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• Pecs, Hungary: collision point between
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• Islamic Mujahidin vs. Christian Spain
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• 460-year struggle for Albanian homeland, and 540 for Kosovo
• 2,800-year-old white mummies of China, bringers of Buddhism?
• Alexander the Great's Greek descendents in Pakistan?
• Visual History of Yugoslavia and its breakup (1918-2008)

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Inside the Vatican, the capital of global Catholicism & abode of all its wealth
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)

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This article offers my personal observations and photos of the Vatican/Holy See/Papacy from my 2007 vacation. The Papacy has reigned supreme as the central authority of the Catholic world -- nominally more than 1 billion people on 6 continents -- since the 5th century. Its most venerable and significant figures, including Thomas Aquinas, Gregory the Great, Leo the Great, and Augustine completely defined the very foundations of Christian theology and the many diverse interpretations of Jesus Christ for nearly 2,000 years. The Papacy/Holy See refers to this interminable body of doctors of the church, Popes, and Cardinals, whilst the Vatican refers to the permanent residence of the Papal authorities and the Pope. Its centerpiece is St. Peter's Basilica.

For a brief historical background, the Catholic See was centered in Rome since shortly after the death of Christ, but it did not function as a political entity until the 7th century, when Leo the Great encouraged the creation of a temporal Catholic authority. It was not until the German Empire under Peppin and Karl the Great (Charlemagne) conquered the Germanic Lombard tribe that dominated Italy in the 8th century that this dream came to fruition. Annointed by the Pope as the emperor of Catholic Christendom as a whole, Charlemagne created the Papal States, a political state ruled by the Pope that dominated most of Central Italy until the invasion of Napoleon 1,000 years later. The Vatican was its capital, the capital of the Catholic world, although few Catholic powers directly obeyed the Pope unless it was politically auspicious. The office of Pope was often arguably for sale to the most influential bidder, and during the 14th century there were even two rival lines of Popes, one French puppet in Avignon and the other in Rome. During the first-time unification of the Italian nation in the 19th century, the Papal States were in bitter opposition to the progressivism of the Italian nationalists and their preference for earthly Italian authority over the Pope's spirtual authority. The Popes were in a state of cold war until Italian dictator Benito Mussolini finally established independent Vatican City in Rome. The subsequent popes, Pius XI and XII, ruled in casual alliance with Mussolini and Hitler until the closure of the war. Today, Vatican City remains completely separate from Italy, despite being right at the center of Rome. It is an absolute theocracy with the Pope as its authority, invested with unmonitored power.

The reasons for Martin Luther's criticism of the Catholic church of "extortion," excessive hoarding of wealth, and constant donations as the key to Heaven are easy to see: a tour through the Vatican renders a visitor literally mind-boggled, stunned, and senseless at the unfathomable wealth, beauty, and majesty of the Vatican. Almost no building on earth holds comparison with the opulence and ornate qualities of St. Peter's Basilica. Although other cathedrals are similar and superior in many ways (such as Esztergom Cathedral in Hungary, Ravenna Basilica, and St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna for examples), no such masterpiece is so meticulously perfected, shined, honed, and maintained as St. Peter's. Almost every square meter of the small nation has the ability to muddle the mind at the wealth that the Holy See controls. Each room holds treasures of such incalculable value that one can barely comprehend the previous room before entering the next. One is easily blown away by the end of the tour. Many exiting tourists can also be heard yelling obscenities at the Catholic church for possessing such unbelievable wealth, but has not yet alleviated the poverty of the world.

Predictably, the Vatican City is a major pilgrimage and tourist site. Catholic tours are ubiquitous. Entrants can be seen performing the genuflexion (the cross)on their chests as a sign of piety to the believed primacy of the Catholic Holy See. At all hours of the day, lines into the massive walls can be seen literally stretching miles and miles around the city with thousands and thousands of people. Lines may take some 10 hours to enter. Paying a small fee for a guided tour, hilariously, can bypass all the lines almost instantly. The city's walls, which stand over 30 feet high all around, were designed to prevent assault by Islamic and Protestant invaders, as well as theft by local citizens. The Vatican is closed in entirety on Sundays for tours. After entering, it becomes apparent that every inch of the entire city will be filled well over capacity; one will find his shoulders literally touching others' the entire way through the city and out the exit. Tens of thousands of people come here every week. A great portion of the city underground is off-limits to all but the Catholic leaders or theologians, inspiring a great deal of rumors of endless treasures and hidden cover ups. There are donation boxes everywhere, and offering moneys is encouraged in a variety of currencies. Employees offer currency exchange to donate to the church or buy products. Entrants are encouraged to dress conservatively, to stay quiet (which is impossible to enforce on so many non-Italian-speaking foreigners), and for women to wear veils or headscarves in the holy areas of the central Basilica. This is strongly enforced here, but often fails.

the entrance to the Vatican. (click to enlarge)

the seal of the Papacy on the outside.

the main courtyard of Vatican City. (click to enlarge)

Another angle of the courtyard. (click to enlarge)

a lion statue in the courtyard with odd Egyptian symbols.

The Catholic Papacy has the greatest treasures in the world from an endless amount of eras and nations. The modern architecture, furniture, and other structures in rooms such as chairs and stools derive from a variety of cultural styles, including pre-Islamic Egyptian, pre-Christian Greek and Roman, the Etruscan period, Babylonian and Sumerian even, etc. A walk through the massive hallways reveal -- oddly -- many pagan and non-Christian relics and artefacts, including statues of the old gods, phallic symbols, and sun-worship icons that one would expect the Catholics to have universally destroyed as they and Catholic empires did along with the Muslim empires. The hordes of treasures are present not only to show the supremacy of the Catholics over the previous pagans the world over, but also to show perhaps the evolution of human thought from the "fallacies" before Christendom into the holy truth in God's messenger and voice on earth: the Pope. There are more Greek and Roman statues here it seems than in Greek museums in Athens or Olympia.

an interior hallway with statues galore. (click to enlarge)

some lovely and intricate statues in the main hall.

Another statue, this one very pre-Christian and bizarre to see in a theocratic state like the Vatican. The many shapes on her chest are debated to be either breasts or dates to symbolize fertility of crops and childbirth.

Other rooms offer interesting visuals: massive halls and corridors are adorned atop with glorious hand-painted murals dating back some more than 500 years. The walls are all covered with prodigious hand-sewn rugs from the Catholic and Islamic worlds, with many artistically showing holy scenes from the Bible, showing maps of Catholic countries, of the conversion of the Americas to Catholicism, of wars between Christian and Muslim empires, Catholic countries that are admired by the Papacy such as (at the time) Venice, France, Spain, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and German-ruled Croatia. Each of these map-rugs or artistic Biblical scenes stretch more than 20 feet in the air, adorned in gold or other gems. Some rooms bear rugs that are so old and rare that no photography at all is allowed, and the room must remain darkened. Some surpass 1000 years in age. All of these massive painted murals are not simply attractive fillers to decorate the hallways; some if not most of these are far more impressive and intricate than the famous Sistine Chapel. One must walk through these glorious halls for miles in virtually solid crowds before going downward into a classical medieval dungeon-like corridor that leads to a gift shop for more donations, and the Chapel to the left.

the famous rug room with ancient carpets on the walls. (click to enlarge)

The ceilings are magnificent. (click to enlarge)

Another lovely artistic mural on the ceiling. (click to enlarge)

Gold, gems, jewels, and marble are everywhere. (click to enlarge)

Another room. (click to enlarge)

A ceiling mural in an adjoining room. (click to enlarge)

The Sistine Chapel is considered to be the greatest artistic achievement in the entire world. I was anxious to see this glorious accomplishment of the famous Italian painter Michaelangelo (1475-1564) my whole life, as it is viewed as the very heart of the Renaissance (alongside the Florentine Duomo) and the masterpiece of Catholic art. Upon entrance, visitors are only allowed to be present in the room for some 15 minutes before being expelled. Absolutely no talking is allowed (not even a whisper), and no photography with or without flash is allowed at all. This volume of voice is impossible to enforce, and Asian, Indian, and non-Italian tourist groups are frequently told to stop talking before hastily resuming. The photography rule is in order to prevent patina or decay of the ancient paintings. Inside the Chapel, I was stunned to realize that I was not impressed at all. Michaelangelo seems to be an overrated artist, whose "masterpiece" seemed inarticulate, unrealistic, and simple. Having seen the cultural masterpieces of most other European countries, it seemed that other civilizations like the Hungarians, Germans, Belgians, Poles, and Russians were not given nearly as much credit as they deserved for building cathedrals with arguably more beautiful works of art. In fact, a small portion of the Chapel offers a band wrapping around the room with golden paintings drawn by other artists (not Michaelangelo). These murals, directly next to the praised and near-worshiped work of Michaelangelo), are easily superior to his best by far. Nonetheless, his accomplishments and efforts to fill a room more than 60 feet high on every wall with Biblical artwork cannot be ignored. There are an endless amount of scenes drawn by Michaelangelo in the chapel, ranging from Adam and Eve to the creation of Man by God (the so-called "Adam-God" painting), to the life of Mary, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Disciples. All of the figures seem very muscular and firm, including the women. The fact that Michaelangelo could not "paint women," and instead uses a male base to draw women (thus they are depicted with a great deal of anatomic masculinity) is unusual and did not illuminate his talent positively for me.

Leaving the Sistine Chapel, one proceeds to walk the perimeter of the massive St. Peter's Basilica. Built from the 11th century onward, the church became and remains today apparently the largest Christian church in the world (its predecessor being the Byzantine Orthodox Christian Hagia Sophia in Constantinople before the Ottoman Turkish jihad converted it into a mosque). This claim again resonated in me with skepticism, since many cathedrals in Hungary, Austria, and Germany seemed far larger. The outside of the structure is adorned with several massive statues of Armenian saints and those of other Christian peoples. The entrance to the Basilica requires women to wear veils or headscarves, and men to cover their shoulders and legs. St. Peter's ceilings reach more than 100 feet high, its corridors and walkways are seemingly endless, and every surface on the floor, walls, and ceiling is covered in rich marble, gold, gem, jewel, or statue. Entering the building leaves one literally in awe. Some women can be seen crying having finally reached the main site of Catholic pilgrimage, much as Muslims do when they perform the Hajj (هاج) pilgrimage to the mosques of Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia. Many bow and kiss crosses from their pockets inside. The interior is a lovely color variety of gold, red marble, black and gray marble, quartz, and gems like emerald. The Basilica is dedicated to the original St. Peter, considered arguably the first pope (though this is arguably only honorary), and it is believed by many that he settled and was buried nearby. There is a marble statue of Peter whose feet have apparently been touched or kissed by so many pilgrims that the toes have collapsed and melded together to appear like a shoe. Michaelangelo also produced a few statues herein that are arguably better than his paintings. One of them, a statue of Mary holding her dead son Jesus, was apparently attacked recently when a maniac ran into the church with a hammer and smashed part of the statue. There are the corpses of at least two former popes inside visible for public viewing, and many more "tombs" dedicated to the popes with no bodies inside. One corpse can only be photographed from a side angle oddly. The bodies are deemed to be in perfect condition due to the perfection and infallibility of these messengers of God on earth (or so it is said). Sermons with chairs are offered in multiple areas in the basilica in Latin any time of the week several times, and only praying Catholics (not tourists) may enter; the areas are cordoned off to regular tourists. The most impressive portion of the basilica is arguably the centerpiece from which the Pope has offered sermons for centuries, now only for the public on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. The bizarre and gorgeous arch of the Pope with its litten candles is a beautiful bronze, gold, and marble structure with swirling intricate pillars. Great attention was paid to the detail for obvious reasons. The basilica is an architectural, economic, religious, and visual wonder almost without comparison or comprehension.

An Armenian saint statue outside the basilica. Notice the small Armenian script.

The entrance of the basilica. Breath-taking. (click to enlarge)

One corner of the basilica. (click to enlarge)

Every surface and ceiling is stunning. (click to enlarge)

An ancient mosaic of gold along with a cross on the front wall.

Ornate red marble compliments statues beyond belief.

The main dome in the center of the cathedral. (click to enlarge)

The corpse of a saint. It may only be photographed from this exact angle, oddly.

The main holy pulpit from which the Pope leads the sermon. (click to enlarge)

A lovely altar with red marble.

A magnificent "tomb" that bears no body but commemorates the death of a holy pope.

Leaving the basilica, the famous St. Peter's Square can be traversed. The exterior of the basilica is as gorgeous and grand as its interior. The housing and barracks for the inhabitants of Vatican City (including monks, friars, Bishops, Cardinals, and the Pope) are visible looping around the basilica and St. Peter's Square. They seem very innocuous and plain as living quarters in comparison with the remainder of the city. The Pope's residence seems like a regular apartment room (but cannot be visited of course). The Square is set with thousands and thousands of seats all year round for listening to the Papal lectures or hearing holy announcements (including Papal deaths, major declarations, and new elections of Popes by the Cardinal College). A huge obelisk with a cross atop glorifies the center of the Square along with numerous churches and statues in all directions. The crowds are still endlessly massive even outside, and shops are everywhere to earn that extra Euro. The famous Swiss Guard -- Catholic Swiss Germans, Italians, or Frenchmen who offer a term of service to the church along with sworn celibacy -- can be seen outside the church. They live in the barracks and offer ceremonial security to the Vatican in their humorous blue-orange clothes from the Medieval period. Switzerland is a Catholic country (formerly a Calivinist Protestant one) with an ethnic majority of Germans and a minority of French and Italian.

The famous Swiss Guards.

St. Peter's Square, with the obelisk at center and the Basilica in the background. (click to enlarge)

One leaves the Vatican simply through the courtyard of St. Peter's Square, exiting to downtown Rome. Oddly, there is almost no security in this portion of the Vatican near the very most important parts: the Pope's chambers and the basilica. Poles prevent passing cars from entering, but anyone can walk into the Square without any difficult it seems. The Vatican, which one would expect to be most at risk target of terrorism, seems extremely vulnerable and open. The Vatican was one of the greatest experiences in my life, and few tourists could be disappointed.

________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Mayfield is a historian and the Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I have a Cum Laude BA in History with a Minor in Germanic Studies (language and history), am presently working for my Masters in History, and plan to immediately progress to my PhD Doctorate. I have a special academic interest in Europe's diverse ethnic identities, languages, and cultures, and the political struggles of native European and immigrant minority identities. See my staff entry for more information.

BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES USED:

No additional citations or sources necessary.