Surrounded by walls of stone slabs and mortar lies the smallest nation, yet the largest church in the world, dedicated to the worship and adoration of the God of our universe. The Vatican is seen as a holy city, filled with ancient artifacts from the middle ages and beyond. While on our journey to explore and experience all that this medieval civilization had to offer, beautiful paintings and statues surrounded us, erected in honor of those who served the Lord and aided in the transformation of the church in the early stages.
Attention to detail was most assuredly a key factor in the development of The Vatican. The sound of pattering feet echoed within entire interiors of buildings crafted of marble, the floor being polished by the millions of shoes that had traversed these great halls. The perfection in the art of sculpting such works on the pillars, walls, and even floors was wondrous. Every room that we had observed had been marked with historical significance shown through etches in the crafts and the beauty in the paintings, guarded by The Vatican’s own guards. The most magnificent room that we visited however, at least in terms of paintings was the Sistine Chapel. The ceiling told the story of creation, the fall, and various other biblical stories through the paintings of Michelangelo. Breathtaking in absolute talent and decoration, the Sistine Chapel’s beauty is definitely exemplified through the four years it took to create such a masterpiece.
Our tour guide told us details of the magnificent creations brought to life by the artists in an effort to honor our God and the saints. He spoke of the hands that crafted such ingenious design and dedication into the walls of this holy city, but nothing he said could have prepared me for perhaps the most beautiful building I have ever seen thus far – Saint Peter’s Basilica.
The magnificent statues, walls and floors were all sculpted from polished marble and stone. Colorful walls and pillars surrounded this place of worship. The ceiling was decorated with beautiful art placed within box borders of gold. At the center of the Basilica was a place of worship: seats placed a ways back from the altar. If I believed to have seen attention to detail before, Saint Peter’s Basilica surely dissolved whatever previous idea of the concept I had possessed. Everything was hand crafted. I am not even entirely sure how to describe everything that I saw, only that no matter what I laid my intrigued, amazed eyes upon – whether that be a structural necessity or a work of art on its own – everything was crafted to represent what amazing things the dexterity and imagination of a human can create. It is almost as if every corner of this place is a church, and in a sense this is true.
In closing, I now realize more and more as I write to my family at Trinity how The Vatican represents not only one of the largest places of Christian worship, but how it is a model for what wonders we can perform to show our love and devotion to our loving and devoted God. In this way I have a new outlook in the method that I aid in chapel at school and church, which is that the music we sing to the Lord is not only worship, but truly an art. In all that we can do, we can praise. The senior class is breathing in this worship and at the very least exhales a breath of wonder and amazement to our God and a thankfulness to all those involved to help make this wondrous thing happen to us. May God bless you all and keep you.
Attention to detail was most assuredly a key factor in the development of The Vatican. The sound of pattering feet echoed within entire interiors of buildings crafted of marble, the floor being polished by the millions of shoes that had traversed these great halls. The perfection in the art of sculpting such works on the pillars, walls, and even floors was wondrous. Every room that we had observed had been marked with historical significance shown through etches in the crafts and the beauty in the paintings, guarded by The Vatican’s own guards. The most magnificent room that we visited however, at least in terms of paintings was the Sistine Chapel. The ceiling told the story of creation, the fall, and various other biblical stories through the paintings of Michelangelo. Breathtaking in absolute talent and decoration, the Sistine Chapel’s beauty is definitely exemplified through the four years it took to create such a masterpiece.
Our tour guide told us details of the magnificent creations brought to life by the artists in an effort to honor our God and the saints. He spoke of the hands that crafted such ingenious design and dedication into the walls of this holy city, but nothing he said could have prepared me for perhaps the most beautiful building I have ever seen thus far – Saint Peter’s Basilica.
The magnificent statues, walls and floors were all sculpted from polished marble and stone. Colorful walls and pillars surrounded this place of worship. The ceiling was decorated with beautiful art placed within box borders of gold. At the center of the Basilica was a place of worship: seats placed a ways back from the altar. If I believed to have seen attention to detail before, Saint Peter’s Basilica surely dissolved whatever previous idea of the concept I had possessed. Everything was hand crafted. I am not even entirely sure how to describe everything that I saw, only that no matter what I laid my intrigued, amazed eyes upon – whether that be a structural necessity or a work of art on its own – everything was crafted to represent what amazing things the dexterity and imagination of a human can create. It is almost as if every corner of this place is a church, and in a sense this is true.
In closing, I now realize more and more as I write to my family at Trinity how The Vatican represents not only one of the largest places of Christian worship, but how it is a model for what wonders we can perform to show our love and devotion to our loving and devoted God. In this way I have a new outlook in the method that I aid in chapel at school and church, which is that the music we sing to the Lord is not only worship, but truly an art. In all that we can do, we can praise. The senior class is breathing in this worship and at the very least exhales a breath of wonder and amazement to our God and a thankfulness to all those involved to help make this wondrous thing happen to us. May God bless you all and keep you.