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Self Assessment

Rome is an absolutely amazing city that I completely fell in love with, and I am so grateful to Washington and Jefferson College for giving me such an amazing experience. Before actually arriving in Rome, I had planned on visiting numerous sites, and studying all of them would have easily taken me three weeks to complete. However, one of the really unique aspects of Rome is that in the process of walking to the sites I was planning on studying, I would always stumble across more ruins, churches, or other historical sites I had not previously heard of, but which fit directly into my project. During the planning phase of my project, I had initially considered traveling to multiple cities in Italy to study religious art and architecture in context, but I am very glad I decided to stay in one city, because doing so allowed to to take the time to explore and study these new sites. However, despite only being in one city, there were seemingly endless sites to study in Rome, so three weeks wa...
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The Vatican Museum

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Regardless of any religious significance, the Vatican Museum is arguably the second greatest museum in the Western world, second only to the Louvre. Studying the Vatican museum for religious context, the Vatican museum reflects the popes' desire to show their wealth, power, and influence to the world. For example, the ceiling of one room in the museum has a depiction glorifying the then reigning pope, Pius VI, alongside Roman emperors. Another example is the hall of tapestries,  which depicts the life of Christ on the left side, and on the other side, a tapestry woven in the 17th Century depicting the life of Pope Urban VIII, designed to glorify his reign.
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St. Peter's Basilica

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St. Peter's Basilica is by far the largest, and most extravagant, place of worship built during the Renaissance. I am referring to St. Peter's in the Vatican, because as I quickly learned in Rome, there are a plethora of churches called St Peter's. Initially meant to be a restoration of an early Christian church, Pope Nicholas V began it's restoration in the 15th Century. However, in the 16th Century, Pope Julius II decided to stop restoration and instead build a new church entirely. Famous Renaissance artists such as Raphael and Michelangelo worked on the building. The building is in the shape of a Latin cross to maintain the shape of the original building. After 120 years and many popes later, the new Basilica of St. Peter was consecrated in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII. Highlights of this building include the papal altar, which stands above the tomb of St. Peter, consistent with the original building. The old basilica was used as the official cemetery for popes. This func...
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San Pietro in Montorio

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San Pietro in Montorio is a church built during the early Renaissance near what was once believed to be where St. Peter was martyred, although the current St Peter's Basilica location is more likely to be the site. The church was built with the intention of glorifying this sacred spot. An underlying theme in Renaissance works was the desire of the popes to "outdo" both their ancient Roman predecessors and each other through the construction of religious art and architecture. San Pietro in Montorio is an early example of this, and although the church is beautiful and more elaborate than early Christian places of worship, it is not nearly as extravagant compared to later Renaissance projects, such as the current St. Peter's Basilica.
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Places of Worship Primarily Built During the Renaissance

For the final phase of my project, I explored places of worship built primarily during the Renaissance. Generally speaking, the places of worship were substantially more lavish than the places I had studied thus far. So many of the places I studied had some connections to the Renaissance, but highlights included San Pietro in Montorio, St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum, and St. Mary Major.
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The Catacombs

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Although the catacombs were not originally pagan places of worship which later adopted Christian significance, I would like to include them, because they are places with Christian significance which were influenced by the ancient Romans. Contrary to popular belief, the catacombs were not early Christian places of worship used during periods of persecution. However, the catacombs still reveal significant context behind early Christianity. The first catacombs were not constructed until the 2nd Century, because that is when Christianity grew large enough to require its own cemetery. Unlike pagan burial sites, called a necropolis, or "city of the dead," the Christian word "cemetery" refers to sleep, reflecting the Christian belief in the afterlife and Christ's second coming, contrasting with pagan views on death. The catacombs are located outside the city, because Roman laws forbade people from being buried within city walls. The location of the catacombs outside th...
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The Christian History of the Colosseum

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The Colosseum was unfortunately not particularly well-preserved after the fall of the Roman Empire, as valuable materials were stolen. However, Christians eventually took an interest in the Flavian Amphitheater. Use of the Colosseum by religious bodies began in 1309, during the Popes' period of residence at Avignon. The use of the space by Christians continued in 1490 under Pope Innocent VIII, who authorized the Passion of the Christ to be performed on Good Friday. In 1519, at the area where these performances occurred, a chapel was built dedicated to S. Maria della Pieta, which is still in use today. The idea of consecrating the Colosseum spread during the second half of the 16th Century, influenced by the Counter-Reformation. During the 17th Century, the Colosseum was believed to be a place of martyrdom, although little evidence supports that belief. Nevertheless, Clement X dedicated the monument to the Passion of the Christ and the Martyrs. Today, the Pope still stops in front o...
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