The Vatican is located on the Vatican Heights in the northwest corner of Rome, the capital of Italy, on the right bank of the Tiber River.
The Vatican has a subtropical Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are mild and rainy.
The Vatican has interpreted the magic of a religion to the fullest, and almost no one can resist the charm of the Vatican. In the northwest corner of the city of Rome, this land of only 0.44 square kilometers, the spectacular Vatican complex is interspersed. This is the smallest country in the world, the Vatican, but it is the center of faith for more than 800 million Catholics around the world. In addition to its own glorious historical sites, there are too many artistic masterpieces on display here, which are fascinating.
There is no clear border between the Vatican and Italy, with a grey-stone border in front of St. Peter's Square and a city wall in the rest of the city, allowing people to come and go freely, but visitors can only visit St. Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, museums and the Sistine Chapel. To get to the Palace, you must have a special ID to enter.
When you first enter this treasure house of art, it is as if you have returned to the time and space of the Middle Ages, and those who let you Taishan collapse in front of you and do not change color will inevitably be in a trance. You may not understand art or architecture, but it is important to remember a few famous people – Bernini, Maderno, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rodin, Kandinsky, Dali, Munch... These names, which you can only look up to, suddenly become the real existence in front of you, densely weaving a net around you, netting your eyes and your heart.
The temperament of the Vatican is achieved after countless baptisms and countless precipitations in the long river of history. Everyone can read the Vatican as a book, a textbook on the history of human civilization and art that transcends politics, profit, and money. Each piece of art here washes away the scars of centuries of life, washes away the dust of worldly honor and disgrace, and walks in it as if it has undergone a pure pilgrimage.
St. Peter's Square is flanked by two sets of classical and dignified circular colonnades, like two huge arms extended, defending St. Peter's Square, making people feel small and thankful to have obtained a kind of spiritual protection. Baroque art represents Bernini, a musical name, obelisks on St. Peter's Square, fountains, angel statues on the colonnade... Every detail is a note composed by Bernini, and no matter where you stand in the square, people can feel the charm of music. He also always dedicated the best of his wisdom and peace of mind to the religion of his faith. The bronze canopy on the altar in the church was 5 stories high and was exquisitely carved everywhere; the stool of St. Peter was a gilded bronze throne, and it seemed that St. Peter was sitting comfortably, his feet were touched beyond recognition, and he had no intention of getting up and walking.
"I love St. Peter's Basilica, it's the most beautiful ornament on earth." Emerson said. St. Peter's Basilica has been built for 12 years, and has experienced the hands of 12 architects of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and countless masters of art have participated in the creation of frescoes and sculptures. They are all willing to dedicate themselves to their religion, and the Vatican has become a fascinating stage for them to compete. Entering the hall through the middle door, a mysterious, solemn atmosphere ensued. Everyone looked around with a solemn gaze, and even the footsteps became light. The ceiling of the hall and the surrounding interior walls are frescoes and reliefs based on the theme of the Bible. Walk to the center of the church, look up and rotate, the large dome that symbolizes the cosmic firmament is surrounded by colorful glass windows and mosaics, dazzling but reluctant to wander, and the sunlight pours down from here, illuminating the copper central altar with golden light and dazzling.
The interior of the church displays a large number of medieval and Renaissance sculptures, the most striking of which is the white marble sculpture of "Lamenting Christ". The Virgin Mary held Jesus taken from the cross with her right hand, and her left hand was slightly extended, looking down at her son, and her expression showed infinite compassion and sorrow, which made people can't help but be moved.
Climbing to the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, the moment when the Roman street view is as if a stone was thrown in the lake, the happiness and emotion that have been forgotten for a long time in my heart spread like a wave. For the first time, I am deeply proud of human beings as the spirit of all things. When confronting art itself and savoring the historical emotions implied in it, no matter who it is, it will be a fantasy.
The Vatican Museums are the first museums in the world and have a prototype at the end of the 5th century AD. The Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Studio are the treasures of the Vatican Museums. The glittering fresco Genesis, in which The Creation of Adam is as dazzling as the Big Dipper at night. No wonder Goethe commented: "A man who has not been to the Sistine Chapel cannot understand what a man can do." ”
"100 Places and Worlds That People Want to Go in Their Lifetime" Edited by the Editorial Board of "Illustration of the World: National Geographic Series"