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| The Sistine Chapel - The Vatican Museum |
I realized a life-long goal this summer by standing inside The Sistine Chapel and seeing Michelangelo's glorious frescoes. Mrs. Hesse and I began planning our trip to Italy years ago, but it wasn't until last February that it began to fall into place. There was so much I looked forward to seeing, but the Sistine Chapel was number one. And I have to say not only was I not disappointed, but it was even more spectacular than I imagined. The paintings and figures were much larger, brighter, and more colorful than I anticipated. The room is not as cavernous as many cathedrals I've seen, so the ceiling paintings are not that distant. The figures are also larger than I expected. When I walked into the room, I was truly dazzled. A guard who is a champion shusher chastises the visitors if the sound level rises above a hush. Everyone is told before going inside that it is a place for reverence, quiet, and meditation. But it's hard for everyone not to talk and point out to their companions details that capture their attention. The prophets on the ceiling are especially large and really stand out. Michelangelo's painting of The Last Judgement on one end wall is jumbo-sized and packed with figures. Our tour guide told us an interesting story about this great fresco. A cardinal criticized Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings and tried to get them removed. Michelangelo was finishing up the wall painting of the Last Judgement at the time. In retaliation, he decided to paint a likeness of the cardinal onto one of the underworld figures who was wrapped in a serpent's coils. This made the cardinal furious, and he sought out the pope, asking him to do something about Michelangelo's insulting portrait of himself. The pope, Julius II, informed the cardinal that since he had no jurisdiction over hell, the portrait would have to remain. The fact of the matter was that the pope didn't much care for the cardinal either.
