Happy St. Agnes' Feast Day!
Today we spent the entire day at the Vatican. I have a lot of notes so I will be summarizing what went on as best I can, but be warned that there is a lot of information!
The first thing we did was go on a tour of the Scavi underneath the Vatican (remember Scavi means excavations). Our tour guide talked really fast and so I have like 8 pages of notes from her talk. Later I found out she was from Minnesota and I realized why she talked so fast! Haha!
Here goes: The Vatican gets it name from the land, the Vatican Hill and the Vatican Valley (P.S. The land is now mostly flat… getting to that later). St. Peter's Basilica is on top of the land that was originally the Circus of Nero. This was where Peter would have been martyred and he was buried on the Vatican Hill. The obelisk in the center of the piazza out front was from the center of the circus but was moved from it's original place (which was across from the Scavi office).
During the time of the emperor Hadrian a pagan cemetery was built up in the area (although Christian family members were also buried there). We saw this thing called the Trophy of Gius (trophy meaning victory and used to decorate the graves of martyrs). Gius, a prominent Christian mentioned in Romans 16:23, built a trophy over St. Paul and St. Peter's grave sites (during the time of Marcus Aurelius). The trophy is at a strange angle to the grave (approx. 110 degrees) which is evidence that it was built after the grave itself, and the bricks are stamped with Marcus Aurelius' stamp.
One of the first things we saw an in the Scavi was an Egyptian Mausoleum which had the God of Horus and the Ankh (a T with an oval on the top that looks like a cross) which is an Egyptian sign for life. We do not know who was buried there because when Constantine built the first basilica in the area he built a 9 foot wide wall (and the length of a football field) over the entrance and ruined countless other tombs.
The Scavi is not a catacomb (which has and always will be underground), it is a Necropolis. (The pagan belief is that souls remained with the ashes and therefore the mausoleums are known as a Necropolis or dead city where the souls live. This is why the mausoleums are so beautiful and look like houses, to make the soul comfortable. The mausoleums had familial remains, some with up to 170 different people!) The Necropolis would have been at ground level.
Constantine had a dream where God told him to conquer with the Xi Rho symbol (X-P crossed) and so when he did conquer at the Milvian Bridge he started building churches with prominent figures graves underneath the altars. Since Peter was buried there, instead of moving the bones Constantine starts to deconstruct the hill and level the land. When he did this he buried the Necropolis and it was forgotten for a long time.
Ironically in the one solely Christian Mausoleum in the entire excavation had been discovered in 1574 when they were working on the floor of the basilica and a part collapsed into the mausoleum. However, it was normal for this to happen in other churches and so they filled it back in and it was forgotten again.
In 1939 Pope Pius XI was about to die he requested to be buried next to Pope Pius X. However there was no room so they started to dig, because you never deny a pope their last requests. When they started digging they found some mausoleums. However due to the political issues with Mussolini, the Vatican excavated in secret, by hand for 10 years.
Problem: When they were trying to excavate St. Peter's tomb they had a few issues. They could not get at it from all four directions!! They also could not get there from above. The only solution (which was not very well accepted) was to come in from the bottom. They found lots of evidence that this was the area, viewing hole, coins, etc. (also animal remains because that was where they disposed of the animals from the circus). Once they did get in the encountered another problem… Where were St. Peter's remains??
They found a tomb next to St. Peter's that is supposed to be St. Linus'. They also found a wall (called the graffiti wall because it has graffiti all over it). Inside the wall were 30 bone fragments that were remains of a man, from about 2000 years ago, about 60-70 years old at the time of death, of a robust build (possibly a fisherman), and there were no feet bones. Found him! Ironically, on the graffiti wall someone wrote "Peter is here" in Greek. (Sorry, like I said, I tried to summarize quickly...).
After the Scavi we went upstairs to St. Peter's Basilica. It took 120 years to complete the current basilica. It was designed by Michelangelo but he dies before it was completed. The canopy over the altar was created by Bernini. After walking in, immediately to the right was Michelangelo's Pieta where Mary is holding her son Jesus in her arms right after he had been taken down from the cross. It was the only work of Michelangelo that was signed.
Information dump: St. Peter's Basilica is the tallest dome in the entire world and 148 popes are buried in and around the basilica. The altar directly above St. Peter's tomb is reserved specifically for the pope. And there is an Italian tradition to touch the feet of Jesus on statues and sculptures.
Ok moving on… We went to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. Most of the Museum was interesting, but not a lot had to do with early church history, so I don't have a lot to say about it. However, I do have a lot to say about the Sistine Chapel (since the tour guide spent 45 minutes talking about it).
The Sistine Chapel was built in 1475 by Pope Sixtus IV. It is the pope's personal chapel and is entirely frescoed. It is used for conclave (deciding of the new pope). It was the first time ever that painting looked like architecture. Michelangelo took 53 months to complete his projects (and closed everyone out while he did it). After completing the work he had permanent physical problems after working on the ceiling.
The Last Judgment (behind the altar) has 410 people painted into it. It took 40 years to restore it fully (recent activity). Most of the people in the painting were nude (later people came in and painted clothing on them… how rude!) Pope John Paul II said that the fresco displayed the essence of the human body.
Funny Story: The judge of hell in the painting was the cardinal who chastised Michelangelo for not allowing anyone to see the painting and was saying bad thing about Michelangelo to others. After our tour, we went back to the Raphael Rooms and saw the painting by Rafael with Michelangelo front and center looking disgruntled. Quite Funny.
After that we climbed up to the top of St. Peter's Basilica dome and watched the sun set over Rome. It was beautiful! Although the climb was disorienting with leaning hallways and lots of spiral staircases. When we got back down we stopped by the gift shop and then headed towards Piazza Navona. We had dinner nearby and then stopped by La Botticella for a drink before heading back to the hotel to sleep.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Day 11- On the Aventine and Galleria Borghese
Today we had a shorter day. We walked over to the Aventine hill (one of the seven) and went first to San Theodore, which is a Greek Orthodox Church in Rome. It is one of the oldest churches in Rome and was in the land that was primarily Greek people. St. Theodore was a soldier under Diocletian when Rome was trying to purge the legions of Christians because they were against the pagan gods. The commanders required that everyone sacrifice and St. Theodore refused. However, since he was so young, they asked him to reconsider and gave him a few days to think about it. In that time Theodore burned down a pagan temple. He was then martyred in February 17th, 306. People now bring their sick children to this church for healing.
Afterwards we walked by the Circus Maximus. The next place we went to was Santa Prisca, which is another Title Church. This could be the site of the house of Prisca from the New Testament, and which would have been a place where Paul and Peter came. This house/church was possibly built on the site of a Mithraum. The church itself was very basic.
After that we headed towards Santa Sabina (another Title Church) which is one of Jim's Top 5 Churches. Sadly there was a movie being filmed in front of the church so we couldn't get in… so I will save those notes for another day. Instead we went to the park around the back and overlooked the Tiber and the city. HBO Rome Note: We saw the area where the main characters would have lived down by the river.
After the nice view, we walked over to Santa Maria in Cosmedine. This church was given to the Greek Christians when they came to Rome after persecution in the east over the discussion of icons. The most well known thing about this church was the Mouth of Truth out in front of the church. If you have ever seen the movie Roman Holiday this may come as a reminder. You put your hand into the Mouth of Truth and profess your love. If it is a lie then the mouth will bite your hand. Really though, it is just a sewer cover that has the face of a god on there (probably Neptune).
From there we saw the Forum Boarium which has 2 temples, one is round and the other is rectangular. The round one is a temple to Hercules Victor and was the center for the olive trade. The rectangular one was to either Fortuna or Portuna (unknown) and was the center for flower trade. They are very well preserved amazingly.
After that we headed back to the hotel for a few minutes and then some of us took the opportunity to visit the Galleria Borghese in the Villa Borghese. This was our first opportunity to ride the bus and it was an adventure. Right now the Galleria is having a Caravaggio and Francis Bacon exhibit (Bacon wasn't much to see but the rest was cool!) We saw some Bernini's and Caravaggio's. Overall it was worth they extra few euros to do.
After that we did a little shopping and dinner and then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
Afterwards we walked by the Circus Maximus. The next place we went to was Santa Prisca, which is another Title Church. This could be the site of the house of Prisca from the New Testament, and which would have been a place where Paul and Peter came. This house/church was possibly built on the site of a Mithraum. The church itself was very basic.
After that we headed towards Santa Sabina (another Title Church) which is one of Jim's Top 5 Churches. Sadly there was a movie being filmed in front of the church so we couldn't get in… so I will save those notes for another day. Instead we went to the park around the back and overlooked the Tiber and the city. HBO Rome Note: We saw the area where the main characters would have lived down by the river.
After the nice view, we walked over to Santa Maria in Cosmedine. This church was given to the Greek Christians when they came to Rome after persecution in the east over the discussion of icons. The most well known thing about this church was the Mouth of Truth out in front of the church. If you have ever seen the movie Roman Holiday this may come as a reminder. You put your hand into the Mouth of Truth and profess your love. If it is a lie then the mouth will bite your hand. Really though, it is just a sewer cover that has the face of a god on there (probably Neptune).
From there we saw the Forum Boarium which has 2 temples, one is round and the other is rectangular. The round one is a temple to Hercules Victor and was the center for the olive trade. The rectangular one was to either Fortuna or Portuna (unknown) and was the center for flower trade. They are very well preserved amazingly.
After that we headed back to the hotel for a few minutes and then some of us took the opportunity to visit the Galleria Borghese in the Villa Borghese. This was our first opportunity to ride the bus and it was an adventure. Right now the Galleria is having a Caravaggio and Francis Bacon exhibit (Bacon wasn't much to see but the rest was cool!) We saw some Bernini's and Caravaggio's. Overall it was worth they extra few euros to do.
After that we did a little shopping and dinner and then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Day 10- Ostia and St. Paul
Today was another bus day. We got on the bus and headed out to Ostia Antica which has remains of an old port city. The city is between the Mediterranean and the Mouth of the Tiber river (although the water is a little further away from the city now. This is the place where Augustine and his mother Monica went to wait for a boat to take then back to North Africa. In his confessions, Augustine tells us that his mother came down with a fever there and died. There is a memorial near the theater for her.
The city was built around 600 B.C.E. and was used until around the 6th Century C.E. when the port was no longer in use and the city fell into disuse. Amazingly, the city was never built over so the city has been sitting there in ruins for about 1500 years. We saw a lot of cool things, including some of the oldest public toilets ever (and I have some great pictures of this!) On the site is also the remains of a 4th Century Christian Basilica that is probably where Augustine and Monica worshiped while in Ostia.
After lunch and some exploring we boarded the bus and went to Tre Fontana which is the site of 3 churches that surround the area where Paul may have been beheaded (although there are 2 different spots that claim this). The first church we went to was called the Stairway to Heaven, the second was called Vincenzo and Anastasia which has 3 fountains inside (legend say it was where Paul's head bounced but was later disproven). The last place was the Basilica of 3 Fountains… which does not have 3 fountains.
The last place we went to was called St. Paul outside of the Walls. This is the site of St. Paul's tomb and is the other place that claims to have been where Paul was beheaded (Note: Paul was a Roman citizen so he would have been beheaded while Peter was not so he was sentenced to crucifixion-Peter asked to be put upside down because he was unworthy to die in the same way as Christ). This church was absolutely beautiful! Words are difficult to describe what was going on in this church but I had a lot of time for spiritual reflection and it was wonderful!
When we got back we relaxed and had an early night.
The city was built around 600 B.C.E. and was used until around the 6th Century C.E. when the port was no longer in use and the city fell into disuse. Amazingly, the city was never built over so the city has been sitting there in ruins for about 1500 years. We saw a lot of cool things, including some of the oldest public toilets ever (and I have some great pictures of this!) On the site is also the remains of a 4th Century Christian Basilica that is probably where Augustine and Monica worshiped while in Ostia.
After lunch and some exploring we boarded the bus and went to Tre Fontana which is the site of 3 churches that surround the area where Paul may have been beheaded (although there are 2 different spots that claim this). The first church we went to was called the Stairway to Heaven, the second was called Vincenzo and Anastasia which has 3 fountains inside (legend say it was where Paul's head bounced but was later disproven). The last place was the Basilica of 3 Fountains… which does not have 3 fountains.
The last place we went to was called St. Paul outside of the Walls. This is the site of St. Paul's tomb and is the other place that claims to have been where Paul was beheaded (Note: Paul was a Roman citizen so he would have been beheaded while Peter was not so he was sentenced to crucifixion-Peter asked to be put upside down because he was unworthy to die in the same way as Christ). This church was absolutely beautiful! Words are difficult to describe what was going on in this church but I had a lot of time for spiritual reflection and it was wonderful!
When we got back we relaxed and had an early night.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Day 9- Big Churches Day
Happy Feast of St. Prisca Day!
Today we started off by heading over to Santa Croce in Gerusaleme. This church was built in the 4th Century by St. Helena (Constantine's mother). It was and is meant to be a pilgrimage church for people who will never make it to Jerusalem. In St. Helena's travels to the holy land she found a lot of relics related to Christianity and quite a few of them are housed in the church. These relics include: A piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, the cross beam of the good thief, the plaque above Jesus' head, the accusing finger bone of St. Thomas, thorns from the crown on Jesus' head, and a nail from the cross of Jesus. This church also has the personal chapel of St. Helena.
After that we went down the road to the official Cathedral of Rome called San Giovanni in Laterano. The land was originally owned by the Laterani family (who were really rich) and it was given to Maxentius when he married into that family. When Constantine won the Battle at the Milvian Bridge he took the land and gave it to the church. This site became the first papal apartments and were used until 1305. The church is dedicated to both John the Baptist and St. John the gospel writer and housed all 5 of the Lateran councils (pre-Vatican councils).
The church has 3 different parts, the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs), San Giovanni in Fontana (St. John's fountain), and the Basilica. The Scala Santa houses the stairs to the Pretorium (from the New Testament during Jesus' passion story) brought back by St. Helena. Of the relics brought back to Rome by St. Helena these are the most likely to be real. The 28 stairs are now covered by wood with slits to stick your hand in to touch the stairs. The only way you are allowed to climb the stairs is on your knees (as a penance). Most of us did climb the stairs and I have to say OUCH!!!! I understand why it is a penance, although it was a cool experience.
The next place we went to was San Giovanni in Fontana, which was the first stand-alone baptistery (as in a building meant only for baptisms). It was the only place people were allowed to be baptized in the 4th Century (and they were only allowed to be baptized on Easter).
The last part of the area was the Basilica. Above the altar was a piece of the wood from the table of the last supper. There were also pillars from the temple of Trajan under the organ. Above the bookshop was the tomb of Pope Innocent III who was the peak of papal power.
From there we had lunch at this little place called I Clementini (which is supposedly where all of the Irish priests go to eat… didn't see any sadly). It was across the street from San Clemente which was were we went next. This is one of Jim's top 5 churches and also one of his top 10 places in Rome. It is also a Title Church. It may have been named after the man Clement that was mentioned by Paul in the New Testament but it is unknown. What we do know is that the emperor Domitian's cousin and family were Christians who were martyred; one of the slaves of that family was freed upon the cousin's death and took the name Clement. This Clement wrote 1 Clement, was exiled from Rome in 98 C.E., and was the first bishop in Rome. Clement was martyred by being tied to an anchor and thrown in the Black Sea. In 861 C.E. his body was "found" on the beach by a guy named Cyril who then died. Both of these men are buried in the church.
Below the church there are 4 levels: a 4th Century church (used until the 11th century), 3rd Century remains of a Roman street and the house of Clement, a Mithraum (pagan temple), and finally remains of a 1st Century street with evidence of the fire of 64. The 4th Century church was probably built by Constantine and the top of the original basilica is cut off to build the modern church. A Mithraum is a temple to the God Mithras who is depicted as slaying a bull. The cult of Mithras was a very secret cult, sort of like masonry. Sadly it was really confusing to figure out anything but the 4th Century church and the Mithraum so I didn't realize when I saw the house or streets….
I have to say the San Clemente was probably one of my favorite places in Rome also. It was beautiful in the Scavi (excavations) and I could really feel the spirit's presence in that 4th century church.
After that we were done for the day so we had dinner and a few drinks and then went to bed.
Today we started off by heading over to Santa Croce in Gerusaleme. This church was built in the 4th Century by St. Helena (Constantine's mother). It was and is meant to be a pilgrimage church for people who will never make it to Jerusalem. In St. Helena's travels to the holy land she found a lot of relics related to Christianity and quite a few of them are housed in the church. These relics include: A piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, the cross beam of the good thief, the plaque above Jesus' head, the accusing finger bone of St. Thomas, thorns from the crown on Jesus' head, and a nail from the cross of Jesus. This church also has the personal chapel of St. Helena.
After that we went down the road to the official Cathedral of Rome called San Giovanni in Laterano. The land was originally owned by the Laterani family (who were really rich) and it was given to Maxentius when he married into that family. When Constantine won the Battle at the Milvian Bridge he took the land and gave it to the church. This site became the first papal apartments and were used until 1305. The church is dedicated to both John the Baptist and St. John the gospel writer and housed all 5 of the Lateran councils (pre-Vatican councils).
The church has 3 different parts, the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs), San Giovanni in Fontana (St. John's fountain), and the Basilica. The Scala Santa houses the stairs to the Pretorium (from the New Testament during Jesus' passion story) brought back by St. Helena. Of the relics brought back to Rome by St. Helena these are the most likely to be real. The 28 stairs are now covered by wood with slits to stick your hand in to touch the stairs. The only way you are allowed to climb the stairs is on your knees (as a penance). Most of us did climb the stairs and I have to say OUCH!!!! I understand why it is a penance, although it was a cool experience.
The next place we went to was San Giovanni in Fontana, which was the first stand-alone baptistery (as in a building meant only for baptisms). It was the only place people were allowed to be baptized in the 4th Century (and they were only allowed to be baptized on Easter).
The last part of the area was the Basilica. Above the altar was a piece of the wood from the table of the last supper. There were also pillars from the temple of Trajan under the organ. Above the bookshop was the tomb of Pope Innocent III who was the peak of papal power.
From there we had lunch at this little place called I Clementini (which is supposedly where all of the Irish priests go to eat… didn't see any sadly). It was across the street from San Clemente which was were we went next. This is one of Jim's top 5 churches and also one of his top 10 places in Rome. It is also a Title Church. It may have been named after the man Clement that was mentioned by Paul in the New Testament but it is unknown. What we do know is that the emperor Domitian's cousin and family were Christians who were martyred; one of the slaves of that family was freed upon the cousin's death and took the name Clement. This Clement wrote 1 Clement, was exiled from Rome in 98 C.E., and was the first bishop in Rome. Clement was martyred by being tied to an anchor and thrown in the Black Sea. In 861 C.E. his body was "found" on the beach by a guy named Cyril who then died. Both of these men are buried in the church.
Below the church there are 4 levels: a 4th Century church (used until the 11th century), 3rd Century remains of a Roman street and the house of Clement, a Mithraum (pagan temple), and finally remains of a 1st Century street with evidence of the fire of 64. The 4th Century church was probably built by Constantine and the top of the original basilica is cut off to build the modern church. A Mithraum is a temple to the God Mithras who is depicted as slaying a bull. The cult of Mithras was a very secret cult, sort of like masonry. Sadly it was really confusing to figure out anything but the 4th Century church and the Mithraum so I didn't realize when I saw the house or streets….
I have to say the San Clemente was probably one of my favorite places in Rome also. It was beautiful in the Scavi (excavations) and I could really feel the spirit's presence in that 4th century church.
After that we were done for the day so we had dinner and a few drinks and then went to bed.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Day 8- "Spooky Day"
This morning during our class time Jim said that today was going to be a "spooky" day. The first place we went to was the Trevi fountain (which was not spooky… oh well) but is at the end of a 2000 year old aqueduct. It is probably the #2 place for filming movies in Rome (maybe tied wuth the Colosseum). The superstition is that you are supposed to throw a coin over your shoulder not for good luck but to ensure a return to Rome. We took lots of photo opportunities and one of the group that was really good.
Then we headed towards the Capuchin Crypt. The Capuchin Crypt is a cemetery-ish where the monks ran out of room to bury their dead so they took the resting bones out of the ground and made artwork on the walls of the crypt so they would have more room to bury. Like I have mentioned before, the skeleton is a Medieval symbol to remind people of their mortality. This was a perfect way to do this. The monks are Franciscan and St. Francis used to sign his letters with a skull (fitting right?). The artwork along the walls carries a lot of theological imagery, such as a winged hourglass and crosses made of bones. They even made the Franciscan crest out of bones (two crossed arms, one sleeved and the other bare-representing Jesus and St. Francis' arms). It was a little sick, but also really cool. After being reminded of our mortality for awhile, we headed to an English-speaking Scottish Presbyterian Church.
After church we headed out towards the Vatican to Castel Sant' Angelo. It was originally built by the Emperor Hadrian (after Trajan) as a mausoleum for his family. Later it was converted into a papal palace by Pope Gregory the Great. It has a large bronze statue of the Archangel Michael sheathing his sword which Pope Gregory the Great saw in a dream that indicated the end of the great plague. Throughout time it has served many different purposes but is specifically known for the Vatican Corridor which is a long passageway that connects the papal apartments at the Vatican to the Castel (also known by us as the "Pape-Escape"). This was featured in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons (don't want to give away anything else about the book… sorry). The cool part is that you can go up to the top and have a good view of the surrounding city.
From Castel Sant' Angelo we walked over to the Piazza del Spagna which has the large Spanish Steps. This area is like the Rodeo Drive of Italy (and we got to do some shopping around there!). Also in the area is the first McDonalds in Italy… we had to stop in and it was HUGE!!! They have their own pastry area and a gelataria away from the main order place. (P.S. I have yet to eat McDonalds in Italy and I plan to keep it that way!!)
After that we walked to Piazza del Popolo and saw another wonderful view of the city at dusk. Legend has it that Nero was buried in this area near a tree and the people who lived around there thought that it was haunted by Nero's ghost and so some Christians cut down the tree and built a church over the top of the site. That church is Santa Maria del Poplo and it has Caravaggio's paintings of The Crucifixion of St. Peter and The Conversion of St. Paul. Also the obelisk in the center of the Piazza was from the Circus Maximus.
We had a group dinner around Piazza Navona with way too much food and then headed over to La Botticella to watch the ending of the Vikings game! Woot we creamed the Cowboys! (and I am going to watch the game Sunday night!)
Then we headed towards the Capuchin Crypt. The Capuchin Crypt is a cemetery-ish where the monks ran out of room to bury their dead so they took the resting bones out of the ground and made artwork on the walls of the crypt so they would have more room to bury. Like I have mentioned before, the skeleton is a Medieval symbol to remind people of their mortality. This was a perfect way to do this. The monks are Franciscan and St. Francis used to sign his letters with a skull (fitting right?). The artwork along the walls carries a lot of theological imagery, such as a winged hourglass and crosses made of bones. They even made the Franciscan crest out of bones (two crossed arms, one sleeved and the other bare-representing Jesus and St. Francis' arms). It was a little sick, but also really cool. After being reminded of our mortality for awhile, we headed to an English-speaking Scottish Presbyterian Church.
After church we headed out towards the Vatican to Castel Sant' Angelo. It was originally built by the Emperor Hadrian (after Trajan) as a mausoleum for his family. Later it was converted into a papal palace by Pope Gregory the Great. It has a large bronze statue of the Archangel Michael sheathing his sword which Pope Gregory the Great saw in a dream that indicated the end of the great plague. Throughout time it has served many different purposes but is specifically known for the Vatican Corridor which is a long passageway that connects the papal apartments at the Vatican to the Castel (also known by us as the "Pape-Escape"). This was featured in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons (don't want to give away anything else about the book… sorry). The cool part is that you can go up to the top and have a good view of the surrounding city.
From Castel Sant' Angelo we walked over to the Piazza del Spagna which has the large Spanish Steps. This area is like the Rodeo Drive of Italy (and we got to do some shopping around there!). Also in the area is the first McDonalds in Italy… we had to stop in and it was HUGE!!! They have their own pastry area and a gelataria away from the main order place. (P.S. I have yet to eat McDonalds in Italy and I plan to keep it that way!!)
After that we walked to Piazza del Popolo and saw another wonderful view of the city at dusk. Legend has it that Nero was buried in this area near a tree and the people who lived around there thought that it was haunted by Nero's ghost and so some Christians cut down the tree and built a church over the top of the site. That church is Santa Maria del Poplo and it has Caravaggio's paintings of The Crucifixion of St. Peter and The Conversion of St. Paul. Also the obelisk in the center of the Piazza was from the Circus Maximus.
We had a group dinner around Piazza Navona with way too much food and then headed over to La Botticella to watch the ending of the Vikings game! Woot we creamed the Cowboys! (and I am going to watch the game Sunday night!)
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Day 7- Free Day #7
Yay for a day of sleeping in! Today we had planned on visiting a museum called the Crypto Balbi (mostly because it was free). When we headed out there we found out that we had to wait at least and hour to have an escorted tour. So we decided to walk around until we could get in. We headed south towards the river and stumbled on the Fountain of Tortoises which is a fountain with turtles on it… no way! The turtles were probably added later by Bernini but that is just speculation.
We then walked towards the Theater of Marcello which is a theater built by Augustus in 23 B.C. and is near the river. On the way there we walked through the Jewish Ghetto (accidentally) and stumbled on the Portico of Octavia which was also built by Augustus for his sister. We walked through the archeological area and then found the theater we were looking for.
We were close to the river and so we decided to walk towards it and we stumbled on a little church, called Saint Nicholas in Prison, next to the theater with exposed columns that were obviously old. We stopped in and found out we could see some remains below the church. Problem was that the tour was in Italian. However, the couple that toured with us spoke Italian and English and so they translated for us.
Turns our that this church is built over the remains of 3 pagan temples! The site has been closed for the last 3 years for excavations and so our professor had not even seen the site before. The 3 temples (from South to North) were the Temple of Hope, the Temple to Juno (the goddess of war and wife of Jupiter), and the Temple to Janus (a two faced god and the oldest temple from roughly 200 B.C.E.). It was so cool! There were also remains of the original streets that ran in between the temples and little cubbies that housed money changers in the day.
The original church was built in 600-700 C.E. but none of that church remains. However, the church was rebuilt in the 1500's. We noticed some holes in the ceiling (the floor of the church) that were boarded off and the tour guide told us that the holes were from when the church used to place their dead under the church. Supposedly they would just drop the bodies down into the hole because many could not afford a proper burial. Some of the bones are still down in the pit and we were able to see them.
In the upstairs of the church there are a bunch of columns that were taken from other temples and churches to build the 1500's church (so none of them matched). On one of the columns was an inscription probably from the 1100's that details a priest's donations to the church and all he asks is that he be buried at the base of the column. But the rest of the story was lost in translation. Overall, it a very cool find!
Then we headed back to the Crypto Balbi and toured that. It was really hard to figure out what was going on there and it was not very interesting… oh well. After that we went back to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
We then walked towards the Theater of Marcello which is a theater built by Augustus in 23 B.C. and is near the river. On the way there we walked through the Jewish Ghetto (accidentally) and stumbled on the Portico of Octavia which was also built by Augustus for his sister. We walked through the archeological area and then found the theater we were looking for.
We were close to the river and so we decided to walk towards it and we stumbled on a little church, called Saint Nicholas in Prison, next to the theater with exposed columns that were obviously old. We stopped in and found out we could see some remains below the church. Problem was that the tour was in Italian. However, the couple that toured with us spoke Italian and English and so they translated for us.
Turns our that this church is built over the remains of 3 pagan temples! The site has been closed for the last 3 years for excavations and so our professor had not even seen the site before. The 3 temples (from South to North) were the Temple of Hope, the Temple to Juno (the goddess of war and wife of Jupiter), and the Temple to Janus (a two faced god and the oldest temple from roughly 200 B.C.E.). It was so cool! There were also remains of the original streets that ran in between the temples and little cubbies that housed money changers in the day.
The original church was built in 600-700 C.E. but none of that church remains. However, the church was rebuilt in the 1500's. We noticed some holes in the ceiling (the floor of the church) that were boarded off and the tour guide told us that the holes were from when the church used to place their dead under the church. Supposedly they would just drop the bodies down into the hole because many could not afford a proper burial. Some of the bones are still down in the pit and we were able to see them.
In the upstairs of the church there are a bunch of columns that were taken from other temples and churches to build the 1500's church (so none of them matched). On one of the columns was an inscription probably from the 1100's that details a priest's donations to the church and all he asks is that he be buried at the base of the column. But the rest of the story was lost in translation. Overall, it a very cool find!
Then we headed back to the Crypto Balbi and toured that. It was really hard to figure out what was going on there and it was not very interesting… oh well. After that we went back to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Day 6- Pompeii
Today we took a 3 hour bus ride down the coast (past Naples) to Pompeii, by the way it was really cold!!! For those of you who do not know Pompeii is near the western coast of Italy and is at the base of Mount Vesuvius. The city itself dates back to the 700's B.C.E. and eventually became the "summer houses" for rich senators and also a retirement place.
However, in 62 C.E. Pompeii experienced an earthquake that demolished some of the city. After rebuilding, in 79 C.E. Mount Vesuvius erupted (blowing off over half of the mountain), entirely burying the city of Pompeii. The excavations for the site have been going on for over 200 years.
The city is practically X-Rated in the modern sense because there are lots of dirty pictures and inscriptions. There are also lots of frescos and most of the city is still somewhat intact. Some of the coolest things we saw were casts of humans that were killed by the volcano (the flesh deteriorated and left an empty hole which archeologists filled with plaster to create casts).
I hate to say that all archeological sites are the same but in Pompeii it is hard to explain what we saw except to say that after 4 hours we were really tired and cold and I have a lot of pictures to recreate the story for me. So that is really all I have to say about Pompeii. We got back on the bus, rode for 3 hours, and then had a group dinner. After that we grabbed some gelato and went to bed.
However, in 62 C.E. Pompeii experienced an earthquake that demolished some of the city. After rebuilding, in 79 C.E. Mount Vesuvius erupted (blowing off over half of the mountain), entirely burying the city of Pompeii. The excavations for the site have been going on for over 200 years.
The city is practically X-Rated in the modern sense because there are lots of dirty pictures and inscriptions. There are also lots of frescos and most of the city is still somewhat intact. Some of the coolest things we saw were casts of humans that were killed by the volcano (the flesh deteriorated and left an empty hole which archeologists filled with plaster to create casts).
I hate to say that all archeological sites are the same but in Pompeii it is hard to explain what we saw except to say that after 4 hours we were really tired and cold and I have a lot of pictures to recreate the story for me. So that is really all I have to say about Pompeii. We got back on the bus, rode for 3 hours, and then had a group dinner. After that we grabbed some gelato and went to bed.
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