RonnieAdventures: RonnieAdventure #0685 - The Vatican Museums, Vatican City

Picture by Kolohe

The Vatican is located in Vatican City, an independent city-state that is the smallest country in the world, covering approximately 50 hectares (121 acres). This is Headquarters for the Roman Catholic Church and home of the Pope.

We were aware of the large crowds that visit The Vatican every day, so we researched the best way to plan a visit. After reading several recommendations, we decided to hire a private guide before we left home. This turned out to be the best possible decision. It cost a little more for a private guide, but we rationalize it by the fact that this would probably be the only time any of us would ever visit The Vatican.

When we arrived, the crowds were worse than we had planned because this year a new Pope was installed and 2025 is a Jubilee Year when the Pope "invites religious pilgrims to journey to Rome and be granted plenary indulgence, among other Catholic rituals and events." The Holy Year is held ever 25 years. This Holy Year started on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, and will last until the Epiphany festival on January 6, 2026. (More details about the Jubilee Year in a future blog.)

We agreed to meet our guide at a Vatican Museum side door for our tour at 7 AM. When we arrived, the crowds already formed long lines down the street. Fortunately, our guide was able to bypass the long lines.

Picture by Kolohe

Once inside of the first museum, we stopped at a scale model of Vatican City, where our guide pointed out the locations of significant buildings in the City.

Picture by Kolohe

We then walked through the museum into a courtyard that was located just outside of the entrance to the Vatican Pinacoteca. This is where the large marble base of The Column of Antoninus Pius is located. The marble block was enclosed in a tent for repair work, but a picture of the block was attached to the outside of the tent.

Antoninus Pius was born in the year 86 and reigned from 138 to 161. He "was an effective administrator, leaving his successors a large surplus in the treasury, expanding free access to drinking water throughout the Empire, encouraging legal conformity, and facilitation the enfranchisement of free slaves." After his death, a large obelisk (Column of Antoninus Pius) was built in the Campus Martius (Field of Mars), which at that time was outside of the City. Over the centuries, the obelisk was destroyed and completely buried as the area was developed and incorporated into the city of Rome.

In 1703, when the site was being excavated for new construction, the base of the obelisk was discovered and moved to an outdoor display area. After years of neglect, in 1787, the base was moved to the Vatican Museums and in 1885 it was moved to its current location.

The Apotheosis scene carved on the marble base depicts "the elevation of Emperor Antoninus Pius and Empress Faustina to divine statue, flanked by two eagles and witnessed by the goddess Roma and the personification of the Campus Martius (Field of Mars)."

The 136 meter (446.2 feet) tall dome of St Peter's is visible in the background. No building in Rome may be built taller than the dome's peak.

Picture by Kolohe

The Pinacoteca Museum Courtyard is located just to the west of the marble base, so before leaving the area we made a walking tour of the grassy area outside of the museum. Placards with pictures and descriptions of the Sistine Chapel were placed along the walkway.

Picture by Kolohe

The Padiglione delle Carrozze (Carriage Pavilion) contains a collection of sedan chairs, carriages, and automobiles that have been used by various Popes.

Picture by Kolohe

Keys symbols are used extensively throughout The Vatican and found on paintings, mosaics, statues, and most Church objects. Keys are symbolic of the Christian faith's core values and according to the Bible, Jesus gave St Peter keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Picture by Kolohe

The 1980 Fiat "Popemobile" that St. John Paul II was riding in during his assassination attempt was on display, along with a movie of the shooting. On May 13, 1981, at 5:15 PM, a Turkish terrorist fired two shots from a 9mm handgun that wounded the Pope, but did not kill him. Two American tourist were also wounded.

In 1983, the Pope met with the attacker in prison and granted him forgiveness.

Picture by Kolohe

Since The Vatican is its own country, they have their own post office that sells post cards and stamps. Linda did not get to go on this trip, so we sent her post cards with "Vatican Stamps" that were post marked in The Vatican.

Picture by Kolohe

On our way to the Sistine Chapel, we passed through the Cortile della Pigna (Pinecone Courtyard). The courtyard was originally part of the Cortile del Belvedere, a major architectural work, that connected the Vatican Palace with the Sistine Chapel.

The Golden Globe art work on display in the courtyard is a fractured bronze sphere by the famous artist Arnaldo Pomodoro. Pomodoro said that his spheres represent "the superficial perfection of exteriors and the troubled complexity of interiors."

Picture by Kolohe

The Fontana della Pigna, a former Roman fountain, is now located on the wall of the Belvederea museum building facing the Cortile della Pigna. The bronze pine cone is almost 4 meters (13 feet) tall and once spouted water from the top. It was moved to its present location in 1608. The peacocks on either side of the pinecone are copies of those decorating the tomb of Emperor Hadrian.

The two lions at the base of the pinecone date back to 360-343 BC and relate to the god Thoth, who separated the gods Horus and Seth that were fighting for the inheritance of Osiris on earth.

Picture by Kolohe

There are 26 individual museums, galleries, and collections that are collectively known as "The Vatican Museums." The museums are housed in several large buildings and tend to run together, so it was difficult to determine when we passed from one museum into another. Our guide told us that we would not be able to see everything because there are over 70,000 works of art on display. Since we have limited art knowledge, we just photograph significant art pieces that our guide pointed out and things we liked. In addition to the wall displays, many works of art are found in the buildings' floors and ceilings. Presented are a fraction of the items that we photographed.

Picture by Kolohe

The Laocoon statue was created by sculptors Agesander, Polydorus, and Ahendourus between 42 and 20 BC. Contained in the statue is the Trojan Priest Laocoon and his two sons struggling with snakes that have been sent to overpower them by the god Apollo, after the Priest warned the Trojans to "beware of Greeks bearing gifts." The referenced gift was the Trojan horse.

Picture by Kolohe

The Belvedere Torso (Picture by Kolohe)

Picture by Kolohe

Pieta by Vincent van Gogh (Picture by Kolohe)

Photography is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel, so the following pictures of the Chapel are from the web. Tours of The Vatican Museums end after walking through the Sistine Chapel.