Essay on The Vatican: Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy

During the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries, the Romanesque period was a time were pilgrimage was at an all-time high. Pilgrims traveled just to see the lavish churches being built and the relics they harbored. “Pilgrimages were a major economic as well as conceptual catalyst for the art and architecture of the Romanesque period” (book). With the increase in pilgrimage, church design had changed. Churches used to be built to accommodate small monastic communities, and worshipers. Now, they are being built to accommodate the pilgrims/public. Saint Saturninus at Toulouse is one example of the many churches that changed its design to welcome the new comers. It was constructed in 1070. “Builders increased the length of the nave, doubled the side aisles, and added a transept, ambulatory, and radiating chapels to provide additional space for pilgrims and the clergy” (book).

The shift brought the transformation of thick columns to much thinner and “lighter” columns (Blankenbehler). However, before this architectural movement can begin, Abbot Suger struggled to reconstruct and synthesize the style of the ancient building with his ideas of modern designs. He knew that the freshness of these new designs would bring beauty and spaciousness. He wanted people to be amazed at the transformation of the once small, but soon to be large and wide feel of the basilica. To create the wide feel, Abbot Suger issued the ceiling to have a complicated web of interlocked and pointed vaults. He also chose to have arches with points so that the basilica would not need thick walls to support the arch. Thick walls would make the interior look crowded and small, something Suger did not want. By having the pointed arches, those would take the weight of the ceiling and distribute the weight across rather than being pulled down. This allowed for thin and elegant looking columns, for they were able to support the ceiling because the weight of it was dispersed. He envisioned the structure to have high ceilings, which would be supported with thinner columns (Birth of the Gothic: Abbot Suger and the Ambulatory at St. Denis). Suger also brought in the idea of having tall towers so that the building would look like it was reaching for the heavens. By reaching the heavens, it brought this concept of being closer to God and reassuring the people’s

Church of the Holy Sepulchre is also known as the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Resurrection (Orthodox Christians). Originally identified as being outside the settlement of Calvary, it is located in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel and is considered one of the holiest sites in the world, as well as being a central destination for Christian pilgrims. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was originally built by the Roman Emperor Constantine (272-337) in 330 CE upon the site of a Roman temple. It has since been controlled by Arab rulers, reclaimed by Christian crusaders, repeatedly ruined by fires and conquests, and long been subject to regional religious and political tensions. The Holy Sepulchre is a central Church in

QUINTUS OCTAVIUS exited his litter, having just traversed the winding streets and narrow avenues of the Aventine, and hurried up the steps of the Basilica Julia. He had just concluded some business for his client Lollius Capito, leasing out some empty warehouses to a Sicilian merchant, whilst selling the deed of another to a vintner from Antium, liquidating some of Capito’s vacant properties. It was late afternoon and the Forum was bustling, for it was business as usual here in the great city of Rome; Octavius scarcely arrived at the proposed hour of his appointment for all the pedestrian hubbub and cart traffic afoot. Rome is ever the center of commerce and trade in the Empire, he thought wryly. Alexandria is but a small-time metropolis compared to our fabulous Eternal City!

The Roman basilica was one example of architecture that Early Christians took inspiration from. Old Saint Peter’s was designed based off of it, with similarities in the elevation of the building and design plan. Like most basilicas in Rome, Old Saint Peter’s church has a “wide central nave with flanking aisles and an apse at the end” (Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, 8-2b). The church

Martin of Tours Catholic Church is a roman catholic church. While at the church I realized that it appeared very similar to the Eastern Orthodox Church. They had two full skeletal remains of Christian martyrs. Their whole church was surrounded with important figures of Christianity. There were large amounts of stain glass depicting important events and people and lots of statues and plaques distributed throughout the room. The stained glass was there to show people the stories from the Bible instead of having to read them. Wooden pews were provided as seats and holders on the backs of them for the bibles and songs. There were also crosses everywhere, representing Jesus’s crucifixion. The main colors seemed to be golds, whites, blues, and tans. There were depictions of Jesus all around, some of them as a baby, others as a man. There was a shell that was used to bounce sound off of before there were microphones, but now just a symbol of the age and history of the church. Music was also said to be used a lot during church as a tool to praise God. There was a huge organ above the pews and towards the back of the room, still used at their services every week. They also emphasized using strings, chords, and drums to praise God, as it had written on the organ in Latin, which was the language that most of the sermons and masses were in. Another aspect of the room was the candles lit in remembrance of those who passed, just as it had been in the Orthodox Church. The Roman

In this essay I intend to compare and contrast the Basilica of St. Sernin and Basilica of St Denis in France with references to how they differ structurally (as Romanesque and Gothic buildings respectively) followed by critical analysis of the advancements in architectural construction methods. The progression in architectural capability from Romanesque to Gothic led to a change in how religious architecture was approached spatially, with far greater emphasis on the use of light and a desire for greater height. To assess this transition one must contextualise the periods the respective basilicas were built in and the physical limitations as well as architectural preferences of the time. One must further assess why previously unfeasible technologies that now elevated the height of buildings and placed a greater emphasis for infiltration of light were required for religious reasons. This need for greater height and light exemplifies the relationship that people wanted between themselves and God in order to achieve a more fulfilled experience of their religion. This essay will attempt to consider and evaluate the dramatic change in the architectural style of Churches and Cathedrals and the transition from Romanesque to Gothic indicating the lasting impact these processes have left on history.

Before Constantine, Christian churches were often not much different than typical domestic architecture (Johnson, 282). After the legalization of Christianity in Rome, large churches known as basilicas sprung up in every major city of the Roman Empire. The basilicas were built with several parallel aisles separated by rows of columns, ending in a semicircular structure could often hold thousands of worshipers (Pollard, 286). Constantine himself was responsible for the construction of churches in Rome including the Church of St. Peter, and churches in the Holy Land including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and in Bethlehem, the Church of the Nativity (Johnson,

St. Benedict was important to Rome. He decided that it was more important to live for God. Then Saint Benedict turned his life to Christ. Many men loved Saint Benedict and tried to imitate his life. Then the people excitedly requested for him to become their leader. Confidently he conceded this request. Saint Benedict equipped a community on a tremendous hill called Monte Cassino. In 529, Saint Benedict circulated a rule for the monks. He thought that those who wanted to serve God could live in a building called a monastery. They would pray. They would work. They would study. When the monks did these three tasks they would do it alone. One of Saint Benedict’s rules was teaching lessons of civilization. He believed

Lastly, I would like to talked about the one of most beautiful painting named Interior view of the Church of Saint Peter’s in the Vatican by Francesco Panini in 1770’s. Before even, let’s talked about the history of the church. Saint Peter’s Basilica is one of the famous Catholic church and one of the most holiest site. It was built according to tradition above the burial site of the St. Peter. According to the cite, “  twelve disciples of Jesus and the first Bishop of Rome, who was martyred in the year 64 CE”. So to maintain that tradition , whenever the Pope dies, they buried them in the basilica. As shown

A 54-year-old Catholic woman stated in an interview conducted on the topic of the modernization of the church insightfully noted that Vatican II allowed for “practical changes,” like “ music and singing, and women allowed into upfront roles as readers, lectors, and Eucharistic ministers, as well as altar servers in some places.” Vatican II “aimed to produce a different experience of the mass,” but also set out to reposition the church in a relative relationship with the modern world (Mathis).

In an age filled with war and political instability, the Roman Catholic Church served as a way to unify members of Europe during the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages was a time of low literacy rates. The Roman Catholic Church allowed members of medieval society (both literate and illiterate) an understanding of how the world worked. Although political leaders had only great local power, the Church was recognized as the most powerful institution, as its power covered all of Europe. The Roman Catholic Church was able to touch everyone’s life, no matter their class or ranking. In a time of darkness and suffering, The Church gave everyone a sense of belonging and place in the world. During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church stood as the central

Thesis: It is the intent of this paper to dig into the life of Peter and see just who this man that passionately followed Christ was. As we dig into the life of Peter we will examine his character strengths, his weaknesses, and overall how Peter was transformed by Christ. We will see how God took a man who more often than not acted without thinking and transformed him into a passionate follower who’s words we read today in God’s very words to us.

St. Peter’s Basilica and La Sagrada Familia are structures with amazing architecture, but they are much more than just a structure. Both basilicas tell a story about not just the architects and their interests of certain architectural styles, but also about the history and story of Catholicism. La Sagrada Familia and St. Peter’s Basilica are not often compared due to the time in which they were built, as well as due to their different styles of art and architecture. However, despite their very different styles of architecture, they both serve Catholicism a similar purpose by uniting those believing in the Catholic faith in very similar ways by using these magnificent buildings as propaganda in a positive manner.

In 609 AD, Byzantine Emperor dedicated Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV; the Pope renamed it as Santa Maria ad Martyrs, which is the official name of the Pantheon today. Nowadays, Pantheon is still used as a Catholic church; the people will celebrate the Mass and wedding there. It is also a world-famous tourist attraction.