Not Prague, Part 3: The Vatican

The Vatican Museums have so many exhibits, that if you were to spend only five seconds in each of the 1,400 rooms, you would need nearly five days just to glance at everything. This is, of course, assuming you have the power to teleport into each room, and that you have no interest is seeing St. Peter's Basilica or the Sistine Chapel, and that the place didn't close and you brought plenty to eat. Point is ... there's a lot of stuff in here, and it ain't cheap.

"If it looks like gold," our tour guide told us, "it's gold." And there was a lot of stuff that looked like gold. And there were sculptures, tapestries, paintings, frescos, marble sarcophaguses/sarcophagi, just rows upon rows upon columns of artwork completed over a span of 3,000 years.

Gallery of Maps. Looks like gold on the ceiling, doesn't it?

Two dominant thoughts crossed my mind during my three-plus hours in the museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's. One was a feeling of constant awe at the wonderful art around every corner. I also couldn't help but think what would happen if Jesus Christ, whose lone possessions were the clothes over his shoulders and the sandals on his feet, walked into the Vatican and saw everything. I wonder if the Catholic Church has an official stance on excessive possessions in writing somewhere, or if the current Pope has ever said anything about the subject.

But enough cynicism, at least until I've finished writing this. Strictly as a museum and an architectural wonder, the museums and the Basilica are amazing, thanks to the contributions of the greatest artists ever to call Italy (or Greece, for that matter) home. A sampling of fun facts from the Vatican, courtesy of my guide from When in Rome Tours and a hostel roommate who knows such things:

• In Michelangelo's The Last Judgment, Jesus' face is based on Apollo and his right arm drawing people up to Heaven is based on Laocoön.
• There's a reason Michelangelo did not use much blue on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but it's his background color in The Last Judgment. The pigment for blue paint back in the day was as expensive (or moreso) than gold. Michelangelo had to buy his own supplies for the chapel ceiling, but the Catholic Church paid for his materials for The Last Judgment.
• There's also an entertaining reason why Michelangelo carved his name in The Pieta, his sculpture of Jesus dying in Mary Magdalene's arms. The story is here.
• Before Michelangelo repainted it, the Sistine Chapel's ceiling was gold and blue, the most expensive colors to use.
• The shape of St. Peter's Square, designed by Bernini, is that of a keyhole. The symbolism there is that one enters through the keyhole to the church. Hence, the square is the entrance into Heaven.

I stopped shaking long enough to snap this photo.

As you may have guessed, I have a link to more photos. I hope they do some sort of justice. A taste before you hit the link:

Under the dome. Looks like gold, doesn't it?

I'm standing behind the statues that overlook St. Peter's Square.

The Pieta.

Sorry, no photos from the Sistine Chapel, where taking photographs is illegal (as is talking, which most tourists ignored anyway, and showing your kneecaps or shoulders).