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Home , Colosseum, Quattro Fontane, Santa Maria del Popolo

Rome Studio: Place Context and Response ART 3650 Kristin Stubbs Summer 2017

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Ancient 5 34 6 Gesu 35 Pantheon 10 San Carlo alle 39

Early Christian 14 20th Century 43 15 Fuskus: Church of the Millennium 44 Santa Cecilia 19 21st Century 43 Medieval 24 Misericordisio: The Jubilee Church 44 Santa Pietro 25 Favorite Experience 54 Renaissance 29 Winery in Assisi 55 30 Conclusion 58 Introduction

The following sites I chose to to represent my documentation of the places I saw in Rome are places that I thought best represented the time period that it was built in and they were also my favorites. By choosing sites from all of the different time periods, I wanted to give my booklet variety and to show the different styles I was capable of drawing. I also chose some of these sites based on if I thought some of them had interesting features to draw. For example, I thought the exterior of Misericordiso was rather interesting and I really enjoyed drawing it’s shape. Another example of why I chose to document some of my sites, like the Pantheon, is because it was something I had always dreamt of seeing and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve always thought the Pantheon was an amazing accomplishment for so it was amazing to be able to actually see it in person.

These sites are significant to my experience for multiple reasons. One reason is that, I had previously learned about many of the sites I went to and I never imagined that I would have the chance to go to these places. Therefore, many of the sites I saw in my art history class were sites that stood out to me when I saw them in person. Another reason is that these sites were my favorites of their time period. For example, the Gesu church in Rome was my favorite baroque styled church and the Misericordiso church was my favorite modern day church of the two that I saw. Ancient Rome Ancient Rome Colosseum

Inside the Colosseum 6 Ancient Rome Colosseum

The Colosseum

The Colosseum, for me, has always been what I think about first when I think about Rome. I never really understood it’s significance or really anything about until I got to college. Before going to Rome, I had taken two art history classes that discussed the Colosseum. Those left me with a better understanding about it’s history and its significance. After getting to see the Colosseum in person and getting to study it even more, I now feel like I have a very good understanding of its history and significance.

The Colosseum was one of the first sites we went to in Rome. We often used the public transportation to get to where we were going so, we took one of the buses to get here. At this point we hadn’t been in Rome for very long and I didn’t know much about the city and its layout. I knew the Colosseum was going to be big so I assumed we would be able to see it from a distance. I was wrong. The buildings in this city are so close together and there are not many difference in their heights that it’s hard to see anything in the distance. If you’re not familiar to the area, you have no idea how close you are to the Colosseum until you turn a corner and then it’s sitting right in front of you. At first glance, I was I awe and I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. You can read about how massive it is in a book but, you cannot fully grasp that massiveness until you see it in person.

Exterior of the Colosseum 7 Ancient Rome Colosseum

Before coming to Rome I knew that the Colosseum had been built over emperor ’s lake to celebrate him no longer being in reign, but I didn’t really understand how that was possible. I learned that the lake had been filled with , therefore, there are forty meters of solid concrete that the Colosseum is standing on top of and that is why it is still standing today. One of the interesting facts I learned was the Colosseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater. Romans today still refer to it by the Flavian Amphitheater but, only tourists and everyone else that isn’t from Rome refer to it as the Colosseum. Upon entering the Colosseum, we entered through the south gate. The south gate was the former emperors only entrance that took them directly to their seats. While walking through this entrance, I was trying to imagine what it would have been like to be an emperor at that time and getting to walk through the once marble covered entrance and being able to hear all the sounds and see the thousands of people sitting around you once you got to your seat. Aside from this entrance, the entire building would have been covered in marble. You can tell this because of all of the little holes that are currently in the travertine. Those little holes were where marble was attached at to cover the travertine. There are Exterior of the entire Colosseum in Rome, also some holes that are much larger and those are from where scaffolding was place when it was being built.

Even though the Colosseum looks huge from it’s exterior, it looks even bigger from the interior. There are only a couple of areas where you can still see the seating but most of it is now gone but, you can easily see where the seating was placed. It’s estimated that there was enough seating for up to 80,000 people and every seat had a good view of the stage.

8 Ancient Rome Colosseum

Aside from the size of the Colosseum, I found the stage to be Since this was in the first week and we didn’t have much one of the most interesting features. Although you can’t see experience with using the public transportation yet, I later it today, there is a small portion of it that has been recreated. realized that the bus we often took would take us around the The stage was originally covered in the Romans called Arena Colosseum everyday. Getting to see the Colosseum almost sand and that is how arenas got their name today. The stage everyday for a month seems like something you might get also featured trap doors for hunting animals and tired of looking at but, every time I saw it, I was in awe and fights, it also had the ability to be flooded to recreate naval with the feeling I had the first time I saw it. battles. Underneath the stage is the basement, which is still visible. Mostly the animals imported from Africa and the would stay down here. I think all of the features of the stage were very advanced for the time of Ancient Rome.

Plan view of each level of the Colosseum

Section of the Colosseum

9 Ancient Rome Pantheon

Oculus of the pantheon

10 Ancient Rome Pantheon

The Pantheon

Like the Colosseum, the Pantheon was one of the first sites we went to and it was the site I was looking forward to visiting the most. I first learned about the Pantheon in my first art history class my freshman year of college. The professor spent almost an entire class talking about it and he couldn’t find words to express how amazing it was to get to actually see it and walk inside. Ever since that day, I knew I would eventually somehow make my way to Rome to see the Pantheon. Little did I know that would be less than two years later.

Similar to the Colosseum, the Pantheon is surrounded by many other buildings so it’s hard to know if you’re close it until your right beside it. My class and I were lead to walk the district and it’s narrow streets that surround the Pantheon to get to it. After walking through many narrow and winding streets, we ended up in a piazza. The first thing I saw there was a corner of a building that looked much different and in rougher condition than all of the buildings we walked past to get there. As soon as I saw that corner, I knew it was the Pantheon. Also similar to the Colosseum, I have seen many pictures of the Pantheon but, I was still in awe of how big it was and also the appearance and texture of it’s exterior stone, travertine. I think its exterior appearance fascinated me so much because it was completely different from any other of the buildings we had seen yet and you could tell it was ancient by just looking at it. It almost looks similar to the appearance to some of the ruins that are at the Forum but instead of ruins, it’s a fully intact building.

Interior view of the apse of the Pantheon 11 Ancient Rome Pantheon

When I first walked into the ancient temple, after I got past The term Pantheon means all gods. Therefore, the Pantheon the awe and shock I felt looking around the interior and the is a temple dedicated to all gods. The main part of the oculus, I couldn’t help but think how it could have been Pantheon is all rounded, from the shape of the floor, to its possible for it to have been built, especially the and walls, and then to its dome. Around the walls are statues of oculus, in the year 27. It’s hard to imagine constructing twelve gods, representing all gods. Each god represents a something of that size with the difficulty of the dome without month. For each month, the sunlight coming through the having the tools and machines that we use today. oculus illuminates the god that month represents throughout the duration of that month. Aside from the construction of the building itself, I find it amazing that the Ancient Romans were able to do the calculations to get the oculus to perform this function.

12Oculus shining light on the Saint that is honored for the month of May Plan view of the Pantheon Ancient Rome Colosseum

When I first learned about the Pantheon in that art history class I couldn’t help but wonder, of all things, what happens when it rains since the oculus never closes. I learned that answer on my visit. While admiring the patterned marble flooring, I noticed a few floral-like holes in the floor. Those holes are part of the drain system that the Ancient Romans installed to get rid of the water when it would rain. The marble flooring is also sloped towards the center (directly under the oculus) to allow water to flow downwards to the drains. I also find this feature to be amazing as well, especially since we still use technology similar to this today. Sometimes in bathrooms or in any other rooms that have the capability of soaking the floor, usually at commercial locations, there are slightly sloped floors that lead to drains to allow excess water to escape.

Although the domed ceiling is beautiful to look at today, I can only imagine what it would have look like when it was first built because, it used to be completely covered with bronze. This was until Urban VIII had the bronze melted down to use it to make the baldacchino at St. Peter’s . The bronze was also used to make 80 cannons for Castel Sant’ Angelo. The Romans considered this removal an act of vandalism. I find it interesting that the pope found it acceptable to do this because, the Pantheon was such an important building to the Romans at one point in time.

The Pantheon has stood on its own for nearly two-thousand years and it’s amazing to think that it may stay that way for eternity considering the buildings we build today often don’t Exterior view of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy last between 20-30 years and if their lucky, they may last between 50 and 60 years.

13 Early Christian Early Christian Santa Maria Maggiore

Domed ceiling of one of one of the side chapels of Santa Maria Maggiore 15 Early Christian Santa Maria Maggiore

Santa Maria Maggiore

At this point in the trip, Santa Maria Maggiore had been the largest basilica we had seen so far. It’s beautiful façade hints at it’s height by showing multiple stories and stretching wide across the piazza. Its façade is one of the only facades in Rome that is in it’s original state if not slightly altered. This is unlike many other facades in Rome because most of them were altered to match with the current style of that time period.

It is said the basilica is placed here because in the 13th century the Virgin Mary came to Pope Liberius in a dream in the beginning of August. She apparently told him that he needed to build this church and in the morning they would find a patch of snow to show the area where the church should be built. Sure enough, the next August morning there was a patch of snow and construction began. To this day, every year in August, mass is held here to honor the snowfall.

When entering the basilica, you walk into the nave and you are overwhelmed with it’s size and all of the detail it holds. The ceiling of the nave is what I found most impressive and is my favorite feature of this basilica. The Facade of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy ceiling is covered in highly detailed squares with large flowers in the middle. It is completely gilded with gold including all of its details. What I find also very interesting about this ceiling is that it is said this gold is the first gold that was brought back from the Americas by Columbus. The gold was gifted to Rome by the Spanish pope Alexander VI. To match the ceiling, there are many other gold embellishments throughout the nave.

16 Early Christian Santa Maria Maggiore

The nave of Santa Maria Maggiore also holds the boldaccheri. Of all the boldaccheris we saw in the numerous we saw throughout the trip, this one stood out to me the most. What stood out to me was the four made of porphyry. I first learned about porphyry in my first art history class. I knew that it was a very rare and also a very expensive. It was only for royalty or for things that were very important. I knew it wasn’t something that could be found here in the United States so, I thought it was something I would never be able to see. Therefore, when I saw this stone, I spent a lot of time studying it and admiring it. This boldaccheri was also detailed with gold, like the ceiling, and it also a dark green stone at the top. I thought these three colors went together very well the gold complimented the dark green and dark purple very nicely.

The nave had a side aisle on each side of it. These side aisles were still very detailed but yet, they were simpler. The barrel vaulted ceiling was white and it had some gold detailing. I found the pattern of the gold detailing very interesting and its repetition made me even more fascinated with it. I think I liked this are so much because it was a nice contrast from the nave and it didn't feel as heavy. The barrel vaulting here was also had soft lighting throughout the entire aisle and this lighting also made the side aisle feel lighter. To match the repetition of the columns between the side aisles and the nave, the other side of the side aisles had doorways to the side chapels. Each doorway was lined up with one of the columns on the other side of the aisle. I liked the side aisles so much, that I spent almost two hours drawing one of them.

Side aisle of Santa Maria Maggiore 17 Early Christian Santa Maria Maggiore

The side chapels off of the side aisles were probably Through the many basilicas I saw throughout this trip, the most detailed parts of the basilica. The walls and the Santa Maria Maggiore continued to stand out to me all flooring covered in patterns of different colored stones. way from the reason it was built to all the details and The walls also had many also highly detailed Corinthian material inside it. pilasters with matching stone carvings around the rest of the walls. Throughout the walls, there were also many stone and some gold statues and also many frescos. Each of the side chapels was topped with a small dome. All of the were almost completely covered in frescos. If there wasn’t fresco work, there was gold detailing in it’s place. Like the side aisles, the side chapels felt light than the nave. The domes had windows around their bases and there was a window on each wall of the side chapel to allow natural light to come in.

Boldaccheri of Santa Maria Maggiore Nave of Santa Maria Maggiore 18 Early Christian Santa Cecilia

Facade of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, Italy 19 Early Christian Santa Cecilia

Santa Cecilia

When first walking up to Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, its façade makes it seem like it’s a fairly small church. Fortunately, that is far from the truth. Santa Cecilia actually has three floors. The ground floor of the church is the nave, the main part of the church. The floor before the nave, or the basement, is the crypt. The floor above the ground floor is the Benedictine Covent that holds frescos by Pietro Cavallini. The church also has its own Convent for nuns and that is what the buildings are for to the right and left of the church.

Santa Cecilia is built where St. Cecilia’s house was formerly located. Cecilia was a woman who was punished for converting her husband to Christianity. Her punishment was to be killed. The first attempt to kill her was by drown- ing her and that did not work. Since drowning didn’t work, she was to be beheaded but, the person who was doing the beheading did a terrible job. Instead of killing her instantly, she lived for three days afterwards. After her body was found she became a Roman saint and was the saint of music.

20 Boldaccheri of Santa Cecilia Early Christian Santa Cecilia

When walking into the church, we first went to the top floor that held the frescos. The frescos by Pietro Cavallini belong to the convent that resides at the church. Therefore, we were watched very carefully by the nuns to make sure we were not taking pictures or doing anything to alter the frescos. The room was pretty small and it overlooked the nave of the church. Although we couldn't take pictures we were still allowed to attempt to draw the frescos. My favorite part of the frescos were the colorful wings of the angels. I attempted drawing them but, I just couldn't do them justice. I also attempted drawing Christ that was in the center of the frescos. I was really proud of this drawing because I usually try to avoid drawing figures because I find them to be more difficult than drawing architecture. This was my first figure drawing that I thought actually looked like a figure.

Drawing of Christ in one of the frescos in the convent of Santa Cecilia

21 Early Christian Santa Cecilia

After looking at the frescos, we went down to the basement in the crypt. The crypt was rather large and it had many different rooms you could go into. It is believed that the crypt was formerly two Roman houses that were joined together and then later used as the crypt. It is possible that one of those houses could have Cecilia’s home. At first the crypt didn’t seem like anything special. It was completely made of grey stones and had a few remnants of the tile flooring and wall details. When I got to the very last part of the crypt, everything about it changed completely. I walked into this grand room that almost royal and that it could hold some kind of treasure or something. It was completely detailed from the floor to the ceiling. This part was completely decorated in deep, rich colors, like red, purple, blue, and gold, in the tiles and the stones. It didn’t have very bright lighting so that plus the colors almost made it feel mysterious to walk into. My favorite part of this part of the crypt was the groin vaulted ceiling. Instead of the large groin vaults like I was used to seeing, these groin vaults were very small in comparison. The webbing of the vaults had very intricate detailing. The detailing was very similar between all of the vaults but, some were slightly different. I could have spent hours looking at and walking through this part of the crypt but, it was time to go upstairs to the main part of the church. Crypt of Santa Cecilia

22 Early Christian Santa Cecilia

As I walked into the nave of Santa Cecilia, the first thing I noticed was the apse. This apse was something I recognized from my art history class and it was another thing that I couldn’t believe that I was looking at in person. The apse contains a that depicts Christ blessing by the Greek rite. He is surrounded by St. Peter, St. Valerian, St. Agatha, St. Paul, St. Cecilia, and St. Paschal. The palm trees on each side of the apse represent the Garden of Eden. Below Christ and the saints are twelve lambs that represent the twelve apostles coming from Bethlehem with Lamb of God in the center. Below the lambs there is an inscription. The inscription is Paschal I describing the finding of S. Cecilia’s body and the work he put into decorating the church. The nave also holds a gothic baldacchino and beneath that is a carving of how St. Cecila was found dead. The carving holds her remains and also shows the slash on her neck from being beheaded.

Nave of Santa Cecilia 23 Medieval Medieval Santa Pietro

Facade of Santa Pietro in Assisi, Italy 25 Medieval Santa Pietro

Santa Pietro

San Pietro in Assisi was the first church in Assisi that I visited and I found it to be much different than any of the previous churches I had been to so far, including its façade. The façade of the church is very flat and simplistic but, it has three rose medallion windows in the front. Having three of the rose medallion design windows across the façade of the church is a common pattern among the churches throughout Assisi. The exterior of the structure is made of white bricks and some have hints of pink, like most churches in Assisi. This particular stone is something Assisi is known for because is comes from Mount Subasio, which is near Assisi. Apparently the façade originally ended with a gable but, it was damaged due to an earthquake in the nineteenth century.

San Pietro was built in the tenth century and it is the oldest church in Assisi. It is said that Saint Francis, a saint whom Assisi is known for, probably came here to church as a child. Because it so old, unlike all the other churches in Assisi, this church does not belong to the Franciscan Order. It belongs to the Benedictine Order. At the time this church was built, it was built outside of the walls of Assisi by the Benedictines of Mount Subasio. This was because they wanted to strategically expand their Order. In 1253 the church was deemed holy by Pope Innocent IV. In the thirteenth century, Santa Pietro was rebuilt to look as it is today in the Romanesque-Gothic style.

26 Nave of Santa Pietro Medieval Santa Pietro

Walking into San Pietro, for me, it felt very cold especially in In comparison to some of the other churches I saw, this comparison to its exterior. The interior is completely made church is pretty narrow and it isn’t very long. The top of of rough grey stone bricks. When you walk inside, you enter its narrow nave is lined with pointed . Some of the into one of the side aisles. At some sections on the walls arches also have some remnants of frescos. What is left of of the side aisles, you can see some remnants of frescos the frescos on the arches, the bottom part of the arches are that were probably from when the church was remodeled lined with red and white stripes with diamonds throughout thirteenth century. I assume from looking at the interiors of the center of the lines. The nave leads to the small stone many other churches, that the frescos at one point covered apse. The apse only has one larger rectangular window in the entire walls of the side aisles. The walls between the the center and then below it on each are very small side aisles and the nave are lined with rounded arches. rectangular windows. They are almost like slits in the wall because they are so thin. Above the apse, there is a dome. I thought this dome had a particularly interesting shape because it didn’t look like most domes I had already seen. Instead of being rounded across the top, this dome was more of a cone shape with a window at the top of it. Around the sides of the cone, there were circular holes. I think these are probably similar to that holes that were in the Colosseum. The holes in the Colosseum were used to hold the exterior marble, therefore, these holes may have been used to hold some kind of material in place up the dome.

Interior entrance of Santa Pietro

Santa Pietro’s dome 27 Medieval Santa Pietro

When you walk back across the nave, back to the front of the church, you can see the three rose medallion windows that bring in lots of light. This wall of the church also doesn’t have many decorations and it’s pretty bare. Other than the small side doors that enter the side aisles there is a set of large wooden doors in the center as well. Another thing I found interesting about this church were the objects that were more recently placed against the walls. Those objects were present day wedding decorations. For someone from the United States who isn’t used to seeing architecture like this, I found it interesting how these decorations I was used to see at weddings in churches at home looked here in this setting. All of the white tulle, artificial flowers, and other decorations highly contrasted the environment of San Pietro. Online there are quite a few pictures of wedding ceremonies held here and to me, the major contrasts seem a little odd. But, I assume this is what the Assisi people are accustomed to.

Apse of Santa Pietro 28 Renaissance Renaissance Santa Maria del Popolo

30 Side chapel at Santa Maria del Popolo Renaissance Santa Maria del Popolo

Santa Maria del Popolo

Santa Maria del Popolo is a small church located in the in Rome. Before the church was built here, this site was previously the burial ground of the Domitia family. The Domitia family was related to emperor Nero, who was one of Rome’s evilest emperors, therefore it was thought that the burial ground was haunted by demons. A walnut tree happened to be growing at the burial ground and people thought the tree had been giving shelter to the demons residing in the area. The black crows at the time were considered the demons. Therefore, in 1099, Pope Paschal II cut down the walnut tree. After the “demons” had been released, Pope Paschal II then founded a church on the site. The church was dedicated to the Virgin and it was first built around the year 1099. It was then rebuilt in 1227 and then later rebuilt again in 1427 by Sixtus IV. For the way the church currently looks, its façade was designed . Bregno also happened to carve many of the tombs within the interior. The church’s current interior was designed by Bernini. Not only do you get to view his beautiful interior but, you also get to view some of his art pieces.

Nave of Santa Maria del Popolo 31 Renaissance Santa Maria del Popolo

Walking into Santa Maria del Popolo, the first thing you see is the nave. It is made of grey stone blocks that are sort of similar to what Santa Pietro in Assisi is made of. Unlike Santa Pietro, Santa Maria del Popolo’s stone blocks are much more detailed and the interior has obviously been rebuilt more recently than Santa Pietro’s. The walls between the nave and the side aisles are lined with large rounded arches and Corinthian styled pilasters. At the top of the arches and pilasters, the nave is lined with very Baroque styled . The sculptures are of people leaning against each other or against the nave walls. Their clothing is very draped and flowing and some of their legs are hanging off of they ledge their sitting on. Showing movement in sculptures with the flowing clothes and having parts of the breaking through the boundaries are common characteristics of the Baroque style. My favorite part of this particular nave is the ceiling. The ceiling is made of groin vaults, which is my favorite type of ceiling, and it does not have any fresco paintings or any sort of detailing on it. Having a smooth surfaced ceiling without any details is something I found uncommon throughout churches in Italy. This happened to be why I particularly liked this ceiling. Without all of intricate detailing you can really the beauty of the groin with all of its curves and shadows.

32 Organ at Santa Maria del Popolo Renaissance Santa Maria del Popolo

Along the sides of the right side aisle, there are three side After walking through the nave you’ll reach the apse and its chapels. Each side chapel is highly decorated, unlike the baldacchino. The baldacchino is decorated with stuccoed nave, with dark green, red, and gold stones and paintings. reliefs from the seventeenth century. Behind the alter is the One of the chapels holds from the Mellini family. actual apse and, unfortunately, you can not walk into it but, Another chapel is called the that was founded you can still see its stained glass windows and intricately by Agostino Chigi who was a banker. This chapel happens designed shell ceiling. This apse happens to be one the first to feature a painting designed by in 1513. Raphael works of Bramante in Rome. The apse also holds two more had been working on this particular chapel until his death and tombs of two cardinals and more frescos. To the left of the then Bernini took over. One of Bernini’s works, with apse, there is another side chapel. To me, this side an angel, is located in this chapel. Along the sides of the left chapel is the “hidden treasure” of Santa Maria del Popolo. side aisle, there are frescos by , who was from This chapel holds two paintings by . One is the Umbria. Besides frescos, there are also many tombs located Crucifixion of St Peter while the other is the Conversion of down this wall, such as the tombs of the Cybo family. St. Paul. These are some of the most famous painting in Rome, therefore, I was not expecting to see those. Aside from the ceiling, these paintings were also my favorite part of this church. Although I didn’t see this church as one that would stand out for me, once I took a closer look and realized all of the small details it contains, it became one of my favorites.

Apse of Santa Maria del Popolo Plan view of Santa Maria del Popolo 33 Baroque Baroque Gesu

Ceiling of the nave of the Gesu church 35 Baroque Gesu

Gesu

The Gesu church in Rome, I think, is the best church in Rome for embodying the baroque style. Gesu is another word for the “Most Sacred Name of Jesus”. It’s name hints of its importance. This church is the primary Jesuit church in Rome. Building of the church began in 1568 and it took seven years to finish. Walking up to the façade of the Gesu, there is not much standing room between the church and the busy street. The façade shows its baroque style with its curves, multiple stories, and its double tympanum. The designer of this façade was Giacomo della Porta and the designer of the interior Vignola. Both designers were commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who was responsible for paying for the church. Underneath the center tympanum, there is a line of text that says “FARNESIVS” and I think that translates to Farnese. Right above the doorway there are two oval shaped signs, one to the right and one to the left. The oval on the left shows the coat of arms of the pope who was in reign while this church was being built while the oval on the right is the coat of arms for the current pope, Pope Francis.

36 Facade of the Gesu church Baroque Gesu

Stepping inside the Gesu, its interior is a lot to take in. Every My favorite part of this church is the ceiling. The ceiling single inch of the interior has been intricately detailed and is barrel vaulted and about half of it is covered in gold. all of those details really bring out the drama of it. Even the The other half is covered in fresco. The fresco is original ceiling had more detailing than some of the entire buildings of and was painted by Baciccia. It is named the Triumph of other churches. Drama is also one of the main features of the the Name of Jesus. This painting is what Baciccia is best Baroque style. Of every church I visited in Rome, this church remembered by. The main part of the fresco is an oval in particular was by far the most dramatic out of all of them. If shape in the center of the ceiling and there are many parts parts of the walls aren’t covered in frescos, gold, or sculpture, of extruding out of that oval boundary. The part of the fresco it is covered in colorful stone. towards the entrance is painted very brightly to represent heaven. The other side of the fresco is painted rather dark, almost black, and demons to represent hell. If you look closely, you can see the “Name”, really a monogram, rising towards heaven. Around the edges of the fresco, there are painted saints and sculpted angels surrounding the name on its rise. There are also at least three sculpted angels around the windows that connect the nave and the ceiling.

View of the apse and transept from the nave Side chapel at the Gesu church 37 Baroque Gesu

My second favorite part of the Gesu is the gold sun-like sculpture with the monogram of the “Name” in the apse. Although it could almost be considered simple in comparison to everything else within the church, I thought it still stood as a focal point. I had not seen anything similar to this in any other churches and I particularly liked its shape. On the ceiling of the apse there is another fresco that was also painted by Baciccia. This fresco was named Worship of the Holy Lamb. Baciccia also designed some of the decorations around the apse.

The entire floor of the Gesu is covered in different color stones and all of those stones are cut out in different curvy shapes. All of the side chapels are also covered in different veneers of colorful stone. One of the side chapels isn’t lit very well and the only light is a spotlight shining on a white stone crucifix of Jesus. Behind the crucifix is a red velvet background. This also creates another dramatic focal point of the church. Other side chapels have a large fresco painting as their focal point with grey stone sculptures and gold columns surrounding them. Many of the side chapels feature one of the gold sun-like sculptures with the monogram of the “Name”. They are also featured below the organ pipes and surrounded with statues of angels. A lot of churches have some type of metal gate to separate their side chapels from the side aisles. Unlike those churches, the Gesu has intricately carved black onyx gates. The gates were carved with a floral pattern and they also had some angels carved into them. The Gesu is easily a church that you could spend hours in just observing all of the architectural detail and works of art.

38 The Apse of Gesu Baroque San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

The Apse and part of the ceiling at San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane 39 Baroque San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, also known as “San Carlino” is very unlike the others churches in Rome. That is because it is much smaller than those other churches. Although it is small, it is still just as impressive without the dramatic height and length. Like the Gesu church, this church is also designed in the Baroque period but, it is a more simplified version. San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane is the work of Borromini that had begun in 1638. The only other church in Rome that is similar to this one is Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale by Bernini that he began in 1658. This church Borromini designed was considered his first important work in Rome.

Also like the Gesu church, there is not much room to be able to observe the façade at all in front San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. There are barely a couple feet of sidewalk in between the church and the busy street. The façade is very narrow and small in comparison to others but, I think there is an equal ratio between that and the interior. The façade acts if there are multiple stories within the church, which there is not, and it is very curvy. Both of those are features very prominent in . Most of the other buildings beside and across the street of the church also feature those curves so it sort of blends in with it surroundings. Because of its size and the similar surroundings, this façade is very easy to miss if you are not paying attention. The façade was built onto the church almost thirty years after the interior had begun to be built. For me, I found this hard to believe because it is so small. For something to take thirty years to build today, it would have to be massive.

Ceiling of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane 40 Baroque San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

Walking into San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, it sort of feels like a large room. There is not really a distinct nave, side aisles, an apse, or a transept like most churches. To give a sense of the interior size, it is small enough to be one of the side chapels in some of the larger churches I saw, like in Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Like the façade, the interior has the same concave and convex curves all the way around the walls. Also unlike most churches, this interior is almost completely white. There is some gold detailing around the walls and there is a large fresco surrounded by gold to serve as a focal point of the apse. My favorite part of this church was the ceiling. It did have a dome in the center like a lot of churches but, instead of having a base shaped like a perfect circle, the base was an oval. The concave curves are larger than the convex curves around walls and therefore there are larger arches above those curves. There are four of those arches and they perfectly line up and shape the oval base of the dome. I also really like this ceiling because, instead of being covered in frescos and gold detailing, it is all white and covered in different textures and designs. The dome is covered in carved octagons, hexagons, and crosses.

Outdoor courtyard at San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane 41 Baroque San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

On each side of the apse there is a doorway. One of the doorways The other doorway on the other side of the apse, leads to a takes you to a small spiral staircase that takes you to the crypt. walkway area. From there, there is another room you can go into Some people think that Borromini added this feature intending it or you can go outside. Outside there is a very small courtyard to be his burial place. The crypt is a lot like the church itself above that is surrounded by the walls of the church and it has a covered but, it is much simpler and doesn’t have any of the detailed walkway around it. The other room you can go into, I think, was carvings. It is also completely white with similar curves in the walls added on later to the church. It looks like an office area and it has as the floor above. There isn’t much in this crypt and it is also like similar features to the church with some small curves on the walls a big room. There is a fresco that is pretty faded that serves as and similar detailing on the walls. the focal point of the crypt. There is also a rectangular box that’s as wide as the fresco below it that has a very detailed floral design The interior of this church was one of my favorites in Rome. on it. This rectangular floral design is also featured in a couple Without all of the frescos, colorful stones, or gold, you can really other areas on the walls of the crypt. focus on the shapes and details of the architecture itself. I also really enjoyed this church because I did not look similar to any of the churches I had already seen.

Front view of the interior of the church Part of the crypt at San Carlo alle Quatrro Fontane 42 20th Century 20th Century Misericordisio: The Jubilee Church

The front view of Misericordisio 44 20th Century Misericordisio: The Jubilee Church

Misericordiso: The Jubilee Church

The Misericordiso church, also known as The Jubilee Church, was unfortunately the last work of architecture I got to see on my journey in Rome. Considering it was recently built in 2003, I think it was good ending to show a true evolution in architecture from ancient Rome until now. Richard Meier is the American architect behind this work. This work came about because with the beginning of the new millennium, the Pope wanted to bring beauty and value in every part of Rome, including the suburbs. He thought by adding a piece of contemporary architecture, it would improve the quality of life in the poorer parts of Rome. There was a competition in 1996 for architects to give their proposals from all over the world and Richard Meier was the winner.

Misericordiso is a smaller church that is kind of hidden on the outskirts of Rome. Usually we would ride a bus and/or walk to our destination but, for this destination, we were driven there. The church is located in a larger area that is surrounded by what I thought looked like apartment complexes. The church could have taken up a lot more space given the area where it is located. There is a lot of open space around the church which is something that is uncommon in Rome, or really anywhere in any city in Italy. The church is surrounded by a pool of concrete and then grass around the concrete.

Detail drawing of the outer “shells” 45 20th Century Misericordisio: The Jubilee Church

The exterior of the church is designed to look like a ship. It is completely made of white concrete and it has some glass. The left side of the church has three shell like walls, that grow in size, with glass connecting them. I think these “shells” represent the sails of the ship. The concrete shells and the glass walls are all have gridding. I think these added lines pulls the two materials together since concrete and glass are two completely different materials. The grid gives them something to have in common. I also think the gridding makes the pieces feel more structural and stable. The left and right sides of the church are connected with a large gridded glass wall with the entrance. The right side of the church contrasts the the left side because it is completely made block like pieces made of right angles. This side a large, thin, concrete wall that is as tall as the tallest shell piece on the other side. This wall separates, or seems to from the exterior, a side entrance and two stacked terraces on top. On the other side of this, there is a contemporary bell tower. This part of the structure reminds me of the with the cross that is in front of the Fuskas: Church of the Millennium because of their rectangular shape and contemporary style. The bell tower has five bells stack on top of each other in the upper left corner of the block.

46 Detailing drawing of the right side of the church, including the bell tower 20th Century Misericordisio: The Jubilee Church

Unlike most churches, this church also has a back exterior to it Richard designed the church and chose the materials in order the that I think is equally as impressive as the front of the church. It minimize the thermal load on the building. The concrete walls seems like most churches either did not have a back side or it control the heat the interior gains and they contain titanium looked nothing like the front and it was not worth looking at. The dioxide to keep them looking white. By keeping the exterior white, back was very similar to the front except it had more concrete it absorbs less heat and keeps the interior cooler. blocking than glass.

Back view of Misericordisio 47 20th Century Misericordisio: The Jubilee Church

The interior of the church was completely unlike any of the Although Misericordiso lacks the intricate details most churches churches I had seen. It was very open and simplistic. The alter in Rome have, it’s unordinary architecture makes up for it. I think of the church is made a focal point with block like structures. You contemporary structure goes above serving its purpose to bring can tell that Richard attempted to add, a very small amount of, a value into this suburb where it is located. It brings beauty, value, contemporary version of traditional church décor. There is a subtle and innovation to the entire eternal city of Rome. crucifix towards towards the top of the structure. There is also an artistic portrait of Christ in the center surrounded by what looks like a simplified elevation of the church. The left wall of the church has the shell walls that are exactly the same as they re on the exterior. The right wall is mostly covered in wood paneling, probably for acoustic purposes. The angled ceiling is completely made of glass and also has the same gridding as the exterior. This grid gives very interesting shadows to the interior as the light shines through.

48 Interior view of Misericordisio 21st Century 21st Century Fuskas: Church of the Millennium

50 Facade of Fuskas: Church of the Millennium 21st Century Fuskas: Church of the Millennium

Fuskas: Church of the Millennium

The Fuskas: Church of the Millennium was a completely different church than anything I had seen so far on the trip. Instead of being built hundreds of years before our time, it was just recently built in 2009. The church was built in Foligno which is near the town of Assisi. In 2001, there was a national competition in Italy that was held by the Conferenza Episcopale Italiana. The competion was held for project proposals of what a new church would look like in Foligno. The competition was won by architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuskas. The jury of Conferenza Episcopale Italiana gave their reason for choosing these two architects because they thought their proposal was “as a sign of innovation that meets the latest international research, becoming a symbol of rebirth for the city after the earthquake”. I completely agree with their thoughts. There is nothing even similar to this church in Italy and it stands out from any of the surrounding architecture.

When I first approached the church, I was not even sure we were at the right place because all I could see was a very large concrete cube with a few triangular windows. Sure enough, that was the church. The façade of this church is nothing but smooth concrete and some windows across the bottom where the entrances are. For the piazza area in front of the church, instead of there being a large waterfall of some sort of sculpture, there is nothing. There is just smooth concrete, just like the façade. To the right of the church, outside, there is a large sculpture called the Stele-Cross that is thirteen and a half meters tall. It was designed by Enzo Cucchi and is completely made of cement and white marble from Carrara.

Interior view of Fuskas: Church of the Millennium 51 21st Century Fuskas: Church of the Millennium

Walking into the church, the entrance almost feels as if it were to a shopping center but, when you actually walk into the church, it is a pleasant surprise. Instead of the traditional nave, side aisles, transept, and apse, it is just one large open space. I immediately noticed as soon as I walked in the extremely large “floating” rectangle. When I first saw it, it took me a few minutes to understand what it was. This entire enclosing rectangle is hung from the ceiling. The right and left sides of this floating white rectangle are punctured with different quadrilateral shapes while the front and back sides have nothing. Hanging from the inside of the top of the rectangle, are three rows of lighting. These light fixtures are hung a little bit higher than the end of the rectangle and the fixtures themselves are made of a similar shape to what is punctured on the walls.

Outside of this floating mass are the actual walls of the church which are made of smooth concrete blocks. These walls hold some decorations but, they are very simplistic pieces (unlike most churches) to match the rest of the church. In between the the floating rectangle and the walls, there is some space so that you can view the glass ceiling. This glass ceiling is the main source of light for this church. Hanging from the glass there are lights that are similar to what is hanging inside the floating rectangle.

Detail shot of the “floating” mass 52 21st Century Fuskas: Church of the Millennium

Underneath the inner rectangle, there are the wooden church pews The longer I sat within this church, the more I began to notice its layout that directly line up with the edges of the rectangle hanging above. which is sort of similar to the way churches were laid out with their The wooden pews add warmth to this interior which is something that basilica plans. The way the floating inner rectangle lines up with the is missing from all of the concrete and white walls. I thought it added a inner two rows of pews, reminded me of what could be a nave. Outside nice balance so the church didn’t feel too cold. of the “nave” there is a row of pews on each side and a row of chairs on each side. The floating rectangle kind of gives a sense of separation from these two rows of pews, to the other two rows of pews and chairs outside of the restraints of the floating mass. It acts similar to how the walls made of arches that separate the nave from the side aisles in churches like Santa Maria del Popolo.

After seeing so many amazing churches that were designed, built, and intricately decorated hundreds of years ago, it was very interesting to see a modern day version of those churches.

Detail of the interior of the “floating” mass

Detail of the entrance to Fuskas: Church of the Millennium

53 Favorite Experience Favorite Experience

View of Assisi from the Winery 55 Favorite Experience

Favorite Experince: The Winery in Assisi

I had an incredible time during my trip to Italy and it is something I will never forget. I have many favorite memories from this trip so it was hard just to pick one to focus on. Some of my favorites were the trying the authentic Italian food, seeing the Pantheon because that was something I had dreamed about seeing, the coffee shops, and getting to see the beautiful city of Venice. For my favorite experience, I chose the winery we got to go to in Assisi. This experience especially stuck out to me because I think I enjoyed my time in Assisi the most. It was outside of the busy city of Rome and in the country side of rolling hills. Before I went to Italy, I had imagined all of Italy looked like the country side but, I was wrong.

The winery building

The truffle grove

56 Favorite Experience

The winery we went to was called Ace Truffles and Wine Tasting Co. The winery is an old medieval castle and it sits on top of a hill overlooking Assisi and Perugia. The winery itself and what surrounded it were amazing. Even the views from it were breathtaking. Everything looked like it came out of a romantic movie. The winery was also a hotel so it had a pool hidden by beautiful flowers and other plants. At the winery, we got take a tour of the property, go truffle hunting, do wine tasting, and we got to try their delicious truffle pasta. The truffle hunting was not what I thought it was going to be because we didn’t get to do the truffle hunting ourselves. Instead we walked around a truffle grove watching a dog named Mia hunt for the truffles. I think of all the time I spent in Italy I was at my peak of happiness during my time at the winery.

The terrace and landscaping arounf the winery

Black truffle pasta 57 Conclusion

I had an amazing experience during my time in Rome and I think it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Just being in Italy was amazing itself. Not only did I increase my knowledge of Italian culture but, I greatly increased my knowledge in my studies. I thought I already knew a lot about the from some previous history classes I took but, I knew hardly anything compared to what I know about Rome’s history now. I also increased my knowledge about architecture. The more sites I went throughout the trip, the more I paid attention to what the architecture did for the building and the architectural features. I also kind of had a hard time distinguishing style of architecture before this trip and now that I’ve seen those style in person, I find it fairly easy to do. I also think my drawing ability greatly increased. I did a lot more drawings while I was there than what is in this book and when you look at all of them together, especially the first one and the last one, you can see a huge difference. Even looking through this booklet, I think you can see an evolution of my drawings. I went from shaky pen lines and being afraid of using watercolors to almost perfectly straight pen line and confidence in using watercolors.

I think this experience has made me a more well-rounded individual and it puts me further ahead of my classmates who did not participate in the experience. I also think the skills I acquired in Italy and the work I have to show will make me stand out to future employers.

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