The Unusual Beauty of Rome

One of the unique gifts of being in Rome for such a long period of time is that you can wander anywhere on any particular day and find yourself surrounded in the beauty of ancient churches, architecture and masterpieces.

This weekend I was privileged to do all of that.  Friday afternoon I journeyed to the Sisters of Notre Dame Motherhouse to "scout" out the route before actually having Mass on Sunday morning.  I took the 32 bus to the 911 bus and got off at the Notre Dame stop.  So much for traveling incognito.  Two of the Indonesian nuns were also traveling on the bus and the "caught" me.  I got invited in for a cup of coffee and we enjoyed laughing about their discovery of me sharing the same bus with them.

Saturday I left the Casa O'Toole and trekked all through Rome.  My first stop was a beautiful museum called the Doria Pamphilii.  This gorgeous place was given to Pope Innocent X's nephew when he appointed him a cardinal. You've undoubtedly heard the word "nepotism."  The word comes from the Italian word nepotismo which is based on the Latin word nepos meaning nephew or grandson.  Since the clergy were celibate, they would often bestow special favors on their nephews, as was in the case of the Pamphilii palace.  Innocent's nephew, however, ended up marrying, giving up his position and collecting massive amounts of art.  He married into the Doria family, thus producing the "Doria Pamphilii" palace and wanting everyone to know him as a major patron of the arts.  Even the wallpaper here was considered rare and valuable.  In rooms without fabric wallcovering, he'd utilize paintings as a sort of wallpaper.

One painting which struck me was called, the Sacrifice of Isaac, by Pasquale Chiesa.  It was painted in 1666 and features the gnarled hand of Abraham, knife in hand, just about to enter into Isaac.  You can sense the danger, the fear, the trepidation, and the doubt as Abraham peers into heaven to hope for God's relent.  The interesting thing is that no one has ever heard about this artist yet his brilliance is recognized in this magnificent piece.

Later I visited the Church of San Marcello al Corso.  This church on the Via del Corso was a simpler church yet stunningly beautiful as well.  Though it suffered almost total destruction in the year, a crucifix was left completely untouched.  This was considered a miracle and, to this day, the cross is venerated and prayed before because of what had occurred.

On Sunday after Mass with the Sisters of Notre Dame I wandered to St. Peter in Chains, near the Roman Colloseum.  A reliquary near the sanctuary displays a set of chains supposedly used to bind the hands and feet of St. Peter before his crucifixion.  But the most visited spot in the church is the sculpture of Moses carved by Michelangelo commissioned by Pope Julius II for his tomb.  He is 8
feet tall sitting down, wearing a beautiful garment, filled with power and energy.  He looks as if he's about to stand, with left leg pushed back and commandments in hand.  His anger and fury are evident because, when he came down from Mt. Sinai, he finds the Israelites unfaithful.  Even in his beard there is energy and velocity creating rich shadows and alternations between dark and light and even textures.  Michelangelo wanted the tomb to be filled with carved figures but, unfortunately, he was unable to accomplish his vision.  However, the Moses is breathtaking and certainly conveys a powerful message to visitors even today, more than 500 years later.

Tre Fontane and St. Paul

Outside of the Church of his Execution

One of the 3 Fontains or wells

On Friday we visited the monastery of Tre Fontane (the 3 Fountains) where St. Paul was beheaded. In those days it was a swampy area outside the city of Rome where executions could take place with not much notice from the public.

The place is called Tre Fontane because there were 3 natural wells found there.  Legend has it that Paul's head bounced 3 times after it was severed and these were the places the wells were found. Today there is a church there with 3 shrine areas indicating where the wells were discovered.  Paul was executed somewhere between 64 and 67 AD.  From the start this was a place of worship and it changed hands from Greek monks to Cistercians to the Trappists who dwell there today.

The Palace of the Inquisitor

One of the interesting visits in Malta was the Palace of the Inquisitor.  Here is the place where local authorities represented the pope in matters of civil law and in keeping the peace.  It included a prison where some were held - usually in a very humane setting when someone broke the law.  The Roman inquisitor appealed to the pope himself.  Many jobs were available to the prisoners and each prisoner had the right to a lawyer.  If they were convinced you were guilty of a crime but you failed to admit it, you could be subject to torture methods.  However, a doctor had to discern whether you were fit enough to undergo it.  This was used as a court of appeals.  It was a medieval prison and prisoners had to sign an agreement never to disclose anything that you experienced inside the prison. Fortunately both faith and civility played a part in insuring that prisoners were well treated, had plenty of fresh air and had the right to representation.  Though some were tortured in this prison, none died while imprisoned.

The Beautiful Island of Malta

Last week we spent 5 days in Malta.  I had not known much about it other than St. Paul was shipwrecked there for 3 months.  (Acts 27, 28).  It's an amazing place - predominantly Catholic and filled with a great history including pagan temple sites, excavations and 500 Catholic churches on the island.  The local cuisine is rabbit.  As the old saying goes, "tastes like chicken."  This was the first Christianized nation in the west and was controlled by the Turks, the Normans, the Spanish, and the French.  It played a significant role in World War II as it was a place for the allies to strategically place their ships.  It was also considered the "nurse of the war" because it hosted 100,000 patients of the WWII conflicts on the island.  During the war it sustained 70,000 pounds of bombs.  There are 14 underground bomb shelters remaining on the island and during the war, people also found shelter in the catacombs on the island.  Malta is a total of 320 square kilometers and is the 4th densely populated country in the world.  In 1979 all the British left the country of Malta and it is now a neutral country.

Caravaggio and Malta

The beautiful cathedral of Malta hosts two of the world's most beautiful Caravaggio paintings.  We had the awesome privilege of seeing these two paintings.  Though photographs were not permitted, I've included some picture from the internet of these two great masterpieces.

In this first piece, St. Jerome Writing, we see Caravaggio utilizing the Grand Master of Malta, who had given him refuge when he was accused of murder.  Caravaggio left Rome for Malta after he had been accused of killing his lover's wife.  Remember that Caravaggio had a sketchy history.  He was a master with the paintbrush and canvas, but his personal life was a disaster.  As a thanks to the Grand Master, he painted these two magnificent works of art for the Cathedral of St. John.  It depicts St. Jerome, who translated the Scriptures from Greek into Latin, the native tongue of the Roman people.  The skull is a reminder of death.  No matter how good a life we lead here, ultimately, we belong to God and, ultimately, we all shall die.  The candlestick to the right represents spiritual illumination.  The beauty of this painting comes from the light shining on the important work St. Jerome is about.  The light comes from the left hand side illuminating not only St. Jerome but the clothing he wears, the skull and the manuscript.  Look at the torso of the saint.  You can even see the shadow of one arm crossing over his chest.  Caravaggio had an amazing skill with light.

The other magnificent piece is the Beheading of St. John the Baptist.  Though this image looks rather dark, it is a huge piece and you notice lots of light from the center of the painting.  Caravaggio painted this in just a week!  He also never used sketches.  He just started applying the paintbrush to the canvas.  There is a lot of open space in this painting.  Caravaggio was concerned about showing us the important scene and left other details lacking.  You see the bowing maid holding a platter to receive the head of the Baptist. Perhaps she is meant to be the wife of Herodias, who asks for John's head.  Others say that she appears to have striking Maltese characteristics.  The old maid places her head in her hands as she is appalled by the horrific act of beheading a prophet.  She is the only person depicted who reacts negatively to what is happening in the scene.  The jailer orders the placing of the head of the baptist on the platter.  His pointing hand is bathed in light emphasizing the order to kill John.  Some say this jailer is again the character of the Grand Master of Malta.  The executioner commands our attention by the detail of the muscles on his back and arms.  He reaches for the dagger but notice how there is no blood on the sword, nor the dagger.  And John's head is hardly severed at this point.  Caravaggio knew this piece would be placed in a church and he wanted to inspire, not to repulse the viewers.  Below the flow of blood Caravaggio signs the piece.  It is the only one of his works that he signed.  John's garment is bright red - the color of royalty.  He wants us to pay attention to him.  The rope near John's neck appears to still be moving, indicating that the depiction occurs right after the deed had been done.  On the right side of the painting, onlookers peer from a window - as if to say, we are blocked from doing anything about this.  Were they upset? Concerned?  Bewildered?  Frightened?  It's hard to know but we know that they look on the scene from afar.

As I reflected on this painting, I thought to myself, "Do I stand up when someone is unjustly treated?"  "Am I more a spectator, than someone who intercedes for another?"  "Am I willing to die for my faith?  Stand up for my beliefs?  Defend those who have no voice to speak for themselves?"  Lots to think about and reflect on in these beautiful works by Caravaggio..