THE ETERNAL CITY
"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art"
HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II (1920-2005)
letter to Artists
ROME AND THE VATICAN
Two field trips to Rome are planned during our 3 week stay in Italy. In addition to a pilgrimage to the Basilica of St Peter where, among innumerable other great works of art, we will see Michelangelo's masterful pieta, we will tour the Vatican Museums, the Galleria Borghese & visit several churches whose art & architecture are among the finest in the world. Students will also have the opportunity to go on walking tours of the city's most significant and beautiful landmarks.
THE VATICAN MUSEUMS
The Vatican houses one of the greatest museums in Europe. As well as seeking out exquisite examples of sculpture from antiquity such as the famous Laocoon group, we will devote much time to the pinacoteca with its many paintings of monumental importance. Raphael's "Transfiguration", Leonardo's "St Jerome" and Caravaggio's "Deposition from the cross" shown here on the right, are but a few examples from this collection. The extensive tour will wind through the many galleries including the Raphael rooms with the frescoes of the School of Athens and the Dispute on the Blessed Sacrament, and culminate in the viewing of the Sistine Chapel, which has captivated the imagination of artists, art historians and pilgrims alike as being at the absolute pinnacle of human achievement. Represented below is one of the 9 bays from Michelangelo's masterpiece of the ceiling frescoes.
