SPQR Fellowship

Saturday was dedicated to the Pantheon and three nearby churches. What is go great about visiting the churches is that one gets to see such incredible artwork it the place for which it was originally intended. It is definitely the best place to view the incredible art in Rome.

The first church I visited was the Church of San Ignazio. Inside, there was an incredible wooden model that was composed of many smaller churches. The description was in Italian, but it seemed to me that they were different churches from all over the world. As an architecture student, I always appreciate looking at models, and this one was extraordinary! The church itself is known for its beautiful frescos over the walls and ceilings. The church lighting was different than what I had seen before as well. There were many smaller candles that framed the center painting around the altar, as opposed to overall lighting as in many other churches.

The Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva is the only Gothic church in Rome, and it had a sculpture by Michelangelo, Christ Bearing the Cross. I am still astounded by the fact that you can walk into just about any church in Rome, and chances are great that there is a piece of art by one of the great masters – Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravvagio, etc. The churches are truly a place to contemplate how art and architecture depend on each other. Instead of being created separately they seem to become one piece in its entirety, where one is not complete without the other. It’s always fascinating to discover what treasures are behind the church walls.

The third church, San Luigi, had work of Caravaggio. One of the chapels had three of his paintings, including his first large scale work, The Calling of St. Matthew. The paintings were incredible, and the way that theybecame so vivid with the correct lighting was quite a sight. As much as I wanted to stay and appreciate the paintings, it was difficult to admire them. Space was limited and it was completely crowded! One could hardly move. It was almost like going to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre -the line to see the paintings is almost as much of a spectacle as the artwork itself!

My next stop was the Pantheon! I was able to spend more time inside than before, and I just sat in amazement and watched the shadow of the oculus change. It was such an experience to see a bird fly over and observe how the shadows change within minutes! While is was great to see, this ever-changing quality made it difficult to sketch the shadows of the coiffers. As can be seen in the sketches below, I originally tried sketching overall shadows, but then focused on smaller details as the image changed so quickly. I was completely fascinated as I sat there and sketched the magnificent architecture!

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