One theme that I noticed in many of the sites we visited, and in the lectures and reading, was the importance of symbolism in the art. Most of the saints we saw had specific images that showed who they were, which was very valuable in early Christian development. The artists and those who commissioned the art needed a way to show the people who came into the churches or saw the artwork what they were looking at. For example, one pope, St. Clement I, whose house we went to, was portrayed with an anchor, because of the story of his martyrdom. He was tied to an anchor and thrown into the Black Sea, which was later discovered and brought back to Rome. Another example of the way symbolism is used is that St. Peter is often shown with an upside down cross, which represents the way he was martyred. This shows up in churches, statues, and paintings, particularly in Caravaggio's Crucifixion of Peter. Having one symbol to represent a saint makes it easier to communicate the subject of a painting or statue to an illiterate crowd, which was a reality for most of Christianity. This enabled people to know who they were praying to without having to somehow tell a whole story in paint.
Finally, there is the image of the Chi-Rho. We first learned about this from the textbook, where it said that Constantine had a dream before battle in which he was told to place the "heavenly sign of God" on his shield (pg. 162). This has been interpreted to mean a monogram of the first two letter's of Christ's name, the Chi and the Ro. This battle and his win was part of why Constantine converted to Christianity. Knowing this piece of history, I was excited to see this symbol all over Rome. One example was on an alter placed in the home of St. John and Paul by a later pope. It is interesting how using this symbol for Christianity shows the importance placed on tradition and history, and the way in which art can represent legend. Something I didn't understand about this practice is how it was started. I would want to know who the first person was to use symbols to represent people. Possibly it has been going on for centuries before the Christians started doing it. However, I don't know the origins and it is something I would like to learn.
Caravaggio's Crucifixion of Peter
Alter with Chi-Ro symbol in the house of St. John and Paul
Another theme I noticed during our time in Rome was the appearance of Pagan ideas and images among the Christian artifacts and traditions. For example, when we went to the burial site below St. Peter's Basilica there were some areas that had a mixture of Christian symbols and Pagan symbols on the tombs. Our guide explained to us that while Christianity was still secret, families still included the Pagan images alongside the Christian ones because they still believed in some of the old traditions. Another place where we can see the influence of Paganism is in the Church of Maria Maggiore. This was the first church built, and the architects did not really know what a church should look like. They drew from the existing examples of pagan structures and came up with the style of church we can see today. There are differences, like the alter being inside rather than on the steps, but they share many similarities. It is interesting that even while building up a new religion to displace Paganism, the rulers of the time were still seeing the benefits of their culture and using it to their advantage.
Another area where I saw pagan images used during the era of Christianity was the Trevi Fountain. It was two different popes who commissioned the fountain (Urban VIII and Clement XII) and yet the images are very pagan in nature. The papal coat of arms is at the top, and Benedict XIV's name goes across it, but the Pagan image of Ocean is framed in the center. There are many more goddesses portrayed too, like Health and Abundance (http://www.trevifountain.net/iconography.htm). This amalgamation of symbols and imagery is confusing, because it does not make sense for the popes to be supporting statues of Pagan gods. I understand that in earlier centuries it was partly a safety issue to want to hide the Christian images amid Pagan ones, but by 1743, when the Fountain was completed, that would no longer be the case. Maybe the church felt so secure that they no longer feared that images of Paganism would threaten their standing in the world.
Church of Maria Maggiore, built in 440
Trevi Fountain
The final theme that I observed in Rome was the ability of the Church to evolve with the times. Primarily, there was the effect that the Protestant Reformation and subsequent Catholic Reformation had on the sites we visited. The Council of Trent made changes to the rules of Catholicism in answer to Luther's issues, and these changes can be seen in many of the churches we went to. For example, the Church of the Jesu, a Jesuit church, was the first built after the reform from the Council of Trent. It was built with one big central nave, so the eyes would be drawn to the apse in the front right when someone walked in. It is a similar style to the basilicas built before the Council of Trent, except the alter is placed at the very back, rather than where the apse meets the nave. The sacramental box was also moved to a more central location, because it made people realize how important it was. These were all ways to make the clergy and the sacraments more important, which was vital because Luther had removed the need for clerical interpretation and attacked the sacraments as unnecessary. It was interesting to see the way this church was laid out and compare it with how some of the churches we visited earlier in the trip (like the Churches of Maria Maggiore, Santa Prudenziana, and Santa Prassede) looked, because it represented the changes that occurred after the Council of Trent. In those churches, the alter was further up, showing the connection of Jesus (the head) and the people (the body). I don't understand why that would threaten the ideal of Catholicism, and why the churches after the Council of Trent would have changed that. It seems like a good symbol to engage the people with Jesus.
We also saw a later example of how the Church has tried to demonstrate their willingness to change. We went to the Vatican Observatory, where we learned that the Church only their reputation for being anti-science after the formation of national countries. These countries tried to set up private universities, but no one would pay for an education when there were free schools run by the Church. Therefore they started telling people that the Catholic Church was against science, and that they would get a much better education at the private universities. One of the ways the Church combated this was by setting up the Vatican Observatory. There they study the solar system, and are important contributors to the field. Even though the Church had always had members studying various scientific fields, this was a major step to publicizing it and putting an end to the idea that they were anti-science. I thought it was interesting that it was only in the last few hundred years that the Church got this reputation. It was after the trial of Galileo, which is also interesting, because I would have thought that would have led to the Church being thought of as against science and change. However, no one really believed Galileo at first, so it was not something that was specific to the Church. I do not understand the ways in which people can still justify parts of the Bible that are now proven wrong by science, but that is more of a theological disagreement than an educational question.
Interior of the Church of the Jesu, with the alter all the way to the back
Telescope at the Vatican Observatory
Overall, I learned so much more about the Catholic Church than I ever expected. It was interesting to note the ways in which outside politics and trends could influence the Church, and the various ways in which they solved problems that they faced. This trip was truly amazing, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to learn more about the Catholic religion and the city of Rome.
St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the heart of the Catholic tradition
