First chosen option to research - People/ places - St Peter's Basilica, ROME
The Vatican City
The Vatican City is a sovereign State AKA a country within a country. Its' position in this status was quaranteed by the Latern treaty of 1929 and marked by a new road; 'Via della Conzilizione'.
It is the smallest state in the world, with only around 1000 inhabitants. It is considered the nerve centre of Christianity for all the world and is home to the Pope. It houses 11 Vatican museums and more than 8 Basilicas/ Papal Chapels:
- St Peter's Basilica
- St John Lateran
- St Paul outside-the-walls
- St Mary Major
- Redemptoris Mater Chapel
- Vatican Necropolis
- Sistine Chapel
- Pauline Chapel
Total area of the Vatican City: 0.44 sq km
Currency as of 2013: Euro
Religion: Roman Catholic
Map of the Vatican City:
View from the top of the lantern of St Peter's Basilica:
St Peter's Basilica
First to start the designing was Donato Bramante, until his death in 1514. Raphael took over until his death in 1520, followed by Antonio da Sagallo and Baldassare Peruzzi.
Progress on the cathedral was slow until 1546 because of disagreements between the artists, as each wanted their own stamp on the work. In 1547, Pope Paul III entrusted the then 72 year old Michelangelo to finish the building, and he did so until his death in 1564. He asked for no money for the project, but to only have his signature style in the building. Pope Paul III agreed to this, and yet constantly opposed and challenged his designs, leading to great arguments between the two.
My own photographic research:
Upon completion the Basilica bores the largest free standing dome in the world, the diameter of which is 42.34m and height of 43.2m! The colossal size of the cathedral is realised when you know that the lantern on the top of the dome is 137m above the church floor!
Other than the large dome and 8 smaller ones, the cathedral boasts 800 columns and 390 grand statues, made of travertine, marble, plaster & bronze.
Visitors enter through a huge bronze door, next to the Holy door, only opened every 25 years.
There are 45 separate altars inside the Basilica.
The Papal Altar stands over the Confessio (the Chapel of Confession) on the supposed original site of St Peter's grave.
The tomb Pope Alexander VII. The Pope is pictured praying on the top of the piece, while the skeletal figure holding an empty hourglass rises up from the entrance.
Around the inside of the dome reads part of the Gospel of Matthew in Latin: 'You shall be Peter, the rock, and upon this rock I will build my church. To you I give the key to heaven.'
Inside the Basilica is many famous artworks by Renaissance artists, including Michelangelo's Pieta, the only piece he ever signed. He completed it in just under a year when he was just 24 years old.
Source(s): '100 Wonders of the World, from man-made masterpieces to breathtaking surprises of nature' & 'Rome in a day' (walking tour).
Why is it interesting?
The sheer beauty and breathtaking size makes this extremely of interest to me, and to know that it was built 390 years ago is simply astounding and very impressive.
What other target audiences exist for it?
Although this is the site for many religious pilgrimages, it is highly appealing to many art/ architecture enthusiasts, tourists and on many bucket-lists from all walks of life. The scale and grandness is enough to capture almost anyones imagination -except for maybe young children.
The Vatican Necropolis:
Five- twelve meters beneath St Peter's Basilica lies the Vatican Necropolis, a large ancient cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments dating back to Imperial times. It is the original site of the original Basilica -the tomb of Peter the Apostle.
Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel is probably one of the most prominent landmarks inside of the Vatican City other than St Peter's. It is the official residence of the Pope and features many famous paintings on the murals of the interior; inlcuding 'The creation of Adam' by Michelangelo.
The interior
The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo is on the ceiling:
The Creation of Adam depicts the great moment when Adam is created by God and the breath of life is transferred through a single touch of the fingertips. The gap between their fingers leaves the audience in awe as the suspense of one of the greatest moments in the Christian history is left in limbo.
The actual painting only took around 3 to 4 weeks, with Adam himself only taking 3 days! It was completed in 1511. The styling of Adam was most probably inspired by Lorenzo Ghiberti's Adam on the Doors of Paradise if the baptistry of Florence:
