1.
San Pietro in Vaticano
–
The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, or simply St. Peters Basilica, is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave within the city of Rome. While it is neither the church of the Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. It has been described as holding a position in the Christian world. Catholic tradition holds that the Basilica is the site of Saint Peter, one of Christs Apostles. Saint Peters tomb is supposedly directly below the altar of the Basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St. Peters since the Early Christian period, construction of the present basilica, which would replace Old St. Peters Basilica from the 4th century AD, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626. St. Peters is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The Pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year, drawing audiences of 15,000 to over 80,000 people, either within the Basilica or the adjoining St. Peters Square. St. Peters has many associations, with the Early Christian Church, the Papacy. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age, St. Peters is one of the four churches in the world that hold the rank of Major Basilica, all four of which are in Rome. Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop, St. Peters is a church built in the Renaissance style located in the Vatican City west of the River Tiber and near the Janiculum Hill and Hadrians Mausoleum. Its central dome dominates the skyline of Rome, the basilica is approached via St. Peters Square, a forecourt in two sections, both surrounded by tall colonnades. The first space is oval and the second trapezoid, the basilica is cruciform in shape, with an elongated nave in the Latin cross form but the early designs were for a centrally planned structure and this is still in evidence in the architecture. The central space is dominated both externally and internally by one of the largest domes in the world, the entrance is through a narthex, or entrance hall, which stretches across the building. One of the bronze doors leading from the narthex is the Holy Door. The interior is of vast dimensions when compared with other churches and this in its turn overwhelms us. The nave which leads to the dome is in three bays, with piers supporting a barrel-vault, the highest of any church. The nave is framed by wide aisles which have a number of chapels off them, there are also chapels surrounding the dome
San Pietro in Vaticano
–
Main facade of St. Peter's Basilica
San Pietro in Vaticano
–
Facade of Saint Peter's Basilica at night
San Pietro in Vaticano
–
St. Peter's Basilica from ponte Umberto I, on the
Tiber. The iconic dome dominates the skyline of Rome.
San Pietro in Vaticano
–
St. Peter's Basilica at night from
Via della Conciliazione in Rome.
2.
Jubilee (Christian)
–
In Judaism and Christianity, the concept of the Jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. Christian Jubilees, particularly in the Latin Church, generally involve pilgrimage to a sacred site, the Catholic Church has declared the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy for 2015–2016. In Jewish tradition, the year of Jubilee was a time of joy, leviticus 25,10 reads, Thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year, and shalt proclaim remission to all the inhabitants of thy land, for it is the year of jubilee. The same concept forms the fundamental idea of the Christian Jubilee, the number 50 was specially associated in the early 13th century with the idea of remission. The translation of the body of Thomas Becket took place in the year 1220,50 years after his martyrdom, in Roman Catholic tradition, a Jubilee or Holy Year is a year of forgiveness of sins and also the punishment due to sin. A Jubilee can be if it falls after the set period of years. In the face of suffering, caused by wars and diseases such as the plague thousands of pilgrims came to Rome at Christmas in 1299. The word jubilee does not occur in the bull, Boniface VIII had intended that the Jubilee should be celebrated only once in a hundred years. Before the middle of the 14th century, Bridget of Sweden, in 1343, Clement VI assented, and set the time frame for every 50 years. In 1350, a Jubilee was held, and although the pope did not return to Rome, on this occasion, daily visits to the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran were enjoined, besides those to the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul outside the Walls. Urban VI reduced the period to 33 years and at the next Jubilee, in 1390. The visit to these four churches has remained as one of the conditions for gaining the Roman Jubilee indulgence, in 1400, so many people came to Rome, Pope Boniface IX granted the indulgence again, though he had not decreed a Jubilee year previously. Paul also permitted foreigners to visit some specified church in their own country, philip Neri, was the most famous. In 1500, Pope Alexander VI announced that the doors in the four major basilicas would be opened simultaneously, and this act definitively ushered in several customs. The 1550 Jubilee was proclaimed by Pope Paul III, but Pope Julius III actually opened it, in 1575, in the time of Pope Gregory XIII, as many as 300,000 people came to Rome from all over Europe. The following Holy Year was proclaimed by Pope Clement VIII in 1600, in 1625, Pope Urban VIII opened the ceremonial doors for the Jubilee year. He then went on to declare a universal or extraordinary jubilee in 1628 to pray for peace and this was repeated the next year in 1629, and brought undoubted material benefits to the city. Finally, Innocent X oversaw the last of his jubilees in 1650, Pope Clement X presided over that of 1675
Jubilee (Christian)
–
Souvenirs, the first two dated 1950, third one 1975 and the last one 2000.
Jubilee (Christian)
–
Papal States, Clement X (r. 1670-1676). 1 Piastre, 1675. Holy Year issue, mint of Rome.
3.
Pope
–
The pope is the Bishop of Rome and, therefore, the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. The current pope is Francis, who was elected on 13 March 2013, the office of the pope is the papacy. The pope is considered one of the worlds most powerful people because of his diplomatic and he is also head of state of Vatican City, a sovereign city-state entirely enclaved within the Italian capital city of Rome. The papacy is one of the most enduring institutions in the world and has had a prominent part in world history, the popes in ancient times helped in the spread of Christianity and the resolution of various doctrinal disputes. In the Middle Ages, they played a role of importance in Western Europe. Currently, in addition to the expansion of the Christian faith and doctrine, the popes are involved in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, charitable work, Popes, who originally had no temporal powers, in some periods of history accrued wide powers similar to those of temporal rulers. In recent centuries, popes were gradually forced to give up temporal power, the word pope derives from Greek πάππας meaning father. The earliest record of the use of title was in regard to the by then deceased Patriarch of Alexandria. Some historians have argued that the notion that Peter was the first bishop of Rome, the writings of the Church Father Irenaeus who wrote around AD180 reflect a belief that Peter founded and organised the Church at Rome. Moreover, Irenaeus was not the first to write of Peters presence in the early Roman Church, Clement of Rome wrote in a letter to the Corinthians, c. 96, about the persecution of Christians in Rome as the struggles in our time and presented to the Corinthians its heroes, first, the greatest and most just columns, the good apostles Peter and Paul. St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote shortly after Clement and in his letter from the city of Smyrna to the Romans he said he would not command them as Peter and Paul did. Given this and other evidence, many agree that Peter was martyred in Rome under Nero. Protestants contend that the New Testament offers no proof that Jesus established the papacy nor even that he established Peter as the first bishop of Rome, others, using Peters own words, argue that Christ intended himself as the foundation of the church and not Peter. First-century Christian communities would have had a group of presbyter-bishops functioning as leaders of their local churches, gradually, episcopacies were established in metropolitan areas. Antioch may have developed such a structure before Rome, some writers claim that the emergence of a single bishop in Rome probably did not occur until the middle of the 2nd century. In their view, Linus, Cletus and Clement were possibly prominent presbyter-bishops, documents of the 1st century and early 2nd century indicate that the Holy See had some kind of pre-eminence and prominence in the Church as a whole, though the detail of what this meant is unclear. It seems that at first the terms episcopos and presbyter were used interchangeably, the consensus among scholars has been that, at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries, local congregations were led by bishops and presbyters whose offices were overlapping or indistinguishable
Pope
Pope
–
Bishop of
Rome
Pope
–
Saint Peter
Pope
–
St. Peter's Basilica,
Vatican City
4.
Curia
–
A curia, plural curiae, is an assembly, council, or court, in which public, official, or religious issues are discussed and decided. In ancient Rome, the populace was divided into 30 curiae, which met in order to confirm the election of magistrates, witness the installation of priests, the making of wills, lesser curiae existed for other purposes. The word curia came to denote the places of assembly, especially the senate. Similar institutions existed in towns and cities of Italy. In medieval times, a council was often referred to as a curia. Today, the most famous curia is the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church which assists the Roman Pontiff in the government of the Church. The word curia is thought to derive from Old Latin coviria, in this sense, any assembly, public or private, could be called a curia. In addition to the Roman curiae, voting assemblies known as curiae existed in towns of Latium. During the republic, local curiae were established in Italian and provincial municipia, in imperial times, local magistrates were often elected by municipal senates, which also came to be known as curiae. By extension, the word came to mean not just a gathering. The most important curiae at Rome were the 30 that together made up the comitia curiata, traditionally ascribed to the kings, each of the three tribes established by Romulus, the Ramnes, Tities, and Luceres, was divided into ten curiae. In theory, each gens belonged to a curia, although whether this was strictly observed throughout Roman history is uncertain. Each curia had a name, said to have been derived from the names of some of the Sabine women abducted by the Romans in the time of Romulus. However, some of the curiae evidently derived their names from districts or eponymous heroes. The curiae were probably established geographically, representing specific neighborhoods in Rome, only a few of the names of the 30 curiae have been preserved, including Acculeia, Calabra, Faucia, Foriensis, Rapta, Veliensis, Tifata, and Titia. Each curia had its own sacra, in which its members, known as curiales, worshipped the gods of the state and other deities specific to the curia, each curia had a meeting site and place of worship, named after the curia. Originally, this may have been an altar, then a sacellum. The curia was presided over by a curio, who was always at least 50 years old, the curio undertook the religious affairs of the curia
Curia
–
The
Curia Julia, as restored from 1935 to 1937
5.
Via Francigena
–
As such, the route passes through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. The route was known in Italy as the Via Francigena or the Via Romea Francigena, in mediaeval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route for those wishing to visit the Holy See and the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul. In the Middle Ages, Via Francigena was the pilgrimage route to Rome from the north. It was Via Francigena-Francisca in Italy and Burgundy, the Chemin des Anglois in the Frankish Kingdom and also the Chemin Romieux, the name Via Francigena is first mentioned in the Actum Clusio, a parchment of 876 in the Abbey of San Salvatore al Monte Amiata. Later itineraries to Rome include the Leiðarvísir og borgarskipan of the Icelandic traveller Nikolás Bergsson, two somewhat differing maps of the route appear in manuscripts of Matthew Paris, Historia Anglorum, from the 13th century. Reports of journeys before Sigeric can only be apocryphal and we may be quite certain that the Benedictine William of St-Thierry, used the roads towards Rome on several occasions at the end of the 11th century. The return journey by sea was likely to be easier, thanks to the prevailing south-westerly winds, a statement that a historical figure died in Rome may have been a historical falsity, but a metaphorical truth. The Via Francigena was not a road, like a Roman road, paved with stone blocks. Rather, it comprised several possible routes that changed over the centuries as trade, the Lombards financed the maintenance and security of the section of road through their territories as a trading route to the north from Rome, avoiding enemy-held cities such as Florence. Another important point is that unlike Roman roads, the Via Francigena did not connect cities, circa 990 AD, Archbishop Sigeric journeyed from Canterbury to Rome and then back again but only documented his itinerary on the return journey. Sigerics return journey consisted of 80 stages averaging about 20 km a day, from Saint-Maurice they must traverse the Great St. James pilgrims route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Roughly 1,200 pilgrims were estimated to have walked the VF in 2012, one reason for this is a lack of infrastructure and suitable support facilities. Affordable pilgrims accommodation and other facilities can be hard to come by for those traveling along the route, however increasingly in Italy, some monasteries and religious houses offer dedicated pilgrims accommodation. These are called spedali and — like the refugios found on the Way of St. James in France and Spain — they offer cheap, spedali accept pilgrims who bear a valid credenziale, usually for one night only. Some places offer meals as well, only a few decades ago, interest in the Via Francigena was limited to scholars. This began to change in recent years many who, after travelling the Way of St. James in Spain. In Italy, this gave birth to a network of lovers of the Via Francigena and these people were joined by religious and local government agencies who also tried to recover the original route. Where possible todays route follows the ancient one but sometimes it deviates from the path in favour of paths
Via Francigena
–
Various Via Francigena signposts
Via Francigena
–
Sign showing the path near
Ivrea, Piedmont, Italy.
Via Francigena
–
The Via Francigena – in France given the
Grande Randonnée route number GR145 – crossing the Massif de Saint Thierry, Champagne.
Via Francigena
–
Pilgrims to Rome carved in a relief,
Fidenza Cathedral (late twelfth century)
6.
Jubilee (Christianity)
–
In Judaism and Christianity, the concept of the Jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. Christian Jubilees, particularly in the Latin Church, generally involve pilgrimage to a sacred site, the Catholic Church has declared the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy for 2015–2016. In Jewish tradition, the year of Jubilee was a time of joy, leviticus 25,10 reads, Thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year, and shalt proclaim remission to all the inhabitants of thy land, for it is the year of jubilee. The same concept forms the fundamental idea of the Christian Jubilee, the number 50 was specially associated in the early 13th century with the idea of remission. The translation of the body of Thomas Becket took place in the year 1220,50 years after his martyrdom, in Roman Catholic tradition, a Jubilee or Holy Year is a year of forgiveness of sins and also the punishment due to sin. A Jubilee can be if it falls after the set period of years. In the face of suffering, caused by wars and diseases such as the plague thousands of pilgrims came to Rome at Christmas in 1299. The word jubilee does not occur in the bull, Boniface VIII had intended that the Jubilee should be celebrated only once in a hundred years. Before the middle of the 14th century, Bridget of Sweden, in 1343, Clement VI assented, and set the time frame for every 50 years. In 1350, a Jubilee was held, and although the pope did not return to Rome, on this occasion, daily visits to the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran were enjoined, besides those to the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul outside the Walls. Urban VI reduced the period to 33 years and at the next Jubilee, in 1390. The visit to these four churches has remained as one of the conditions for gaining the Roman Jubilee indulgence, in 1400, so many people came to Rome, Pope Boniface IX granted the indulgence again, though he had not decreed a Jubilee year previously. Paul also permitted foreigners to visit some specified church in their own country, philip Neri, was the most famous. In 1500, Pope Alexander VI announced that the doors in the four major basilicas would be opened simultaneously, and this act definitively ushered in several customs. The 1550 Jubilee was proclaimed by Pope Paul III, but Pope Julius III actually opened it, in 1575, in the time of Pope Gregory XIII, as many as 300,000 people came to Rome from all over Europe. The following Holy Year was proclaimed by Pope Clement VIII in 1600, in 1625, Pope Urban VIII opened the ceremonial doors for the Jubilee year. He then went on to declare a universal or extraordinary jubilee in 1628 to pray for peace and this was repeated the next year in 1629, and brought undoubted material benefits to the city. Finally, Innocent X oversaw the last of his jubilees in 1650, Pope Clement X presided over that of 1675
Jubilee (Christianity)
–
Souvenirs, the first two dated 1950, third one 1975 and the last one 2000.
Jubilee (Christianity)
–
Papal States, Clement X (r. 1670-1676). 1 Piastre, 1675. Holy Year issue, mint of Rome.
7.
Philip Neri
–
Philip Romolo Neri, known as the Third Apostle of Rome, after Saints Peter and Paul, was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of the Oratory. He was the son of Francesco di Neri, a lawyer and he was carefully brought up, and received his early teaching from the friars at San Marco, the famous Dominican monastery in Florence. He was accustomed in later life to ascribe most of his progress to the teaching of two of them, Zenobio de Medici and Servanzio Mini. He gained Romolos confidence and affection, but soon after coming to San Germano Philip had a conversion, he no longer cared for things of the world. After arriving in Rome, Neri became a tutor in the house of a Florentine aristocrat named Galeotto Caccia, after two years he began to pursue his own studies under the guidance of the Augustinians. Following this, he began those labours amongst the sick and poor which, in later life and he also ministered to the prostitutes of the city. For seventeen years Philip lived as a layman in Rome, probably thinking of becoming a priest. Around 1544, he made the acquaintance of Ignatius of Loyola, many of Neris disciples found their vocations in the infant Society of Jesus. Members met for prayer at the church of San Salvatore in Campo where the devotion of the Forty Hours of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was first introduced into Rome, in 1551 Neri received all the minor orders, and was ordained deacon, and finally priest. He thought of going to India as a missionary, but was dissuaded by his friends who saw that there was abundant work to be done in Rome, the musical selections were called oratorios. Giovanni Palestrina was one of Philip’s followers, and composed music for the services and he also spent much of his time hearing confessions, and effected many conversions in this way. Neri sometimes led “excursions” to other churches, often with music, in 1564 the Florentines requested that Neri leave San Girolamo to oversee their newly built church in Rome, San Giovanni dei Fiorentini. He was at first reluctant, but by consent of Pope Pius IV he accepted, while remaining in charge of San Girolamo, the building, however, not large enough for their purpose, was pulled down, and a splendid church erected on the site. He was at first elected for a term of three years, but in 1587 was nominated superior for life, Neri continued in the government of the Oratory until his death. Philip Neri embodied a number of contradictions, combining popular venerations with intensely individual piety and he became embedded in the church hierarchy while seeking to reform a corrupt Rome and an uninterested clergy. He possessed a playful humour, combined with a shrewd wit and he considered a cheerful temper to be more Christian than a melancholy one, and carried this spirit into his whole life, A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one. This was the secret of Neris popularity and of his place in the folklore of the Roman poor, many miracles were attributed to him. When his body was autopsied it was found two of his ribs had been broken, an event attributed to the expansion of his heart while fervently praying in the catacombs about the year 1545
Philip Neri
–
Philip Neri
Philip Neri
–
Apostle of Rome
Philip Neri
–
St. Philip Neri and the
Virgin Mary, by
Tiepolo
Philip Neri
–
Philip Neri's
effigy at his tomb.
8.
Villa Celimontana
–
The Villa Celimontana is a villa on the Caelian Hill in Rome, best known for its gardens. Its grounds cover most of the valley between the Aventine Hill and the Caelian, the Villa Celimontana is situated on the summit of the Celian Hill in the south-east of Rome in the Rione Celio. The principal entrance is near the Piazza della Navicella, beside the Basilica Santa Maria in Domnica, a secondary entrance is situated on the Clivo di Scauro near the Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo. The park is a continuation of Baths of Caracalla, in the mid-16th century the site of the grounds was occupied by a vineyard belonging to the Paluzzelli family, near Santa Maria in Domnica. That family ordered excavations there which found the coloured marbles which were re-used in Sangallos Sala Regia at the Vatican. The original villa has been adapted, but was probably a single-floor structure with a portico along its facade, topped by a Doric frieze. It now has a plan with two low wings and a piazza on an artificial platform supported by large ancient walls. The Mattei collections began to be gutted in 1770 with the sale of 10 statues to the Vatican, the villa, however, remained in the Mattei family until sold by them 1802. The villa then changed hands rapidly - in 1813 it was acquired by prince Manuel de Godoy, prince of La Paz and minister of Charles IV of Spain. The villa was taken over by Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, then by Frederica in 1857. In the First World War the Italian State confiscated the villa as the property of an enemy national, in 1926 the villa was given to the Società Geografica Italiana. In the gardens were displayed artworks from the Mattei collection, the gardens were later redefined by Giovanni Fontana and Domenico Fontana, in a scheme including the obelisk. Giovanni e Paolo. In 1926 the villa gardens were granted by the state to the Commune of Rome as a public park, to its left is the obelisk, at the end of the central route. The obelisk is an example given to the Mattei in 1582. It was presented to Ciriaco Mattei in 1582 by the Senate of Rome, Manuel de Godoy had the obelisk moved to its present position at the end of the central route by the Spanish architect Antonio Celles in 1817. It was on occasion that it was placed on its present 16th century base. In the works a support broke and worker had his hand, list of parks and gardens in Rome Romeartlover Romeartlover Romasegreta
Villa Celimontana
–
Entrance, photographed from inside the park
Villa Celimontana
–
The Herm of
Socrates and
Seneca, found in the Villa's grounds (
Pergamonmuseum)
Villa Celimontana
–
View of the gardens of the Villa Mattei, print by
Jean-Claude Richard from a painting by
Hubert Robert, 1761
Villa Celimontana
–
The obelisk
9.
Major basilica
–
The Archbasilica of St. John in the Lateran is the seat of the Pope and the site of the Papal Cathedra, and is the oldest and first in rank of the Major Basilicas. All other churches that have the title of basilica are minor basilicas, the title of major basilica was introduced in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII. With the promulgation of the bull Antiquorum fida relatio, he instituted the Holy Year, Boniface VIII renewed certain great remissions and indulgences for sins which were to be obtained by visiting the city of Rome and the venerable basilica of the Prince of the Apostles. Peter and St. Paul, the burial sites of the Apostles Pope St. Peter. In the second year in 1350, Pope Clement VI designated as a third major basilica St. John in the Lateran. He encouraged the faithful to make visits to St. John in the Lateran, besides those to the Basilicas of St. Peter. Finally, for the jubilee year in 1390, the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Visiting these four churches has remained one of the conditions for gaining the Roman Jubilee indulgence, thus, while of the Major Basilicas, the Basilica of St. Consequently, all four of the Major Basilicas are patrolled internally by police agents of Vatican City State. These properties, located across Rome, are deemed to be essential institutions necessary to the character. Upon relinquishing the title of Patriarch of the West in 2006, in addition, there is a multitude of minor basilicas throughout the world which have not been granted the official appellation Papal as the aforementioned three have. To this class belong the four ancient churches of Rome, Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, also called the Lateran Archbasilica, is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. It is the one called an archbasilica. Its full official name is Papal Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Saints John the Baptist, St. Peters Basilica, also called the Vatican Basilica, is a major pilgrimage site, built over the burial place of Saint Peter. Perhaps the largest church in the world, it is used for most of the religious ceremonies in which the Pope participates. Its official name is the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, also known as the Ostian Basilica because it is situated on the road that led to Ostia, is built over the burial place of Paul the Apostle. Its official name is the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. e and its official name is the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. These four major basilicas are distinguished by their having a door and for being prescribed as destinations for visits as one of the conditions for gaining the Roman Jubilee. Only the Pope and his delegatees may celebrate mass at the high altar, until recently, the four churches were open 24 hours a day, their staff included a college of priests to be continually available to hear confessions
Major basilica
–
A former papal
cathedra in the cloister of the
Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome.
Major basilica
–
St. John Lateran 41°53′9.26″N 12°30′22.16″E / 41.8859056°N 12.5061556°E / 41.8859056; 12.5061556
Major basilica
–
St. Peter's in the Vatican 41°54′8″N 12°27′12″E / 41.90222°N 12.45333°E / 41.90222; 12.45333
Major basilica
–
St. Paul Outside the Walls 41°51′31″N 12°28′38″E / 41.85861°N 12.47722°E / 41.85861; 12.47722
10.
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
–
The Basilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State. James Michael Harvey was named Archpriest of the Basilica in 2012, in the 5th century it was larger than the Old St. Peters Basilica. The Christian poet Prudentius, who saw it at the time of emperor Honorius, under Pope St. Gregory the Great the Basilica was extensively modified. The pavement was raised to place the altar directly over St. Pauls tomb, a confession permitted access to the Apostles sepulcher. In that period there were two monasteries near the Basilica, St. Aristuss for men and St. Stefanos for women, masses were celebrated by a special body of clerics instituted by Pope Simplicius. Over time the monasteries and the Basilicas clergy declined, Pope St. Gregory II restored the former, as it lay outside the Aurelian Walls, the Basilica was damaged in the 9th century during a Saracen raid. In 937, when Saint Odo of Cluny came to Rome, Alberic II of Spoleto, Patrician of Rome, entrusted the monastery and basilica to his congregation, Pope Martin V entrusted it to the monks of the Congregation of Monte Cassino. It was then made an abbey nullius, the abbots jurisdiction extended over the districts of Civitella San Paolo, Leprignano, and Nazzano, all of which formed parishes. But the parish of San Paolo in Rome is under the jurisdiction of the cardinal vicar, the graceful cloister of the monastery was erected between 1220 and 1241. From 1215 until 1964 it was the seat of the Latin Patriarch of Alexandria, Pope Leo XII issued a document Ad plurimas encouraging donations for reconstruction. It was re-opened in 1840, and reconsecrated in 1855 with the presence of Pope Pius IX, the complete decoration and reconstruction, in charge of Luigi Poletti, took longer, however, and many countries made their contributions. The Viceroy of Egypt sent pillars of alabaster, the Emperor of Russia the precious malachite, the work on the principal façade, looking toward the Tiber, was completed by the Italian Government, which declared the church a national monument. On 23 April 1891 the explosion of the magazine at Forte Portuense destroyed the stained glass windows. On 31 May 2005 Pope Benedict XVI ordered the Basilica to come under the control of an Archpriest, the covered portico that precedes the façade is a Neo-classicist addition of the 19th-century reconstruction. The 20th-century door includes the remains of the leaves from the portal, executed by Staurachius of Chios around 1070 in Constantinople, with scenes from the New. On the right is the Holy Door, which is opened only during the Jubilees, the new basilica has maintained the original structure with one nave and four aisles. It is 131.66 metres long,65 metres -wide, and 29.70 metres -high, the naves 80 columns and its stucco-decorated ceiling are from the 19th century. All that remains of the ancient basilica are the portion of the apse with the triumphal arch
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
–
Façade of the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
–
Cloister of the monastery of San Paolo fuori le mura
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
–
The Holy Door
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
–
Interior of the church
11.
Basilica of St. John Lateran
–
It is the oldest of and has precedence among the four papal major basilicas, all of which are in Rome, because it is the oldest church in the West and houses the cathedra of the Roman Pontiff. It has the title of ecumenical mother church of the Roman Catholic faithful, the current archpriest is Agostino Vallini, Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome. The archbasilica stands over the remains of the Castra Nova equitum singularium, the fort was established by Septimius Severus in AD193. Following the victory of Emperor Constantine I over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, the guard was abolished, substantial remains of the fort lie directly beneath the nave. The remainder of the site was occupied during the early Roman Empire by the palace of the gens Laterani, sextius Lateranus was the first plebeian to attain the rank of consul, and the Laterani served as administrators for several emperors. One of the Laterani, Consul-designate Plautius Lateranus, became famous for being accused by Nero of conspiracy against the Emperor, the accusation resulted in the confiscation and redistribution of his properties. The Lateran Palace fell into the hands of the Emperor when Constantine I married his second wife Fausta, known by that time as the Domus Faustae or House of Fausta, the Lateran Palace was eventually given to the Bishop of Rome by Constantine I. The palace basilica was converted and extended, becoming the residence of Pope St. Silvester I, eventually becoming the Cathedral of Rome, Pope Sylvester I presided over the official dedication of the archbasilica and the adjacent Lateran Palace in 324, declaring both to be a Domus Dei. The papal cathedra was placed in its interior, rendering it the cathedral of the Pope qua Bishop of Rome, the archbasilica and Lateran Palace were re-dedicated twice. Pope Sergius III dedicated them to St. John the Baptist in the 10th century in honor of the newly consecrated baptistry of the archbasilica, Pope Lucius II dedicated them to St. John the Evangelist in the 12th century. Consequently, the archbasilica remains dedicated to the Savior, and its titular feast is the Feast of the Transfiguration, the archbasilica became the most important shrine of the two St. Johns, albeit infrequently jointly venerated. In later years, a Benedictine monastery was established in the Lateran Palace, and was devoted to serving the archbasilica, the Lateran Palace has also been the site of five ecumenical councils. During the time the papacy was seated in Avignon, France, the Lateran Palace, two fires ravaged them in 1307 and 1361. After both fires the pope sent money from Avignon to pay for their reconstruction and maintenance, nonetheless, the archbasilica and Lateran Palace lost their former splendor. When the papacy returned from Avignon and the pope again resided in Rome, the archbasilica, the popes resided at the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere and later at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Eventually, the Palace of the Vatican was built adjacent to the Basilica of St. Peter, which existed since the time of Emperor Constantine I, and it has remained the official residence of the pope. The original Lateran Palace was demolished and replaced with a new edifice, on the square in front of the Lateran Palace is the largest standing obelisk in the world, known as the Lateran Obelisk. It weighs an estimated 455 tons and it was commissioned by the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III and erected by Thutmose IV before the great Karnak temple of Thebes, Egypt
Basilica of St. John Lateran
–
Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran
Basilica of St. John Lateran
–
Next to the formal entrance is the Archbasilica's claim to be the head, or
Mother Church, of the entire world. Note the
laurel wreath and the
Papal tiara.
Basilica of St. John Lateran
–
The
Papal cathedra, which makes the Archbasilica the Cathedral of Rome, is located in the
apse. The decorations are in
cosmatesque style.
Basilica of St. John Lateran
–
14th-century Gothic baldacchino
12.
Basilica of St. Mary Major
–
The Basilica is located at 34 Piazza dellEsquilino, some five blocks southwest of Stazione Termini. Pursuant to the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the Holy See and Italy, the Basilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State and they prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour. On 5 August, at the height of the Roman summer, in obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary which they had the same night, the couple built a basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow. From the fact that no mention whatever is made of this alleged miracle until a few hundred years later and it would seem that the legend has no historical basis. The legend is first reported only after AD1000 and it may be implied in what the Liber Pontificalis, of the early 13th century, says of Pope Liberius, He built the basilica of his own name near the Macellum of Livia. Its prevalence in the 15th century is shown in the painting of the Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale. The feast was originally called Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae, and was celebrated only in Rome until inserted for the first time into the General Roman Calendar, with ad Nives added to its name, in 1568. A congregation appointed by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741 proposed that the reading of the legend be struck from the Office, no action was taken on the proposal until 1969, when the reading of the legend was removed and the feast was called In dedicatione Basilicae S. Mariae. The legend is commemorated by dropping white rose petals from the dome during the celebration of the Mass. The earliest building on the site was the Liberian Basilica or Santa Maria Liberiana, Liberiana is still included in some versions of the basilicas formal name, and Liberian Basilica may be used as a contemporary as well as historical name. This building was replaced under Pope Sixtus III by the present structure dedicated to Mary. No Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom, St. Mary Major is one of the only four that hold the title of major basilica. The other three are the Basilicas of St. John in the Lateran, St. Peters, along with all of the other four Major Basilicas, St. Mary Major is also styled a Papal basilica. St. Mary Major was associated with the Patriarchate of Antioch, Philip Neri on 25 February 1552. It is agreed that the present church was built under Pope Sixtus III, the dedicatory inscription on the triumphal arch, Sixtus Episcopus plebi Dei, is an indication of that Popes role in the construction. The church retains the core of its structure, despite several additional construction projects. Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the first churches built in honour of the Virgin Mary, was erected in the aftermath of the Council of Ephesus of 431. Pope Sixtus III built it to commemorate this decision and these fines enabled the papacy to carry out through the 5th century an ambitious building program, including Santa Maria Maggiore
Basilica of St. Mary Major
–
The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest church in Rome dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Basilica of St. Mary Major
–
The
Blessed Virgin Mary overlooking
Pope Liberius as the
Pontiff scraped the foundation of the basilica into the snow. By Italian artist
Masolino da Panicale. circa 15th-century.
Museo di Capodimonte.
Basilica of St. Mary Major
–
Map by Giacomo Lauro and Antonio Tempesta depicting Saint Mary Major among the
Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome in 1599, in view of the
Holy Year of 1600.
Basilica of St. Mary Major
–
The Piazza and Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, by
Giovanni Paolo Pannini
13.
Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls
–
The Papal Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls is a Roman Catholic Papal minor basilica and parish church, located in Rome, Italy. The Basilica is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and one of the five patriarchal basilicas. The Basilica was assigned to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Basilica is the shrine of the tomb of its namesake, Saint Lawrence, one of the first seven deacons of Rome who was martyred in 258. Pope Pius IX are also buried at the Basilica, which is the center of a large, before the present-day Basilica was constructed, the former estate upon which it sits was once home to a small oratory built by Emperor Constantine I. The Emperor built it over the site on which it held that St. Lawrence was executed in 258. In the 580s, Pope Pelagius II commissioned the construction of a church over the site in honor of the Saint, in the 13th century, Pope Honorius III commissioned the construction of another church in front of the older one. It was adorned with frescos depicting the lives of Saint Lawrence and the first martyred deacon, St. Stephen, the two structures were later united during a program of urban renewal. Excavations have revealed several other crypts of various persons, buried below the street level. Pope St. Hilarius is also buried here, the portico of circa 1220 has Cosmatesque decoration by the Vassalletto family of craftsmen. The 13th-century frescoes, which were reconstructed, depict scenes from the lives of St. Lawrence and St. Stephen, both being martyred, young deacons. There are two ancient sarcophagi in the portico, a Christian one, possibly decorated in the 7th century on a sarcophagus, has a relief depicting putti picking grapes. While vines and grapes are symbols of the Holy Eucharist, these images are probably not symbols thereof, further, two Romanesque stone lions were moved here from the old entrance. The campanile was built in the 12th century, inside, the choir enclosure and pulpit have Cosmatesque decoration, and there is also a fine Cosmatesque Paschal candlestick from the 12th or 13th century. The antique Ionic capital on the column directly behind the pulpit has carvings of a frog, on the triumphal arch are Byzantine mosaics from the 6th century, depicting Christ with saints. The confessio below the altar is entered from the nave. Here, St. Lawrence and St. Stephen are enshrined, the latter was transferred from Constantinople by Pope Pelagius II during his restoration of the Basilica. Behind the high altar is a Papal altar with an inscription of the names of the makers, namely the Cosmati family, the Basilica was home to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1374 to 1847. In 1943 the Basilica was bombed during the Second World War, restoration continued until 1948, allowing some accretions from the 19th century to be removed
Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls
–
The Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura is a shrine to the martyred Roman deacon St. Lawrence. An Allied bombing on 19 July 1943, during the
Second World War, devastated the facade, which was subsequently rebuilt.
14.
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
–
The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem or Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and titular church in rione Esquilino, Rome, Italy. It is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, the current Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Crucis in Hierusalem is Miloslav Vlk. Some decades later, the chapel was converted into a basilica, after falling into neglect, the Pope Lucius II restored the Basilica. It assumed a Romanesque appearance, with a nave, two aisles, belfry, and porch. The Basilica was also modified in the 16th century, but it assumed its current Baroque appearance under Pope Benedict XIV, new streets were also opened to connect the Basilica to two other Roman major basilicas, namely, San Giovanni in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore. The façade of the Basilica, which was designed by Pietro Passalacqua and Domenico Gregorini, according to a Vatican spokesman, an inquiry found evidence of liturgical and financial irregularities as well as lifestyles that were probably not in keeping with that of a monk. The relics were once in the ancient St. Helenas Chapel, here the founder of the Basilica had some soil from Calvary dispersed. In the vault is a designed by Melozzo da Forlì before 1485 depicting Jesus Blessing, Histories of the Cross. The altar has a statue of St. Helena, which was obtained from an ancient statue of the pagan goddess Juno discovered at Ostia. The apse of the Basilica includes frescoes telling the Legends of the True Cross, attributed to Melozzo, Antoniazzo Romano, and Marco Palmezzano. The Museum of the Basilica houses an icon from the 14th century which, according to the legend. Notable also is the tomb of Cardinal Francisco de los Ángeles Quiñones sculpted by Jacopo Sansovino in 1536. Peter Paul Rubens, who had arrived in Rome by way of Mantua in 1601, was commissioned by Archduke Albert of Austria to paint an altarpiece with three panels for the Chapel of St. Helena. Two of these paintings, St. Helena with the True Cross and The Mocking of Christ, are now in Grasse, the third, The Elevation of the Cross, was lost. Before his marriage, the Archduke had been made a cardinal in the Basilica, raimondo Besozzi, La storia della Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. Marie-Théodore de Busierre, Les sept basiliques de Rome Tome second, claudio Rendina, La Grande Enciclopedia di Roma Belkin, Kristin Lohse. Official Site Description in the site of the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Colosseo, il MNR e lArea archeologica di Roma
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
–
Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Italian) Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem (Latin)
15.
Minor basilica
–
Minor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic church buildings. According to canon law, no church building can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom, presently, the authorising decree is granted by the Pope through the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. In relation to churches, writers on architecture use the term basilica to describe a church built in a particular style, in the 18th century, the term took on a canonical sense, unrelated to this architectural style. Basilicas in this sense are divided into major and minor basilicas. Today only four, all in Rome, are classified as major basilicas. These external signs, except that of the cappa magna, are still seen in basilicas. It should be large and with an ample sanctuary. It should be renowned for history, relics or sacred images, many basilicas are notable churches, and often receive significant pilgrimages. In December 2009 the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico set a record with 6.1 million pilgrims in two days for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As of June 30,2013, there were four major basilicas and 1,748 minor basilicas in the world, of these 1,748 minor basilicas, three have the title of papal minor basilica and four the title of pontifical minor basilica. The three papal minor basilicas are Saint Lawrence outside the Walls, Rome, and the Basilica of San Francesco dAssisi, All four pontifical minor basilicas now have individual pontifical delegates. For the Bari basilica, which is a dependency of the Secretariat of State, for the basilicas of Loreto and Pompei, which are within their own territorial prelatures, the pontifical delegate is the local territorial prelate. Only for the Paduan basilica is the pontifical delegate distinct from the local bishop, the remaining 1,741 minor basilicas are all classified merely as such. Another such Italian church, recognized as a basilica. This name, qualifying it as both pontifical and royal, is confirmed by other sources. Others are the Pontifical Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Bitonto, one patriarchal basilica, namely the Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of St Mark in Venice, called patriarchal because it is the cathedral of the Patriarch of Venice, is a minor basilica. The minor basilicas form the vast majority, including cathedrals, many technically parish churches, some shrines. Some oratories and semi-private places of worship, have raised to the status of a minor basilica
Minor basilica
–
Tintinnabulum and
conopaeum, privileges formerly granted to basilicas
Minor basilica
–
Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral, the first church in North America north of Mexico elevated to the rank of minor Basilica
Minor basilica
–
Barcelona:
Sagrada Família consecrated and proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope
Benedict XVI in 2010
Minor basilica
–
Ireland:
Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland,
Knock, County Mayo
16.
Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore
–
The church was included by Pope John Paul II in the pilgrimage of Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome during the Holy Year 2000. In 1295 the property belonged to the Savelli, who built a castle surrounded by a boundary wall, by the early eighteenth century, the estate had fallen into ruin. One of the towers of a gatehouse, known as the Castel di Leva, was decorated with a medieval fresco, local shepherds who grazed their flocks nearby during the winter would often meet here to pray the Rosary. In 1740, a pilgrim was attacked by angry dogs near the gatehouse and, as a result of the number of pilgrims drawn to this site, a chapel was built and the image of the Madonna was transferred to it. With the increase of devotion from the people in the countryside, the church was entrusted to a hermit guardian, in December 1932, a parish is established and Don Umberto Terenzi, appointed Rector and the first parish priest. In March 1942 he founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of Divine Love, during World War II, the fresco was moved to the church of St. Ignatius. Pope Pius XII and many Romans visited the shrine to pray for the Holy Mothers intercession that the city be spared. On June 11,1944 Pius XII went to pray before the Image of the Virgin, surrounded by an immense crowd, in 1962, the Oblate Priests were founded, who since then serve the shrine. The pilgrimages increase, especially from Whit Monday until autumn, the shrine presently on the site is new, and was inaugurated by Pope John Paul II on July 4,1999. Pope John Paul II decided to include the shrine in the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, behind the chapel is a staircase that leads down to the gate tower where the miracle occurred in 1740. The miraculous painting is enshrined above the altar, the mosaics in the apse are modern, and shows Christ in the centre, and the miracle on the left. In the crypt one will find the tomb of the married couple Bl and he died in 1951, and she in 1965. After their deaths, a process was started. They were beatified on 21 October 2001 by Pope John Paul II, and their relics were moved here on 28 October 2001. Luigi and Maria Corsini Beltrame Quattrocchi is celebrated on 25 November, la Madonna del Divino Amore, il suo santuario, la sua opera. Il Divino Amore a Roma, storia della costruzione
Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore
–
Our Lady of Divine Love
Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore
17.
Shrine
–
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other objects associated with the figure being venerated. A shrine at which offerings are made is called an altar. Shrines can be found in various settings, such as churches, temples, cemeteries, or in the home, a shrine may become a focus of a cult image. Many shrines are located buildings and in the temples designed specifically for worship, such as a church in Christianity. A shrine here is usually the centre of attention in the building, in such cases, adherents of the faith assemble within the building in order to venerate the deity at the shrine. In classical temple architecture, the shrine may be synonymous with the cella, historically, in Hinduism, Buddhism and Roman Catholicism, and also in modern faiths, such as Neopaganism, a shrine can commonly be found within the home or shop. This shrine is usually a structure or a setup of pictures and figurines dedicated to a deity that is part of the official religion. Small household shrines are common among the Chinese and people from South and Southeast Asia, whether Hindu. Usually a small lamp and small offerings are kept daily by the shrine, Buddhist household shrines must be on a shelf above the head, Chinese shrines must stand directly on the floor. Small outdoor yard shrines are found at the bottom of many gardens, following various religions, including historically. Shrines are found in most, though not all, religions, Shrines therefore attract the practice of pilgrimage. Shrines are found in many, though not all, forms of Christianity, Roman Catholicism, the largest denomination of Christianity, has many shrines, as do Orthodox Christianity and Anglicanism. For a shrine to be described as national, the approval of the Episcopal Conference is necessary, for it to be described as international, the approval of the Holy See is required. Another use of the shrine in colloquial Catholic terminology is a niche or alcove in most – especially larger – churches used by parishioners when praying privately in the church. They were also called Devotional Altars, since they could look like small Side Altars or bye-altars, Shrines were always centered on some image of Christ or a saint – for instance, a statue, painting, mural or mosaic, and may have had a reredos behind them. However, Mass would not be celebrated at them, they were used to aid or give a visual focus for prayers. Side altars, where Mass could actually be celebrated, were used in a way to shrines by parishioners
Shrine
–
The shrine of the
Hodegetria at the
Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk,
Russia, photographed by
Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky (1912).
Shrine
–
Shrine to
Tin Hau at
Repulse Bay,
Southern District,
Hong Kong.
Shrine
–
The Shrine,
Oil on canvas, by
John William Waterhouse (1895).
Shrine
–
Chinese Taoist household shrine 1850–1860,
Bankfield Museum
18.
San Sebastiano fuori le mura
–
San Sebastiano fuori le mura, or San Sebastiano ad Catacumbas, is a basilica in Rome, central Italy. Up to the Great Jubilee of 2000, San Sebastiano was one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, built originally in the first half of the 4th century, the basilica is dedicated to St. Sebastian, a popular Roman martyr of the 3rd century. The dedication to Sebastian dates to the 9th century, sebastians remains were moved here around 350. They were transferred to St. Peters in 826, fearing a Saracen assault, the latter, in fact, materialized, and the church was destroyed. The building was refounded under Pope Nicholas I, while the altar was reconsecrated by Honorius III, by request of the Cistercians. In the 13th century the arcade of the nave was walled in. The statue of St Sebastian at the altar in the first chapel on the left is by Giuseppe Giorgetti, noteworthy is the Albani Chapel and designed by Carlo Maratta, Alessandro Specchi, Filippo Barigioni and Carlo Fontana, commissioned by Pope Clement XI, and dedicated to Pope Fabian. Fabian had been Bishop of Rome during the persecution of Decius, flanking the altar, busts of Saints Peter and Paul by Nicolò Cordier recall the first dedication of the basilica. Quirinus of Sescia Pope Fabian St. Sebastian San Sebastiano al Palatino Paolo Coen, Le basiliche giubilari romane, Newton Compton, Rome,1994. Claudio Rendina, Enciclopedia di Roma, Newton Compton, Rome,2000, San Sebastiano fuori le Mura, by Chris Nyborg. San Sebastiano fuori le Mura site
San Sebastiano fuori le mura
–
San Sebastiano fuori le mura, façade (1612) by
Flaminio Ponzio, assisted by
Giovanni Vasanzio
San Sebastiano fuori le mura
–
Catacombs of San Sebastiano – entrance detail
19.
Pope Boniface VIII
–
Pope Boniface VIII, born Benedetto Caetani, was Pope from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. Today, he is probably best remembered for his feuds with King Philip IV of France and Dante Alighieri, Benedetto was born in ca.1235 in Anagni, some thirty-one miles southeast of Rome. He was a son of Roffredo Caetani, a member of a baronial family of the Papal States. Through his mother, Emilia Patrasso di Guarcino, a niece of Pope Alexander IV, he was not far distant from the seat of ecclesiastical power and his fathers younger brother, Atenolfo, was Podestà di Orvieto. He took his first steps in the life when he was sent to the monastery of the Friars Minor in Velletri. In 1252, when his paternal uncle Pietro Caetani became Bishop of Todi, in Umbria, Benedetto followed him to Todi and he was granted a canonry of the cathedral in the familys stronghold of Anagni, with the permission of Pope Alexander. His uncle Pietro Caetani granted him a canonry in the Cathedral of Todi in 1260 and he also came into possession of the small nearby castello of Sismano, a place with twenty-one fires. Later in life he expressed his gratitude to Anagni, Todi. In 1264 Benedetto entered the Roman Curia, perhaps with the office of Advocatus and he served as secretary to Cardinal Simon de Brion, the future Pope Martin IV, on a mission to France. Cardinal Simon had been appointed by Pope Urban IV, between 25 and 27 April 1264, to engage in negotiations with Charles of Anjou, Comte de Provence, over the crown of Naples and Sicily. On 1 May 1264 he was given permission to appoint two or three tabelliones for his mission, one of whom was Benedetto. On 20 March 1265, in order to expedite the business with Charles of Anjou and this may have been the occasion on which Benedetto Caetani acquired at least some of his French benefices. On 9 April 1265, on the petition of Cardinal Simon de Brion, there would have been no point in making such a ruling if Cardinal Simon had already ceased to be Legate. Benedetto also accompanied Cardinal Ottobono Fieschi, the future Pope Adrian V, another member of Cardinal Ottobonos suite was Theobaldus of Piacenza, Archdeacon of Liège, who became a friend of Prince Edward, and went on Crusade with him, he was later elected Pope Gregory X. On 29 August 1265 the Cardinal was received at the French Court by King Louis IX, there he learned that Simon de Montfort and his son Henry had been killed at the Battle of Evesham earlier that month. Cardinal Ottobono did not reach Boulogne until October 1265 and he was in England until July 1268, working to suppress the remnants of Simon de Montforts barons who were still in arms against King Henry III of England. This drawback was a concern of Cardinal Ottobono and his entourage. While in England Benedetto Caetani became rector of St. Lawrences church in Towcester, upon Benedettos return from England, there is an eight-year period in which nothing is known about his life
Pope Boniface VIII
–
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
–
Philip IV receiving the homage of Edward I for Aquitaine.
Pope Boniface VIII
–
Pope Boniface VIII, fresco by
Giotto di Bondone in the
Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome
Pope Boniface VIII
–
Depiction of the death of Boniface in a 15th-century manuscript of Boccaccio's
De Casibus.
20.
Pope Clement VI
–
Clement VI, born Pierre Roger, was pope from 7 May 1342 to his death in 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope, Clement is the pope who reigned during the first visitation of the Black Death, during which he granted remission of sins to all who died of the plague. Pierre Roger was born in the château of Maumont, today part of the commune of Rosiers-dÉgletons, Corrèze, in Limousin, Pierre also had two sisters, Delphine, who married Jacques de Besse, and Alienor, who married Jacques de la Jugie. His brother Guillaume became Seigneur de Chambon, thanks to his wifes dowry, Roger entered the Benedictine order as a boy in 1301, at the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu in the diocese of Clermont in the Auvergne. After six years there, he was directed to higher studies by the Bishop of Le Puy, Jean de Cumenis, in 1307 he took up studies in Paris at the College de Sorbonne, where he entered the Collège de Narbonne. To support him, beyond what was supplied by his bishop and his abbot, Pierre was in his thirty-first year. He lectured publicly on the Sententiae of Peter Lombard, and defended and promoted the works of Thomas Aquinas and he was appalled by the Defensor Pacis of Marsilius of Padua, and wrote a treatise in 1325 condemning its principles and defending Pope John XXII. He was granted the priory of St and he held the position until 1329. Pierre Roger was called to Avignon through the influence of his friend and protector, Cardinal Pierre de Mortemart, unfortunately, King Charles IV died on 1 February 1328, the last Capetian king of France in the direct line. He received no reply, however, from King Edward, and was forced to return to France, on 3 December 1328 Peter Roger was named Bishop of Arras, in which capacity he became a royal councilor of King Philip VI. He held the diocese of Arras only until 24 November 1329, less than a year and he held the Archbishopric of Sens for one year and one month, until his promotion to the See of Rouen on 14 December 1330. Obviously he was a man in the very highest favor with Pope John XXII, many propositions were put forward against ecclesiastical jurisdiction, which were ably argued by Pierre de Cugnières. Pierre Roger made the rejoinders on 22 December 1329, on behalf of the ecclesiastical authority, when Pierre Roger became Archbishop of Rouen in December 1330, he was expected to swear allegiance to his feudal overlord. He therefore asked the King for time to consider his position, later in the year, in Paris in the Prés des Clercs, the King received the cross personally from the hands of Archbishop Roger. It is said that he was promoted to the office of Chancellor of France, the earliest claim that he was Chancellor is made by Alfonso Chacon. In 1333, the issue of the Beatific Vision, which had been discussion since a sermon of Pope John XXII in 1329. The French Royal Court had been hearing complaints from various quarters, the King privately informed the Pope of their opinions, but the Pope harshly responded to the King that he should stop favoring an opinion which the Pope had not yet definitively settled. The Pope ordered the Archbishop of Rouen, Pierre Roger, to set the Popes view down in writing, ironically, Pierre Roger was not on the Popes side of the argument
Pope Clement VI
–
Pope Clement VI
Pope Clement VI
–
Pope Clement VI cameo.
21.
Pope Gregory XI
–
Pope Gregory XI was pope from 30 December 1370 to his death in 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pope, in 1377, Gregory XI returned the Papal court to Rome, ending nearly 70 years of papal residency in Avignon, France. His death shortly after was followed by the Western Schism and he was born Pierre Roger de Beaufort in Maumont in the modern commune of Rosiers-dÉgletons, Limousin, around 1330. The nephew of Pope Clement VI, he succeeded Pope Urban V at the conclave of 1370 and was the seventh. During his pontificate, vigorous measures were taken against proponents of Lollardy, which had found acceptance in Germany, England, and other parts of Europe. Efforts were made to corrupt practices in the various monastic orders, such as collecting fees from persons visiting holy sites. Gregory confirmed a treaty between Sicily and Naples at Villeneuve-lès-Avignon on 20 August 1372, which brought about a permanent settlement between the kingdoms, which were both papal fiefs. The Decadicon was submitted to Pope Gregory XI in the part of the 1370s by French canonist. Gregory formally condemned fourteen articles of the Sachsenspiegel in 1374 and nineteen propositions of Wycliffes On Civil Dominion in 1377 and his decision to return to Rome is supposedly attributed in part to the incessant pleas, demands, and threats of Catherine of Siena. A return had been attempted by Gregorys predecessor, Urban V, but the demands of the Hundred Years War brought him north of the Alps again, and Avignon was still the seat of the Bishop of Rome. The project of returning again to Rome was delayed by a conflict between the pope and Florence, known as the War of the Eight Saints, the pope put Florence under interdict during 1376. The return of the Curia to Rome began on 13 September 1376 and was concluded with the arrival of Gregory XI on 17 January 1377, Gregory XI did not long survive this trip, dying in Rome on 27 March 1378. He was buried the day in the church of Santa Maria Nuova. After his death the College of Cardinals was pressured by a Roman mob that broke into the chamber to force an Italian pope into the papacy. The Italian chosen was Urban VI, soon after being elected, Urban gained the Cardinals enmity. The cardinals withdrew from Rome to Fondi, where they annulled their election of Urban and elected a French pope, Clement VII, subsequently, the Western Schism created by the selection of rival popes forced the people of Europe into a dilemma of papal allegiance. This schism was not resolved fully until the Council of Constance was called by a group of cardinals, boldly, the council deposed both current popes and, in 1417, elected Martin V as their successor. The chaos of the Western Schism thus brought about reforming councils and gave them the power over who was elected, le voyage de Grégoire XI ramenant la Papauté dAvignon à Rome, 1376-1377 suivi du texte latin et de la traduction franç. de lItinerarium Gragerii XI de Pierre Ameilh
Pope Gregory XI
–
Pope Gregory XI
Pope Gregory XI
–
A
bolognino of Gregory XI.
22.
Santa Maria Maggiore
–
The Basilica is located at 34 Piazza dellEsquilino, some five blocks southwest of Stazione Termini. Pursuant to the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the Holy See and Italy, the Basilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State and they prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour. On 5 August, at the height of the Roman summer, in obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary which they had the same night, the couple built a basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow. From the fact that no mention whatever is made of this alleged miracle until a few hundred years later and it would seem that the legend has no historical basis. The legend is first reported only after AD1000 and it may be implied in what the Liber Pontificalis, of the early 13th century, says of Pope Liberius, He built the basilica of his own name near the Macellum of Livia. Its prevalence in the 15th century is shown in the painting of the Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale. The feast was originally called Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae, and was celebrated only in Rome until inserted for the first time into the General Roman Calendar, with ad Nives added to its name, in 1568. A congregation appointed by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741 proposed that the reading of the legend be struck from the Office, no action was taken on the proposal until 1969, when the reading of the legend was removed and the feast was called In dedicatione Basilicae S. Mariae. The legend is commemorated by dropping white rose petals from the dome during the celebration of the Mass. The earliest building on the site was the Liberian Basilica or Santa Maria Liberiana, Liberiana is still included in some versions of the basilicas formal name, and Liberian Basilica may be used as a contemporary as well as historical name. This building was replaced under Pope Sixtus III by the present structure dedicated to Mary. No Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom, St. Mary Major is one of the only four that hold the title of major basilica. The other three are the Basilicas of St. John in the Lateran, St. Peters, along with all of the other four Major Basilicas, St. Mary Major is also styled a Papal basilica. St. Mary Major was associated with the Patriarchate of Antioch, Philip Neri on 25 February 1552. It is agreed that the present church was built under Pope Sixtus III, the dedicatory inscription on the triumphal arch, Sixtus Episcopus plebi Dei, is an indication of that Popes role in the construction. The church retains the core of its structure, despite several additional construction projects. Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the first churches built in honour of the Virgin Mary, was erected in the aftermath of the Council of Ephesus of 431. Pope Sixtus III built it to commemorate this decision and these fines enabled the papacy to carry out through the 5th century an ambitious building program, including Santa Maria Maggiore
Santa Maria Maggiore
–
The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest church in Rome dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Santa Maria Maggiore
–
The
Blessed Virgin Mary overlooking
Pope Liberius as the
Pontiff scraped the foundation of the basilica into the snow. By Italian artist
Masolino da Panicale. circa 15th-century.
Museo di Capodimonte.
Santa Maria Maggiore
–
Map by Giacomo Lauro and Antonio Tempesta depicting Saint Mary Major among the
Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome in 1599, in view of the
Holy Year of 1600.
Santa Maria Maggiore
–
The Piazza and Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, by
Giovanni Paolo Pannini
23.
Pope John Paul II
–
Pope Saint John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła, was Pope from 1978 to 2005. He is called by some Catholics Saint John Paul the Great and he was elected by the second Papal conclave of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I, who had been elected in August after the death of Pope Paul VI, died after thirty-three days. Cardinal Wojtyła was elected on the day of the conclave. John Paul II is recognised as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland, John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Churchs relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He upheld the Churchs teachings on such matters as artificial contraception and the ordination of women and he was one of the most travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. By the time of his death, he had named most of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated a large number of the worlds bishops, a key goal of his papacy was to transform and reposition the Catholic Church. His wish was to place his Church at the heart of a new alliance that would bring together Jews, Muslims. He was the second longest-serving pope in history after Pope Pius IX. Born in Poland, John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since the Dutch Pope Adrian VI, John Paul IIs cause for canonisation commenced in 2005 one month after his death with the traditional five-year waiting period waived. A second miracle attributed to John Paul IIs intercession was approved on 2 July 2013, John Paul II was canonised on 27 April 2014, together with Pope John XXIII. On 11 September 2014, Pope Francis added John Paul IIs optional memorial feast day to the worldwide General Roman Calendar of saints, in response to worldwide requests. It is traditional to celebrate saints feast days on the anniversary of their deaths, Karol Józef Wojtyła was born in the Polish town of Wadowice. He was the youngest of three born to Karol Wojtyła, an ethnic Pole, and Emilia Kaczorowska, whose mothers maiden surname was Scholz. Emilia, who was a schoolteacher, died in childbirth in 1929 when Wojtyła was eight years old and his elder sister Olga had died before his birth, but he was close to his brother Edmund, nicknamed Mundek, who was 13 years his senior. Edmunds work as a physician led to his death from scarlet fever. As a boy, Wojtyła was athletic, often playing football as goalkeeper, during his childhood, Wojtyła had contact with Wadowices large Jewish community. School football games were organised between teams of Jews and Catholics, and Wojtyła often played on the Jewish side. I remember that at least a third of my classmates at school in Wadowice were Jews
Pope John Paul II
–
John Paul II in 1993
Pope John Paul II
–
The wedding portrait of John Paul II's parents, Emilia and Karol Wojtyła Snr
Pope John Paul II
–
The courtyard within the
family home of the Wojtyłas in
Wadowice,
Poland
Pope John Paul II
–
The tomb of the parents of John Paul II at
Rakowicki Cemetery in
Kraków,
Poland
24.
Great Jubilee
–
The Great Jubilee in 2000 was a major event in the Roman Catholic Church, held from Christmas Eve,1999 to Epiphany,2001. Like other previous Jubilee years, it was a celebration of the mercy of God, the major innovation in this Jubilee was the addition of many particular Jubilees for various groups of persons, and that it was simultaneously celebrated in Rome, Israel, and elsewhere in the world. Preparation for the Great Jubilee began when Pope John Paul II issued his Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente on November 10,1994, in the letter, he invited the Church to begin a three-year period of intensive preparation for the celebration of the third Christian millennium. Each year was also to be marked by a prayer of entrustment to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The formal convocation of the year came through the papal bull of indiction, Incarnationis Mysterium. In the bull, the Pope indicated that he had desired to lead the Church into the Great Jubilee since the beginning of his pontificate and he explained that this Jubilee would be a chance to open new horizons in preaching the Kingdom of God. However, it would also be a time of repentance, both for individuals and for the Church as a whole. Furthermore, he stressed the ecumenical character of this event, which he saw as not only for Catholics, the various churches and cathedrals in Rome took advantage of the Jubilee to perform long-needed renovations. The facade of St. Peters was under scaffolding for months, the Holy See also arranged to build a massive parking garage under the Janiculum hill, in order to accommodate all the buses that were expected. Construction of the garage was halted for some due to the discovery of mosaics dating from the imperial period in previously unknown chambers under the hill. These were removed en masse so as to be able to complete the garage in time for the Jubilee, with the Bull of Indiction came a document from the Apostolic Penitentiary, indicating the conditions for receiving the Jubilee indulgence. In many respects, they were simplified with respect to previous years. In the visit, the pilgrim had to part in a religious celebration or spend a half-hour in Eucharistic adoration. Further, the Jubilee was extended to all dioceses of the world, a visit to the cathedral church or another shrine designated by the bishop would also suffice to gain the Jubilee indulgence. Cloistered nuns and monks could obtain the indulgence in their house chapels, finally, the indulgence could be gained by means of a personal sacrifice or works of charity. Specifically mentioned in the document were sacrifices such as giving up smoking or alcohol for at least one day or making a donation to help the poor, the particular Jubilees punctuated each week of the year 2000. There were special Vespers services held every day at St. Peters Basilica, nearly every Sunday was dedicated to a special celebration of some sector of society. Some events of the Jubilee year were seen to be particularly significant, the pope opened the Jubilee by opening the holy door of St. Peters Basilica shortly before the Midnight Mass on December 24,1999
Great Jubilee
–
Great bell Jubilee of the year 2000
Great Jubilee
–
The official logo of the Great Jubilee of 2000 features its motto: Christ Yesterday, Today, Forever.
Great Jubilee
–
Logo in
postage stamp
Great Jubilee
–
Pope John Paul II kneels on the threshold of the
holy door of
St. Peter's Basilica. December 24, 1999
25.
Periplus
–
A periplus is a manuscript document that lists the ports and coastal landmarks, in order and with approximate intervening distances, that the captain of a vessel could expect to find along a shore. In that sense the periplus was a type of log, the form of the periplus is at least as old as the earliest Greek historian, the Ionian Hecataeus of Miletus. The works of Herodotus and Thucydides contain passages that appear to have based on peripli. Periplus is the Latinization of the Greek word περίπλους, is a sailing-around, several examples of peripli that are known to scholars, The Periplus of Himilco the Navigator, parts which are preserved in Pliny the Elder and Avienus. The Periplus of Scylax of Caryanda who allegedly sailed down the Indus River and this voyage is mentioned by Herodotus, and his pleriplus is quoted by Hecataeus of Miletus, Aristotle, Strabo and Avienus. The Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax, generally is thought to date to the fourth or third century BCE, the Pleriplus of Nearchus surveyed the area between the Indus and the Persian Gulf under orders from Alexander the Great. He was a source for Strabo and Arrian, among others, on the Red Sea by Agatharchides. Fragments preserved in Diodorus Siculus and Photius, the Periplus of Scymnus of Chios is dated to around 110 BCE. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea or Red Sea, was written by a Romanized Alexandrian in the first century CE and it provides a shoreline itinerary of the Red Sea, starting at the port of Berenice. Beyond the Red Sea, the manuscript describes the coast of India as far as the Ganges River and the east coast of Africa. The unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea claims that Hippalus, also according to the manuscript, the Horn of Africa was called, the Cape of Spices, and modern day Yemen was known as the Frankincense Country. The Periplus Ponti Euxini, a description of routes along the coasts of the Black Sea. Persian sailors had from very old times their own sailing guide books which were called Rahnāmag in Middle Persian, a Rahnameh listed the ports and coastal landmarks and distances along the shores. These lost but much-cited sailing directions go back at least until the 12th century, in some, the Indian Ocean was described as a hard sea to get out of and warned of the circumambient sea, whence all return was impossible. A periplus was also an ancient naval manoeuvre in which attacking triremes would outflank or encircle the defenders to attack them in the rear, list of Graeco-Roman geographers The dictionary definition of periplus at Wiktionary
Periplus
–
Beginning of the Arrian Periplous Euxeinou Pontou of Johann Froben and Nicolaus Episcopius, Basel 1533
26.
Giovanni Baglione
–
Giovanni Baglione was an Italian Late Mannerist and Early Baroque painter and art historian. He was born and died in Rome, but from his own account came from a family of Perugia. A pupil of the obscure Florentine artist working in Rome, Francesco Morelli, he worked mainly in Rome, to Rudolf Wittkower, his style vacillated between progressive trends, without absorbing them fully. He spent 1621–1622 in Mantua as the court artist of Duke Ferdinando Gonzaga, otherwise he remained in Rome, where he was long successful in attracting commissions from the Papal court and aristocracy. His paintings have been described by the art historian Steven F, the quality of his work declined sharply in the 1630s, by which time he was in his late sixties. He was a member of the Accademia from 1593 until his death, apart from the regular later title of first historian of the Roman Baroque, in his lifetime he was also nicknamed Il Sordo del Barozzo as he suffered from deafness. He died in Rome on 30 December 1643 at the age of 77 and he published two books, The nine churches of Rome, and The Lives of Painters, Sculptors, Architects and Engravers, active from 1572–1642. The latter is seen as an important historical source for artists living in Rome during the lifetime of Baglione. It marks a watershed in the literature of Rome-the turning point between the older tradition of devotional guidebooks. and the modern tradition of artistic guides. His biographies cover over two hundred artists in various media, all of whom had worked in Rome and were dead by the time he published. He carefully notes information about the status and progress of his subjects. He recorded all signs of status, including houses, dress, collections, permission to wear a sword, splendid funerals. Running throughout Le vite, in words, is an abiding concern with the honor of the profession-with the elevated status. As far as possible, his descriptions of works concentrated on those accessible to the public, bagliones best known painting, Sacred Love and Profane Love, was a direct response to Caravaggios Amor Vincit Omnia. Bagliones painting exists in two versions, the earlier in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin and the later in the Galleria Nazionale dArte Antica at Palazzo Barberini in Rome. Both show Sacred Love as a winged figure interrupting a meeting between Cupid, shown as in the Caravaggio as a smaller and naked winged figure. In the later Rome version the devil is portrayed with the features of Caravaggio. What in the two brothers was probably a family joke reflected serious rivalry between the artists concerned
Giovanni Baglione
–
Engraving by
Ottavio Leoni, 1625
Giovanni Baglione
–
Drawing of Saint Catherine, Carried up to Heaven by Angels, c. 1625
Giovanni Baglione
–
Giovanni Baglione, Sacred Love and Profane Love, 1602. Oil on canvas, 240 x 143 cm. Rome,
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica di
Palazzo Barberini.
Giovanni Baglione
–
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio,
Amor Vincit Omnia, ca 1602. Oil on canvas, 156.5 x 113.3 cm.
Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.
27.
Santa Maria Annunziata dei Gonfalone
–
The Oratorio del Gonfalone or Oratory of the Banner is a building in Central Rome which once housed a Catholic fraternity. They also were involved in charity towards the poor and needy, the fraternity was awarded the Golden Rose in 1526 by Clement VII, and given by Julius III in 1550 the prerogative to pardon one individual. In 1890, the fraternity was dissolved and its property confiscated by the state, the building on Via del Gonfalone 32a has a modest façade resembling a simple church. Inside, a team of prominent Mannerist painters were recruited between 1569–1576 to complete elaborate wall fresco decoration of scenes of the passion, artists included Giacomo Zanguidi, Livio Agresti, Marco Pino, Marcantonio dal Forno, Federico Zuccari, Raffaellino Motta da Reggio, and Cesare Nebbia. The main altarpiece is painted by Roviale Spagnolo, the site has been called the Sistine chapel of Mannerism. The Passion panels are flanked by quadratura spiral columns and surmounted by images of prophets, the restored frescoes are vivid in coloration. The oratorys frescoes were restored in the recent decade, and the site is used for many of the concerts by the Coro Polifonico Romano. Note there are at least two other Oratorio del Gonfalone in Italy, also decorated in the interior, one at Fabriano
Santa Maria Annunziata dei Gonfalone
–
Oratorio del Gonfalone
28.
San Paolo alle Tre Fontane
–
San Paolo alle Tre Fontane, in English, St Paul at the Three Fountains is a church dedicated to St Paul the Apostle, at the presumed site of his martyrdom in Rome. In Latin it is known as Sancti Pauli ad Aquas Salvias, since 2010 the church is a cardinalitial diaconia, with Mauro Piacenza as its cardinal deacon. Legend relates that, when St Paul was decapitated, his head bounced three times and fountains miraculously sprang up at each place where it touched the ground. However, the springs, called the Aquae Salviae, as in the Latin name for the church, were known in pre-Christian times, the first church here was built in the 5th century. It was rebuilt in 1599 by Giacomo della Porta for Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, the church belongs to the Trappist Tre Fontane Abbey. There are three symbolic monumental covers to the said to have sprung up at St Pauls death. The fountains were sealed in 1950 because pollution made it dangerous to drink the water. A column in the church is said to be the one to which St Paul was bound when he was beheaded, a Crucifixion canvas by Guido Reni was previously found in the church, it is now located in the Vatican. A chapel on the right has a Decapitation of St Paul by Bartolomeo Passerotti, remains of a late Roman mosaic floor are preserved in the nave. It was donated to the church by Pope Pius IX and is said to have brought here from Ostia. The 2010 appointment of Cardinal Mauro Piacenza as Cardinal-Deacon of this ancient church marks its first use as a cardinalatial diaconia
San Paolo alle Tre Fontane
–
Facade.
29.
Grand Tour
–
The custom flourished from about 1660, until the advent of large-scale rail transport in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as a rite of passage. With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months to roam, they commissioned paintings, perfected their language skills, in addition, it provided the only opportunity to view specific works of art, and possibly the only chance to hear certain music. A Grand Tour could last from months to several years. It was commonly undertaken in the company of a Cicerone, a guide or tutor. The legacy of the Grand Tour lives on to the day and is still evident in works of travel. In essence, the Grand Tour was neither a scholars pilgrimage nor a one, though a pleasurable stay in Venice. Catholic Grand Tourists followed the routes as Protestant Whigs. Pompeo Batoni made a career of painting English milordi posed with graceful ease among Roman antiquities, many continued on to Naples, where they viewed Herculaneum and Pompeii, but few ventured far into southern Italy or Malta, and fewer still to Greece, still under Turkish rule. Rome for many centuries had been the goal of pilgrims, especially during Jubilee when they visited the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. This is partly because he asked Inigo Jones, not yet established as an architect but already known as a traveller and masque designer. Larger numbers of tourists began their tours after the Peace of Münster in 1648, lasselss introduction listed four areas in which travel furnished an accomplished, consummate Traveller, the intellectual, the social, the ethical, and the political. The idea of travelling for the sake of curiosity and learning was an idea in the 17th century. Thus, one could use up the environment, taking from it all it offers, travel, therefore, was necessary for one to develop the mind and expand knowledge of the world. Consciously adapted for intellectual self-improvement, Gibbon was revisiting the Continent on a larger and more liberal plan, the typical 18th-century sentiment was that of the studious observer travelling through foreign lands reporting his findings on human nature for those unfortunate enough to have stayed home. Recounting ones observations to society at large to increase its welfare was considered an obligation, the Grand Tour offered a liberal education, and the opportunity to acquire things otherwise unavailable at home, lending an air of accomplishment and prestige to the traveller. The trappings of the Grand Tour, especially portraits of the traveller painted in iconic continental settings, became the obligatory emblems of worldliness, gravitas, the less well-off could return with an album of Piranesi etchings. The perhaps in Gibbons opening remark cast a shadow over his resounding statement
Grand Tour
–
The interior of the
Pantheon in the 18th century, painted by
Giovanni Paolo Panini
Grand Tour
–
The Grand Tourist, like
Francis Basset, would become familiar with Antiquities, though this altar is the invention of the painter
Pompeo Batoni, 1778. [
citation needed]
Grand Tour
–
Portrait of
Douglas, 8th Duke of Hamilton, on his Grand Tour with his physician
Dr John Moore and the latter's son
John. A view of
Geneva is in the distance where they stayed for two years. Painted by
Jean Preudhomme in 1774.
Grand Tour
–
Northerners found the contrast between Roman ruins and modern peasants of the
Roman Campagna an educational lesson in
vanities [
citation needed] (painting by
Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem, 1661,
Mauritshuis)
30.
Leon Battista Alberti
–
Leon Battista Alberti was an Italian humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher and cryptographer, he epitomised the Renaissance Man. Although Alberti is known mostly for being an artist, he was also a mathematician of many sorts, Albertis life was described in Giorgio Vasaris Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. Leon Battista Alberti was born in 1404 in Genoa and his mother is unknown, and his father was a wealthy Florentine who had been exiled from his own city, allowed to return in 1428. Alberti was sent to boarding school in Padua, then studied Law at Bologna and he lived for a time in Florence, then travelled to Rome in 1431 where he took holy orders and entered the service of the papal court. During this time he studied the ancient ruins, which excited his interest in architecture, Alberti was gifted in many ways. He was tall, strong and an athlete who could ride the wildest horse. He distinguished himself as a writer while he was still a child at school, in 1435, he began his first major written work, Della pittura, which was inspired by the burgeoning pictorial art in Florence in the early 15th century. In this work he analyses the nature of painting and explores the elements of perspective, composition, in 1447 he became the architectural advisor to Pope Nicholas V and was involved with several projects at the Vatican. His first major commission was in 1446 for the facade of the Rucellai Palace in Florence. This was followed in 1450 by a commission from Sigismondo Malatesta to transform the Gothic church of San Francesco in Rimini into a memorial chapel, the Tempio Malatestiano. In 1452, he completed De re aedificatoria, a treatise on architecture, using as its basis the work of Vitruvius, the work was not published until 1485. It was followed in 1464 by his less influential work, De statua, Albertis only known sculpture is a self-portrait medallion, sometimes attributed to Pisanello. Alberti was employed to design two churches in Mantua, San Sebastiano, which was never completed, and for which Albertis intention can only be speculated, and the Basilica of SantAndrea. The design for the church was completed in 1471, a year before Albertis death. As an artist, Alberti distinguished himself from the ordinary craftsman and he was a humanist, and part of the rapidly expanding entourage of intellectuals and artisans supported by the courts of the princes and lords of the time. Alberti, as a member of family and as part of the Roman curia, had special status. He was a welcomed guest at the Este court in Ferrara, the Duke of Urbino was a shrewd military commander, who generously spent money on the patronage of art. Alberti planned to dedicate his treatise on architecture to his friend, among Albertis smaller studies, pioneering in their field, were a treatise in cryptography, De componendis cifris, and the first Italian grammar
Leon Battista Alberti
–
Leon Battista Alberti
Leon Battista Alberti
–
Palazzo Rucellai
Leon Battista Alberti
–
English title page of the first edition of Giacomo Leoni’s translation of Alberti’s De Re Aedificatoria (1452). The book is bilingual, with the Italian version being printed on the left and the English version printed on the right.
Leon Battista Alberti
–
The dramatic facade of Sant' Andrea, Mantua, (1471) built to Alberti's design after his death
