Lorenzo Bernini

I mentioned Bernini within my post about the Ornament Reading so I thought I would further express my ideas on how his use of Baroque style influenced the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) status in Europe.

Within the 1500s, the Protestant Reformation began, creating an uprival against the RCC. Slowly over 100 years of reformation, the RCC's power began to diminish. In those days, it was the churches that controlled a large sum of the masses due to its religious influences. Pope Alexander commissioned Bernini in 1656 to redesign a forecourt so that"the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace" (Norwich 1975 p 175)." The colossal scale of the square compared to the surrounding environment, as well as its beautiful decoration of saints and martyrs help to emphasise the glory of God and the mighty power of the RCC.

I was lucky enough to visit the Vatican in Rome a couple of months ago. I have put up some pictures of my visit.

This is an aerial view from the top of St Peter's Basilica. This picture portrays the sense of grand scale given from the design. The people on the ground look like dots compared to the colossal square. Also, it is important to mention that the surrounding built environment is quite dense. This was purposely done to create an emotion of awe as you step away from the tight net group of the buildings and into the Square.

This is a picture of me and my friend AO standing in the square facing the facade of the Basilica (created by Carlo Maderno). You can see an emphasis on verticality and symmetry as an ornamental form of power and order.

The window in the middle is where the Pope comes out...

As you Approach the Vatican, it is quite apparent with the scale that you are entering an area of great significance and importance.

I like this photo because it really shows the scale of the Piazza in relation to people. The emotional response you have is one that makes you wonder how much time was spent in creating such a magnificent space.