22/08/2007. Rome day two: Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo.

The Sistine Chapel. I know from the discussion that we had after seeing the Vatican that not many people enjoyed the Sistine Chapel and I must admit that although I did like it, I thought it was going to be a better experience. The whole room was absolutely packed and everyone was talking, which meant that it was this poor man’s job to stand around all day yelling, “Silencio!” Which really did nothing whatsoever. It’s too bad because I think the place would have been much more majestic had the room been completely silent and there was less than fifty people in there. Instead, we were packed in like sardines and being yelled at.

That being said, it was still an incredible experience to have and I am really glad that I got to see it. I have seen pictures of the Sistine Chapel so many times and yet I was still never able to fully comprehend how busy it looks when you are staring up at it. It is so hard to pay attention to every detail, although it would be nice if you could. I think the best part about the Chapel, though, is not the ceiling but The Last Judgment. It is absolutely huge and I personally am very interested in the religious art that depicts souls that are going to heaven and the ones that are going to hell. Which is exactly what The Last Judgment is, it is the weighing of souls to see who makes it into heaven and who is rejected and sent to hell. I think it is just the greatest form of propaganda that has ever been made. There is the typical scare tactic, which is the threat of hell. So, if one does not want to find oneself in hell, then you have to sign up for a religion (in this case Christianity) that is going to save your soul. And when you see The Last Judgment in person, I don’t blame the people who subscribe to Christianity. It’s the televangelists of the past. It is a way to get people to believe. I find it really amazing to be in the presence of something that has so much power over people. To think that The Last Judgment probably converted a lot of people at the time of its inception, is formative.

To be living in a country that is predominately Catholic, when I am a non-subscriber to any religion, makes it interesting to see how important it is to the people here. It is not like in the US, where religion has become “cool.” Where things like youth groups and such are a place to make friends and become this little cliché. For the people here it is so much more than that. They are actually moved when they visit the chapels. Instead of feeling obliged to go to church every Sunday. I have seen so many people praying in the many churches I have been in and I always wonder what they are praying about. What drives them to go to the church and pray? Most of it is probably upbringing. But people go to these churches and gaze up at the religious iconography and then kneel down and become one more follower. The religious iconography is very important, which makes things like the Sistine Chapel and The Last Judgment, religiously important to believers, while for me, it is just art. It is a very odd experience. Sometimes I really wish I could be experiencing it like they are. Just to see what it is like. Would I appreciate the art more or less?

PS. I SAW THE PANTHEON! IT WAS (__________)!!!!
insert any adjective for orgasmic