Art History Blog #3

In the same ways Rome is simultaneously and incongruously modern and ancient; the same dichotomy exists in terms of that which is sacred and secular. While historically, the two were inseparable, the same contrast exists within the Churches of Rome whose tourism is comprised of tourists visiting these spaces for both sacred and secular reasons.

The Churches we visited on Thursday offered exquisite examples of interior decoration ranging from the small, reverent and fairly modest to the lavish and crowded. We began with the Basilica of Santa Maria di Trastevere, located in the neighborhood where we are living while in Rome. The Church has been renovated several times over the centuries and a multitude of eras have left their mark on its decorations. The highlight of this lovely little Church included brilliant mosaics by Pietro Cavallini, an important forerunner to the Italian Renaissance that predates Giotto’s conventions regarding depth and naturalism. The figures of Christ and the Virgin are depicted through a Classical mode of representation with massive, legible figures dressed imperially and surrounded by a traditional gold background. The narratives depicted around the main image of Christ and the Virgin show increased naturalism and a focus on everyday reality in which the earthly and heavenly realm merge. This illustrates the changing religious ideals in Rome just prior to the Renaissance when a personal connection to religion was emphasized.

The second Church we visited was the Church dedicated to Saint Cecilia, which proved to be one of my most favorite experiences thus far. Saint Cecilia now considered the patron saint of music was one of the most venerated saints in the 13^th – 15^th centuries.

Beneath the Church, a number of excavation sites are viewable to the public (that is, those who are willing to haggle with the gift shop manager). These excavations were dug during the 1600s as a way to disprove Protestant claims against the use of music and art in religious ceremonies. Archeology and early incarnations of the scientific method were used to revive early Christian practices and counter Protestant claims. Excavators discovered a number of rooms likely from St. Cecilia’s home, as well as her body, which is now marked by a tomb held inside a small but lovely chapel within the excavation site. Directly above the tomb, on the ground floor of the church is a sculpture by early Baroque artist, Maderno. The sculpture (which happens to be one of my favorite Baroque works) appears to depict St. Cecilia sleeping, with her face turned toward the ground. However, on closer inspection one realizes the head is at an unusual angle and the neck is marred with a thick scar where her persecutors attempted to remove her head, only to fail and have her slowly die over a period of days. Supposedly, the sculpture accurately depicts St. Cecilia’s body as it was discovered in the excavation site, with her hands gesturing one and three, proclaiming the belief in the Holy Trinity.

Through a heavy door off to the side of the Church, two miniature nuns silently gestured us into a cramped elevator, leading us to the recently discovered frescoes by Pietro Cavallini. Unlike the mosaics in Santa Maria di Trastevere, the medium of pigment on egg whites allowed for greater subtlety and naturalism. The scene depicts Christ in majesty surrounded by angels with brightly-colored wings.

Later in the afternoon, we went to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, a large, lavish church filled with tourists and worshippers. This Church was temporary home to the Papacy after the return from exile in Avignon and before the move to St. Peters and the Vatican. The majority of the basilica was constructed under Pope Sixtus III during the early part of the 5^th century and is characterized by the exquisite mosaics and triumphal arch. The façade was redone in the 12^th century and then further renovated in the 18^th century. The church contains a number of lavishly decorated chapels radiating from the main hall as well as a large dedication to the Pope and the supposed original Christ manger beneath the apse.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the quietude and escape from the sweltering Roman heat in Santa Maria di Trastevere and Santa Cecilia, I found the mix of awkward tourists and Christian worshippers in Santa Maria di Maggiore to be a bit incongruous. Certain modesty is required in order to enter the Church, so those scantily clad tourists were forced to awkwardly wrap themselves in a piece of gauze provided by the security guard. Those there to worship and attend mass were often severely irritated by the giggling tourists and art aficionados there only to see important historical sites. While this contrast was less obvious the other, smaller churches it was painfully obvious and a bit uncomfortable at Santa Maria Maggiore. However, this mix of tourism and veneration seems to exist throughout Rome, and perhaps always has.