Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel comes from the name of an Italian man, Pope Sixtus IV, who commissioned this chapel. The first mass held within this chapel was on August 15, 1483. This famous chapel is best known for Michelangelo’s frescoes as can be seen on the ceiling. At first, Michelangelo did not desire to paint because at the time, he was busy working on Pope Julius II’s marble tomb. He considered himself more of a sculptor rather than a painter, and he did not have experience with frescoes. Frescoes are a kind of painting technique where you paint on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water. Michelangelo did finally accept the job reluctantly. The entire painting took four years to complete and covers 12,000 square feet. An old myth goes around that he painted on his back, but it is only just a myth. In fact, a platform was built that enabled him to stand and paint from just a few inches away from the ceiling. The ceiling tells stories from Genesis all the way to Noah, but he painted these in reverse chronological order. He painted images of God last because he knew this would be the most difficult to paint, and he wanted to make sure his fresco skills were at their prime so he could portray the divine the best he could. Aside from Michelangelo’s famous ceiling, in other significance, elections held for the new pope have been held within this chapel since 1492. The progress of the election is “signaled” by dark smoke that will rise four times from the ballot papers that are burnt. When white smoke rises from the chimney, bells ring, and it means a decision has been made. The new pope will then appear on the balcony, and he gives his first speech and blessing called, “Urbi et Orbi”, meaning “to the city and to the world”.
St. Peter’s Basilica
Standing as one of the worlds’ largest churches, St. Peter’s Basilica was built on April 18, 1506, but the current building is actually building the 2nd building. The Old Saint Peter’s Basilica was built on orders of Constantine around 324AD. This was where Charlemagne, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was crowned in 800AD. It stood in place for over 1,000 years, but it slowly began to deteriorate, and the new basilica took 120 years to complete. At this church, there are 100 plus tombs. The underground level known as the Vatican Grottos is home to 91 tombs of where popes are buried. The level below is where St. Peter’s tomb is. There is also a door that is only opened for holy years, which occur every twenty-five years. It is called, “the Holy Door”, and people who enter through it receive a “plenary indulgence”. There is also a place called “The Scavi” where only about two hundred people a day are allowed to enter. Supposedly, this is where the tomb of St. Peter (one of the twelve disciples of Jesus) lies—134 bone fragments were found here with the phrase, “Petros eni,” meaning “Peter is here”. A church only becomes a basilica when a pope deems it, typically because of its historical significance or famous relics.
References
Cohen, J. (2012, November 01). 7 Things You May Not Know About the Sistine Chapel. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-sistine-chapel
Conradt, S. (2009, April 07). 10 Facts About St. Peter's Basilica. Retrieved from http://mentalfloss.com/article/21396/10-facts-about-st-peters-basilica
Jepson, T. (2017, January 20). Rome's Sistine Chapel: 50 fascinating facts. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/rome/articles/Romes-Sistine-Chapel-50-fascinating-facts/
St Peter's Basilica, Vatican Highlights. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.romaexperience.com/st-peters-basilica/