Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
As with most museums, your own tastes should dictate where you focus your
attention, but the following highlights should help you narrow down the choices.
Appartamento Borgia:
The six rooms of these apartments are decorated with
religious frescoes focused on biblical themes. They were originally designed for
the Borgia Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503).
Museo Gregoriano Profano:
This
small set of rooms houses sculptures found at the Baths of Caracalla (p. 79). The
Greek statues are from the 4th and 5th centuries
B
.
C
.; the Roman statues are from
the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd centuries
A
.
D
.
Galleria delle Carte Geografiche:
The
120m-long (394-ft.) Gallery of Maps was commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII.
The frescoed maps were first drawn by Ignazio Danti of Perugia in 1580 to 1583
to represent each region, city, and island of Italy.
Museo Egiziano:
The collec-
tions in these rooms represent ancient Egyptian art from 3000 to 600
B
.
C
.,
including mummies, a depiction of a baboon god, and marble statues of signifi-
cant leaders like Trono di Rameses II.
Pinacoteca:
The picture galleries include
many masterpieces collected by various popes and cardinals over the ages. You'll
see the museums' most famous works here, including Giotto's
Stefaneschi Triptych,
Raphael's
The Transfiguration
(his last work), and Caravaggio's
Entombment.
Stanze di Raffaello, Loggia di Raffaello, Cappella di Niccolo V:
The Raphael
Rooms are among the finest museum offerings in the world. These rooms were
originally used as the Papal Suite and designed by Raphael when he was only 26
years old. If you can, see these in the order in which they were painted, starting
with the Study (Stanza della Segnatura), which was completed between 1508 and
1511 on the theme of the triumph of Truth, Good, and Beauty. Most notable here
is the
School of Athens,
which features portraits of famous names of the day.
Leonardo da Vinci is pointing up to the heavens a la Plato; Michelangelo (who
was painting the nearby Sistine Chapel when Raphael did this work) is alone in
front of the steps; and even a self-portrait of Raphael is on the right-hand corner.
Almost Hell
Down the Lungotevere, which borders the Tiber River from Vatican City, is Rome's
smallest Gothic church,
Sacro Cuore del Suffragio (Sacred Heart of Suffrage;
Lungotevere, 12;
%
06-68806517; daily 7:30am-11am and 4pm-7pm),
which holds
the freakish
Museum of the Souls of Purgatory.
A chapel inside the original church
was destroyed by fire in 1897 and in the singed remains the faithful congregation
could see the outline of a face they believed was a soul caught in purgatory. The
singed face prompted the local priest, Father Victor Jouet from Marseilles, to seek
out other signs from the souls in purgatory, which he collected over the years. These
haunting relics line the corridor to the church sacristy, and include fabrics, photos,
writing materials, and other items that believers attest have been somehow touched
by those waiting in purgatory. A book of devotion dated 1871 with the imprint of
three fingers, and a photo of a deceased woman said to be asking for a holy Mass
in her name are two of the relics on display. Followers are urged to come to this
church to pray that the souls in purgatory be released.
