Chruches of Roma

I do not think I have ever been to a city with as many churches in as compact of an area. On my last day here I went through the Sistene Chapel and saw one of the most famous places in the Catholic religion. I found out that this is the very room where bishops will be locked in, at the death of a Pope. No one will be allowed to leave until one is selected, and even the food that is given is somehow brought through the windows. This room has an incredible amount of art, and it is compacted into a very small room. My favorite painting in the room is in Michaelangelo's self portrait, where a saint is holding his skin. Unfortunately do to the copyrights of a Japanese company, we were not allowed to take pictures inside.

Santa Maria del Mar

Barcelona does not feature nearly as many churches as Rome does. However, its Santa Maria del Mar is a very famous church, and is massive as well. The church is not nearly as wide as it is long, and when we entered there was even a public wedding taking place. The windows are all done with stained glass and at the top of the entrance there is a giant circular window which lets in most of the church's light. Just past the nave are roof high columns that surround the altar in this basilica style church. The walls of stone do not feature as much artwork as is featured in some Roman churches such as inthe San Ignazio.

San Giovanni della Pigna

The San Giovanni della Pigna is a little known church located in Piazza Della Pigna. The Piazza is small, and suits the church quite well. Inside of the church there are only nine rows of benches, that can probably only hold about 4 people each. While small, the church does have some features that seem quite expensive, such as marble flooring, and a grand chandelier that looks to be made of crystal. The roof is done with gold and white coloring, while the walls are lined with different paintings of holy figures. The church has a very solemn feeling, and there was not a tourist there during my entire fifteen minute stay. My favorite feature of the church was the art behind the altar, which is a painting that blends with a sculpture above it.

San Giovani Laterano

The San Giovani Laterano is the one of the two most famous churches in all of Rome. It has the Papal Altar, which is an altar only the pope can direct mass from. It is extremely tall, and lined with gold along the top.

I found the ceiling to be one of the most interesting parts of the church. It consists of gold framing around artistic designs. The walls feature some incredible art as well, it is done very softly, and looks as though it is almost done with chalk. Of course it isn't but the artwork in this church is quite exquisite. For instance look at the picture above with the apse with its mosaics.

http://goitaly.about.com/od/romeandvaticancity/ig/Basilica-of-St-John-Lateran/Basilica-ceiling-picture.htm

Santa Maria sopra Minerva

The Santa Maria sopra Minerva is located near one of the major tourist attractions in Rome, the Patheon. If you walk along the back of the Pantheon you will be sure to find a giant obelisk with an elephant underneath, once there you have reached your destination.

This church is slated as the only Gothic church in all of Rome. The style of this church is different from many of the other churches we have been to. There were skeleton heads, something I have not generally noticed in the other churches we have been to, as well as the lighting was extremely low. It was quite difficult to capture pictures but I did manage a few so enjoy.

Santa Maria Novella in Firenze

The Santa Maria Novella is one of the more famous churches in Florence. In the center of the piazza out front of the church are several benches with inscriptions on them in Italian. These benches are encompassed by two obelisks which feature turtles on them that are similar to those on the turtle fountain. The outside of the church features color ways of green and white which is very different from the churches in Rome that do not often feature colors on the outside. As you walk up the steps there are three doors, the center much larger than those on the side. Most notable in this church is that there is a crucifix with a very modern look. The crucifix is of gold and is large, while Jesus is portrayed with much more color than has been seen in many other churches.

Duomo in Firenze

The Duomo in Firenze is one of the most historic churches in all of Italy, and the most famous in Firenze. The walk to the top is very similar to that of the Vatican, however there is no elevator allowing for a cheat of about 200 stairs. After the first few flights of stairs you reach a plateau in which you walk in a circle around the base of the dome. From here you can see the many paintings on the dome but at a distance it is hard to see there every detail. Continuing on, there are a few hundred more steps, through a tightly congested place. This dome walk is dwarfed compared to the dome walk in the Vatican. Different than the Vatican you can make it up these stairs without a close pin for your nose, due to body odor. Finally at the top of the dome, you can see out across Florence's great churches and towers, such as Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, Santa Spirito, and Palazzo Vecchio. Coming back down the stairs after enjoying the view atop the Duomo, you come across another plateua lining the inside of the dome. From here you can see the paintings on the dome in good detail. They are extremely demonic and extremely graphic. This are some of my favorite paintings because they are action sequences.

Santa Maria in Trastevere

The Santa Maria is in Trastevere is a beautiful church located a few blocks off of the road Trastevere. The fountain at Santa Maria in Trastevere was dead to the eye, as there was no water flowing from it at the time. The piazza is wide open and has quite a few stores surrounding it. As you enter the church the doors are smaller than in many of the other churches, almost kind of discreet. In fact, the church really isn't big at all, but it definitely has some fine artwork. The altar which is dwarfed by the papal alter mentioned in previous blogs, is in front of a wall of gold that is topped with a half dome. My favorite part was the curvy stair well that leads up to the seat where the organ is played.

The Pantheon

Today before my final departure and move from my once beloved apartment I thought it necessary to stop by the Pantheon once more, before I moved to Trastevere. It sits on one end of the Piazza della Rotonda with vast pillars at the entrance. As you pass through the grand door way your eyes are immediately drawn to the gigantic opening at the top of the dome. On a bright sunny day the light that shines through the hole is dazzling and brightens the entire temple. I have heard that visiting the Pantheon while raining is truly breath taking, and plan to see this for myself before leaving Rome.

Vatican Dome

Today we explored the Vatican and got to see the architecturally perfect design of one of the most famous buildings in the world. Once we had walked through and mass was about to start we decided to head over to the Vatican Museum, which to our dismay was closed because it was a holy day. After overcoming our disappointment we decided we were going to go in to the dome at the top of the Vatican. From this area you can see down to the altar within St. Peter's Basilica. The walk to the dome is full of curves and tight. If you are claustrophobic this walk is not for you, as there are sometimes hundreds of people packed into a tiny stairwell, sweating and treking together. All of the walk proves worth it a top the great church. The view from the top of the Vatican is absolutely breathtaking. You can see so many of the Roman monuments, and with such perfect view. There are green gardens alongside parts of the Vatican which combine incredible skill of artistry and gardening ability.

San Ignazio

My favorite of the three churches we went to on our field trip was San Ignazio. It was the final church we went to and it is located less than thirty seconds from my apartment. However, I have never been there before because there is an orange caution tape lining the front of the church, and the entrance isn't easily visible. I am glad we went though, because the paintings inside were incredible. Apparently there was not enough money left in the budget when the building was being constructed and the architects were not able to put a dome in like they had wanted. So, it was decided that the painters would paint the ceiling in such a way that it would look like a dome. All of the ceiling looks three dimensional and it was painted incredibly.

1. Rick Steve's Rome 2009