We visited two churches today – the church of San Pietro in Vincoli and the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva – where we had a brief discussion about relics, as well as questioned and analyzed the artworks associated with the famous artist Michelangelo found in each church.
Although it looked as though it could have rained at any moment this morning, the weather did not interfere with our trek to the church of San Pietro in Vincoli where Elice presented on Michelangelo’s tomb for Pope Julius II. While sitting on the steps outside the church, we learned that the name of the church meant “Saint Peter in chains”, and the chains are a relic referring to the imprisonment of Peter, which can also be found in the church. Elice then engaged the audience with the history and description of the tomb of Pope Julius II. She spoke of the problems that Michelangelo faced while building the Pope’s tomb, such as constant interruptions because of the many other projects that were commissioned to him at the same time (i.e. the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel).
When one first enters the San Pietro in Vincoli, the Pope’s tomb is not clearly visible. Instead, the viewer must walk towards the back corner of the church to see it. The central feature on the tomb is Michelangelo’s statue of Moses with horns on his head (center figure on the bottom half), which is believed to be a mistranslation of the bible. Michelangelo originally envisioned his statue of Moses to be much more grandiose. However, because it was never completed to Michelangelo’s liking and took 40 years to complete, the statue of Moses was thus referred to as the “tragedy of the tomb” by Michelangelo himself.
After our tour of San Pietro in Vincoli, we just had to stop by Caffe’ Tazza D’Oro for some good ol’ Italian coffee before heading to the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Considering we had 22 coffee orders, I was impressed by how quick and accurate the baristas were! And, like true Italians, we each happily emptied our glasses while standing (as Italians rarely sit and drink their cup of Joe). I also learned that the latte macchiato is considered a “baby’s” drink from the viewpoint of the Italian’s, as it consists of mainly steamed milk and a splash of coffee. Although it may not be the ideal Italian coffee drink, I say it still hit the spot!
Inside the Santa Maria sopra Minerva stands another one of Michelangelo’s statues – the Risen Christ, which is located towards the back of the basilica. This particular statue, however, is considered one of the artist’s least admired works. Though critics have never appreciated it, the patrons were fond of it. Many of the criticisms that arise from this sculpture are due to its nudity – some feel that it is an inappropriate representation of Christ, and the figure’s disproportional body – broad hips on thin legs and large buttocks. Despite these criticisms, we discussed a specific argument that suggests changes in light and angle of the statue significantly affects how the Risen Christ is interpreted. If we view the figure from the left (where the cross is directly facing us: bottom picture), then we no longer notice the many flaws that have been noted, which is probably how Michelangelo envisioned his sculpture be displayed.
Class ended after our discussion of the Risen Christ. And what do you think we did after a hard day’s work in Rome? Well, we naturally stormed the city for some amazing Italian food!
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