuable than the easily obtainable, it makes me want to reach for the best. I certainly don't also do the best at it, but the thought of David sure makes it more likely that I'll reach for a good book instead of passing the time idly on Netflix. Memories of the Uffizi goad me onward while exercising, the taste of authentic carbonara reminds me there is something so much better than my fast food cravings. I don't think someone could look at my life and say it has markedly changed since this vacation, but I like to think that things are still fulminating. Anyway, we look forward to more travels, and more adventures with each other. Omnia Vincit Amour.
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