Vatican Museum

On 6/18, I finally went to a place that I had been reading about since middle school: the Vatican Museum.  I had been reading and rereading my guidebooks, learning about the history, architecture, and artistry of the place for years.  When I booked my ticket online (only two euro more, saving hours of lines along the imposing Leonine wall, built in 846 A.D.), I was giddy with excitement for what was to come.  The giant archway titled "Musei Vaticani" towered above my head in all its glory as I skipped the lines with my "fast pass" of sorts (really just a bit more planning).  Once I got inside, I ascended the steps to the museum, in order to eventually achieve my goal of seeing the famed Sistine Chapel.  Here is the link to the museum map in order to get a better understanding of just how massive this museum truly is:

http://mv.vatican.va/1_CommonFiles/pdf/mappa_musei_vaticani.pdf

As I made my way through the various galleries and hallways, I was reminded of how surreal my experience in Italy has been thus far, and how incredibly lucky I am.  The amount of art and culture that surrounds you in the museum is a surviving reminder of Baroque elegance and skill.  Some of my favorite parts of the day were when I visited the Stanze di Raffaello, or Rafael's Rooms, which are all part of the public area of the papal apartments.  Famous frescoes such as The School of Athens, as well as The Expulsion of Heliodorus From the Temple and other grandiose examples of the high Renaissance abound in these rooms.

The School of Athens

Ceiling detail

Disputation of the Holy Sacrament

Another area that I particularly enjoyed, partially due to the fact that it was so unexpected amidst the sea of Baroque masterpieces, was the Collection of Contemporary Art.  Giant paper pieces fitted together to resemble stained-glass windows, called "gouache cutouts," were created by Matisse and donated to the museum in 1980.  This display was shown right before the Sistine Chapel, which made the experience that much more memorable, as the excitement for Michelangelo's masterpiece was almost tangible among the crowd.  

Upon entering the Sistine Chapel, the excitement that everyone felt while climbing the stairs to reach it turned to utter reverence and awe.  The amount of people in the room didn't matter, because it was still very quiet (thanks to guards admonishing potential photographers of the ceiling and intermittently hushing the crowd).  I looked toward the ceiling and soaked up the expansive beauty of Michelangelo's most famous work, the Creation of Adam, while simultaneously scoping out a spot on the wall to better sit and admire the work.  A couple eventually sat up and left, and my friends and I rushed to the spot, to our avail.  We were then able to experience the masterpieces surrounding us, while giant tour groups were rushed through.  Five minutes is not enough time to view Michelangelo's most famous work; I stayed for an hour, and still feel as if that wasn't enough.  The artist's work in the apse of the chapel, The Last Judgment, was also breathtaking.  Seeing St. Bartholomew holding the flayed skin of his martyrdom was a poignant reminder of the lives of the saints, as well as the rest of the heavily-muscled figures being judged by Christ.  

After leaving (regrettably) the Sistine Chapel, I descended down to the steps, and enjoyed several more galleries before exiting.  The sheer amount of art inside the Vatican Museum is unfathomable, and it would take several more visits, I believe, to fully appreciate its magnitude.  

Here is a link to take virtual visits of any of the galleries in the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Visite.html

Matisse's version of Mary and Jesus

From outside the Sistine Chapel

Beautiful table in one of the galleries outside the Sistine Chapel

I am so grateful that I got the chance of a lifetime to visit the Vatican Museum.  It is an experience that I won't soon forget, and plan to revisit later on during my time here to more fully appreciate what I saw the first time, as well as catch details that I did not see.