Italian architecture
is some of the most brilliant and beautiful in the world. From the Greeks and
Etruscans through Neoclassicism to the modern day, the architecture of Italy is
diverse, captivating, and full of masterpieces. In this installment of our
series on Italian architecture, we explore two of the most popular tourist
sites: the breathtaking Sistine Chapel and the imposing Colosseum.
Sistine Chapel
Pope Sixtus IV
commissioned the Chapel in the 15th Century, hence its name. It was
completed centuries later, and its architecture is a combination of Medieval
and Renaissance. Like other churches built during the same era, the exterior of
the rectangular brick Sistine Chapel lacks decoration or ornate architecture.
It has no exterior doorways, as its entrance is inside the palace.
The Chapel shares
the same measurements as the Temple of Solomon in the Old Testament: 134 feet
long by 44 feet wide. The vaulted ceiling is 68 feet high, and the side walls
have six centered, arched windows in addition to two windows at either end. Around
each window are frescoes, and above the ceiling is a third story with
accommodations for guards.
As in other churches
of the time, the ceiling vault is not angular as we’re used to in our homes; travertine
crossribs flatten and divide it into separate gridlike areas. In the center,
Michelangelo painted scenes from the Book of Genesis, such as the Creation of
Adam and The Great Flood. The ceiling is a fascinating blend of Michelangelo’s Genesis
paintings and depictions of Ignudi, prophets, and ancestors of Christ, as well
as circular shields and medallions and stone rams’ heads.
Coliseum
The Coliseum’s elliptical
shape is similar to two Roman theaters back to back and is 615 feet long and
510 feet wide, with an outer wall of 157 feet in height. The outer wall has
sustained extensive damage from earthquakes, but the intact area of the wall
has three stories of travertine stone archways with a fourth-story attic. Each
lower floor’s architectural style is different: the first floor is Doric, the
second is Ionic, and the third is Corinthian.
Main entrance arches
were located on the four sides of the building, and the remaining arches were
numbered, much like a sports stadium today. The number of arches also made it
possible to quickly fill and evacuate the 87,000 seats. Seats were tiered, as
was Roman society at the time. Like our arenas, box seats at the north and
south ends provided the best views and were reserved for the emperor. Seats at
the same level and directly above and below were for senators, nobles, and the
wealthy, respectively. The uppermost seats were for the poor.
The Coliseum also
featured a complex underground tunnel and cage area known as the hypogeum. This
area held animals, gladiators, and prisoners in preparation for the day’s entertainment
and raised them to the surface with some form of hydraulic lift.
As you stand in the
Sistine Chapel or among the ruins of the Coliseum, you feel the magic of
Michelangelo and the brutality and beauty of the Roman Empire. No matter which
you choose to visit, you’ll walk away with vivid memories and the feeling that
you’ve been part of history, even for just a moment.
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