Thank you, Zephyrinus: What an amazing painting with great historic detail. Although “New” St. Peter’s is without equal, one wishes the “Old” St Peter’s with its extraordinary record of architectural history, it’s monuments, art, and tombs, all it comprised, could somehow have been preserved at the same time.
New Liturgical Movement back on the date of the feast of St Petronilla (5/31) noted a fascinating bit of Catholic history regarding old St Peter’s and the New: The chapel originally dedicated to St Petronilla, thought at the time to be the martyred daughter of St Peter, was in the rear left side, a mortuary chapel. A large mausoleum with eight such chapels parallel to the left transept of old St Peter’s had been built there at some time. In 1498, the Cardinal Ambassador to the French court, Jean Bilheres de Lagraulas, commissioned a funerary monument with a talented but then-not-renowned 23-year-old Florentine sculptor to create a statue of the Blessed Virgin cradling her dead Son. That sculptor was Michelangelo, and his work, the renowned Pieta. This work,which had been placed at the dead Cardinal’s tomb in the St Petronilla Chapel, was moved eventually after the completion of New St Peter’s, to where it is today, in the front right chapel immediately as you enter. So, in a way we have Card. Jean Bilheres and St Petronilla to thank for the Pieta, which survived the demolition of Old St. Peter’s and is perhaps the most visited site, along with the Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican. -Note by Dante P
Thank You, Dante P for your most interesting and erudite Comment.
I concur, totally, with your expressed sentiment about wishing that “Old” Saint Peter's attributes, monuments, arts, tombs, etc, could have have, somehow, been preserved.
Also, the riveting contribution about The New Liturgical Movement's Article (see, above) was appreciated very much.
You are most, kind, Zephyrinus: Another interesting feature occurred to me about Michelangelo first being summoned to Rome to sculpt Cardinal Bilheres' funeral monument: Little did he know that about almost 50 years later, in 1546, he was to become the chief architect of "New" St Peter's, then in his 70's, taking over the, at times, nearly disastrous planning and building from Antonio Sangallo the Younger after his death in August of that year---a fortuitous change for Catholic architectural history, with all respect to Sangallo.
The classic 1965 drama film, "The Agony and the Ecstasy," with the "immortal" Charlton Heston as Michelangelo & the unexcelled genius actor Rex Harrison, though a film perhaps not perfectly historically accurate, and at times plodding (because it takes one through the impossible painstakingly slow challenges of painting the Sistine Chapel, captures a little bit of the parallel though secondary plot of the struggles of Pope Julius III (d. 1555) to get the St Peter's project completed.
By the way, Heston and Harrison did NOT get along at all (Heston wanted Lawrence Olivier for the part of Pope Julius III, but he was under another contract), and some of that impatience and bitterness by "Pope Julius" is, ah, er, quite real. It was said that Harrison refused to speak with Heston ever afterward. Art imitates life? --Note by Dante P
Another most fascinating contribution from our Rome Correspondent, Dante P.
The historical update on Michelangelo is much appreciated. The contribution about Charlton Heston and Rex Harrison was both interesting and funny.
The idea of Heston, aka Michelangelo, delivering his script in a “Bronx” accent (I know he was NOT from The Bronx, but you know what I mean. No vehement Comments from The Bronx, PLEASE !!!), whilst Harrison (aka Pope Julius III) throwing a hissy fit in his upmarket, impeccable, English accent, was absolutely a divine comedy !!!
Thank you, Zephyrinus: What an amazing painting with great historic detail. Although “New” St. Peter’s is without equal, one wishes the “Old” St Peter’s with its extraordinary record of architectural history, it’s monuments, art, and tombs, all it comprised, could somehow have been preserved at the same time.
ReplyDeleteNew Liturgical Movement back on the date of the feast of St Petronilla (5/31) noted a fascinating bit of Catholic history regarding old St Peter’s and the New: The chapel originally dedicated to St Petronilla, thought at the time to be the martyred daughter of St Peter, was in the rear left side, a mortuary chapel. A large mausoleum with eight such chapels parallel to the left transept of old St Peter’s had been built there at some time. In 1498, the Cardinal Ambassador to the French court, Jean Bilheres de Lagraulas, commissioned a funerary monument with a talented but then-not-renowned 23-year-old Florentine sculptor to create a statue of the Blessed Virgin cradling her dead Son. That sculptor was Michelangelo, and his work, the renowned Pieta. This work,which had been placed at the dead Cardinal’s tomb in the St Petronilla Chapel, was moved eventually after the completion of New St Peter’s, to where it is today, in the front right chapel immediately as you enter. So, in a way we have Card. Jean Bilheres and St Petronilla to thank for the Pieta, which survived the demolition of Old St. Peter’s and is perhaps the most visited site, along with the Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican. -Note by Dante P
Thank You, Dante P for your most interesting and erudite Comment.
DeleteI concur, totally, with your expressed sentiment about wishing that “Old” Saint Peter's attributes, monuments, arts, tombs, etc, could have have, somehow, been preserved.
Also, the riveting contribution about The New Liturgical Movement's Article (see, above) was appreciated very much.
You are most, kind, Zephyrinus: Another interesting feature occurred to me about Michelangelo first being summoned to Rome to sculpt Cardinal Bilheres' funeral monument: Little did he know that about almost 50 years later, in 1546, he was to become the chief architect of "New" St Peter's, then in his 70's, taking over the, at times, nearly disastrous planning and building from Antonio Sangallo the Younger after his death in August of that year---a fortuitous change for Catholic architectural history, with all respect to Sangallo.
DeleteThe classic 1965 drama film, "The Agony and the Ecstasy," with the "immortal" Charlton Heston as Michelangelo & the unexcelled genius actor Rex Harrison, though a film perhaps not perfectly historically accurate, and at times plodding (because it takes one through the impossible painstakingly slow challenges of painting the Sistine Chapel, captures a little bit of the parallel though secondary plot of the struggles of Pope Julius III (d. 1555) to get the St Peter's project completed.
By the way, Heston and Harrison did NOT get along at all (Heston wanted Lawrence Olivier for the part of Pope Julius III, but he was under another contract), and some of that impatience and bitterness by "Pope Julius" is, ah, er, quite real. It was said that Harrison refused to speak with Heston ever afterward. Art imitates life? --Note by Dante P
Another most fascinating contribution from our Rome Correspondent, Dante P.
DeleteThe historical update on Michelangelo is much appreciated. The contribution about Charlton Heston and Rex Harrison was both interesting and funny.
The idea of Heston, aka Michelangelo, delivering his script in a “Bronx” accent (I know he was NOT from The Bronx, but you know what I mean. No vehement Comments from The Bronx, PLEASE !!!), whilst Harrison (aka Pope Julius III) throwing a hissy fit in his upmarket, impeccable, English accent, was absolutely a divine comedy !!!