Glad to hear it! As I mention in the video description (I've been promoting myself pretty shamelessly), the book is now available for pre-order on Amazon and other online outlets. It's scheduled to be published on September 1: www.amazon.com/Naked-Statues-Fat-Gladiators-Elephants/dp/1633887022 Thanks so much for watching, and feel free to check out the other videos about Ancient and Renaissance Rome on toldinstone.com!
The last time I visited the Vatican was 1977 and twice before that. Note: I have visited Roma, Italia many times afterwards, however, not the Vatican, because of then $50.00 ‘entrance fee’. (Martin Luther must be rolling in his grave.) Alone in 1977, during this last visit, I went under the tomb of St Peter. I walked a great distance under the Vatican and eventually into in the open area behind the Vatican. Oddly, at the open area exit, from the catacombs, two things were apparent: there was zero security there and I how I stumbled upon it was pure luck. When I was in the catacombs there were several areas and many mire long deep rows that extended very deep from the main stone walk-path, no doubt for entombing dead souls bodies, that when walking in complete darkness, I found my way forward with my hands upon the walls (occasionally, putting my hands into stone shelves that were carved into the walls.). So, at these ‘dead ends’ [pun intended] I turned around to later stumble upon them again. This last time I decided to turn left and 3 meters later, another wall, another 3 meters turn and suddenly light. Following the light, I exited the catacombs, under the basilica into the fresh air and sun. Inside the catacomb, under the visible St. Peter’s tomb lays a full skeleton in a marble area. It was the first thing I encountered. After two hours walking, lit only by a few light bulbs lights near the various entrances (Another is under the tower, adjacent to where the list of all the pope’s resides. I wandered with minimal sight mostly relying on touch and my Zippo lighter, as my guide. As described, these areas were endless shelves of relics and some artifacts. For the record, there was minimal security, in 1977 compared today. Though, I did watch the Swiss Guards pattern of changing shifts. Then, confident that I had a full two minutes, during the shift change when I was ‘somewhat unlikely’ I would get caught, my 22 year old self rushed the entrance of St. Peter’s tomb, scrambled down many steps most of which are not publicly visible beating the Swiss Guard’s at their own game of situational awareness. If you ever attempt this, you will need good shoes, small backpack, water, snacks, hoodie (gets seriously cold), long pants to help minimize scrape injury in darkness, cellphone due to small size and camera functionality, with an app emanating shooting in the dark, your nicest Catholic self, in the highly unlikely event that you get caught: “But sir, I have been a devout Catholic for many years and I just wanted to experience what the early Catholics must have felt…” and lastly a whole lotta confidence.
So much man made beauty. If the ones that worked on that massive construction could talk we will hear their cries and tears as it was forced labor done by slaved and poor people w no pay or benefits. The talent and master craft were innate. Perfection at its best. Has endured the test of time but eventually will be gone Great video. Tks. .
What a wonderful video. Thank you for your great work, it is obviously the labor of the love of history. I am looking forward to watching the Hagia Sophia video.
As a young man, perhaps about 13 years of age, when visiting St Peters, with my parents in about 1966, I became separated from them and the tour group they were with. They did not miss me at first. And I attribute my separation to the curiosity that young children will sometimes have. Any how, I had, wandered into the hallway in front of the Vatican Library. And at a very ornate table was on display an open book. It was a hand made book with brilliant colors, open to a page with drawings depicting Aztec warriors and a Aztec pyramid and gruesome sacrifices. I was transfixed, with my gaze on this page , well I became lost in time, trying to understand what I was seeing. Then I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, I turned and looked up to see a man in robes and a red hat. He remarked that I must be lost, and that he would take me back to my parents..... Which he did.
@@TuckerSP2011 Well probably, but I don't actually know. The Vatican is well worth visiting. I went back as an adultt with my bride. I am not Catholic. But in the 60s it was so easy... To visit..no lines...my dad parked his car in the grounds!
@@bobelschlager6906 Things were much different in those days the absorption on security was not there and people had much more respect for property and and politeness.
I don't think this type of architecture is designed to make us humans feel small, rather it is designed to make God seem, and I use this word with its original meaning, awesome. When we are awestruck, with a natural wonder or with magnificent buildings, we open ourselves up to the the wonder of the universe and its Creator.
I've visited Rome twice and both times been awestruck by the scale of St Peters, there's nothing like climbing the dome and seeing the urban sprawl of one of the worlds greatest cities. Regardless of your view of the church, or the labour used in the construction of the basilica, the sheer scale of the human achievement is incredible. Understanding more of its history from this video has made it an even more impressive structure to me.
I visited St. Peter's Basilica in 1998. I had an unexpected reaction to the beauty of it. My heart rate went way up and I felt euphoric. I remember looking at the larger than lifesize marble angels carved high on the walls. I knew the high polish was created by hundreds of hands polishing the dense stone with straw. For the first time I realized it represents a massive labor of love and devotion. How could I respond otherwise!
My mother lost her Catholic faith after visiting the Vatican. She was so disgusted by the finery and extravagance hoarded by the church when there is so much suffering and destitution in the world. That, and the child abuse scandals of course.
There’s a “Scavi” tour (excavation) under St. Peter’s where you can see the old Roman graves leading to the bones of St. Peter. It’s a fascinating journey and for believers, quite moving. The bones were discovered either right before or right after WWII. Tickets are hard to get-only 1800 a year and you need to know someone. Fortunately, I did and was able to take the tour.
I am stunned to hear of this. Me and an Army buddy were in St. Peter's in November, 1969. We were free to roam anywhere we wanted to go. We went down in the crypt and walked forever down there looking around. It was the same for going on top of the Basilica. We were so close to the Pieta, we could have reached out and touched it. It is too bad that today's people are so wild and mean spirited that everything must have bullet proof glass or no entrance except for small guided tours. By the way, as I said this was November, 1969. Just two or three days before we got there, some deranged man jumped over the railing around St. Peter's tomb (crypt) and took a hammer and knocked two or three fingers off the statue down there. During that same time period someone set off a bomb in the Victor Emmanuel giant and beautiful monument. So many insane people in this world!!!!
Oddly enough I read a brief mention of this tour in a Rick Steves book at 6am while at work. I found their website and email and sent off an email respectfully requesting a scavi tour. About 3 minutes later my email dinged and I looked and had a reply from them with a date and time and how to pay for it. It was a very cool tour, and you exit right out into the Basilica without having to deal with the lines waiting to get in. It took me a total of about 5 minutes to make that happen lol. Pretty cool.
St Peter’s Basilica is astonishing. Quite the most beautiful and impressive building I have ever visited. I defy anyone to go there and not be completely awestruck.
As a young, dum 22 year old who had never been anywhere, when I walked into St. Peter's, my attention was drawn to the right, where I saw the Pieta (before the plexiglass). I had cried only once in my life, but the sight of that drama reduced me to a shuttering, sobbing mess. To this day, my heart melts at the remembrance.
Though I have never been to the Vatican, I was as a little boy, privileged to see the Pieta which was on display at the Vatican Pavilion during the 1964-65 World's Fair here in New York City. Somewhere in my house is the 16mm film that my mother took of the statue as we slowly rode on the moving walkway which glided you past the statue which was behind glass. An unforgettable experience.
I have been blessed to visit Rome on many occasions and never miss the opportunity to always visit St. Peter's. The Scavi tour and the crypt are not to be missed. However glazing at the Pieta one can only be overwhelmed looking at the work of God's hands through the young man of Michelangelo....it takes my breath away and reduces me to sobbing like a crazy person....every time!
St. Peter's is such a breathtaking edifice just by its mindblowing, epic and absolutely unimaginable size that all these more subtle details totally escaped my view when I went there for the first time. It's probably one of those places that you could visit a hundred times without getting bored, so next time, I'll keep this video in mind! When you're stepping under the dome and read the letters 'Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam', you literally forget to breathe. There is this giant dome hanging over you and you really start to wonder why such a massive thing looks as if it was just floating there. The thing is so enormous that pictures of it actually rarely deliver its actual size, because they lack the first person perspective, which gives the place even more mystery. There are no places I could compare this church to, not even the beautiful gothic churches of northern Europe.
No matter how pragmatic or cynical you may be, visiting St. Peters is a magical and powerful experience. The mixture of histories and artifacts and the pure grandeur of the structure is impossible to absorb in a single walking tour. Visiting off-season is highly recommended. Take your time.
people force themselves to be cynical when it comes to anything christian. it should be enjoyed the same as any other human acheivement in architecture
My mother lost her Catholic faith after visiting the Vatican. She was so disgusted by the finery and extravagance hoarded by the church when there is so much suffering and destitution in the world. That, and the child abuse scandals of course.
@@ImpendingChocolate I can understand her choice. A lifelong atheist I had no such illusions of the church actually embodying its proclaimed values. The Vatican museum has literal stacks of treasure piled in disarray. Here in Texas many nominally christian churches worship money, spread hatred and intolerance, say and do things completely contrary to the words in their book. But St. Pete's is a cool bit of art. There's no denying that.
@@ImpendingChocolate So your mother lost her Catholic faith by the finery and "extravagance" of a place of worship meant to be used by all christendom ? Seems her "faith" was pretty weak to begin with... These riches you speak about are a common catholic heirloom, spent in a project everyone may appreciate, not some palace hidden away for the sole benefit of one man.
I was fortunate to visit twice within a few years. St. Peter’s and the Grand Canyon are the only two things I’ve ever seen that are totally and completely flooring. You can’t overestimate the immense power of this building it’s truly amazing. On my second visit I was lucky enough to attend mass in the papal grottos at the central altar which is one of the most special experiences of my life.
I haven’t visited St. Peter’s yet but I have visited the Grand Canyon. I’ve had friends who asked what was my impression. I told them that “It exceeded my expectations” and that has rarely happened and I’ve traveled a lot.
I visited St. Peter's during the Holy Year of 2000. After I walked in the door, there it was The Pieta. What a glorious moment for me. The rest of the visit was one marvelous seeing after another. Thanks, toldinstone, for bring back the memories.
For those of us who attended university way back when, this video/lecture is a refreshing anachronism. I feel like I am in a lecture hall with a favorite professor, immersed in the subject matter. This is geared for those of us who have the attention span to appreciate the work that went into this presentation and who have the appreciation of a long form lecture.
Fascinating. I have visited St Peter's and WOW! I did not know the information about the obelisk, amazing that the move was even contemplated let alone achieved. The baroque tombs are a wonder, too.
👍 👍 I have been to the basilica many times, and I was unaware of everything contained in your video. Truth is, even with a guide book, the church is so massive that it is impossible to read up on and see everything. Well done!
It is so worth the visit. And, it's amazing that entrance into St Peter's is completely free of charge to anyone, and everyone has access to see world renowned art, including Michelangelo's _Pieta'._
@@therockstandard3068 i was not clear in what i said? I hate the church, is a cancer in my country. They don't pay taxes and are a bunch of perverts, if you don't know shit about italy then don't act surprise. I was born here and the church has been a filfthy cancer for all the history. So either open a book or stfu.
Amazing history I was born in Rome 1945 behind St Peter's just inside the ancient Roman wall that surrounds Rome. My family would go to Sunday services at St. Peter's....I was baptized at St.Peter's
I was there in 2004 and attended Mass. I'm an American. I was sitting at Mass next to a Frenchman. The responses at Mass around me were of all different languages. I looked up and saw the Chair of St. Peter in front of me. Overwhelmed by the experience, I wept through the Mass. The Frenchman smiled at me, as if to say "I understand," and patted me on the shoulder. The whole experience was electrifying and if I live to be 100, that memory will be crystal clear in my mind.
I'm partial to the lesser known "Fiftus the Sixth"; he's the one who installed the Vatican's hot-water heaters and upgraded the ventilation system, all on his days off... He was also the one to put a stop to excess candle-burning ("What, do I look like I'm made of wax? Pray, or put it out!") Does anyone remember him? Does he get any credit? No! ... I swear, that old Pope gets no respect!
Your tour was quite excellent. Too short! I celebrated Mass in Latin and English at one of the side altars when I visited there decades ago. You put up a sign telling people what language you were using so they could join you. There were Masses going on all over the place, along with the big canonical Mass at the main altar at noon. I happened to end up saying Mass at the altar table right over what I thought was the tomb of my favorite baroque composer, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. However, I later found out that they lost his real body somewhere. I think they have found it since, but when I was there they were using some kind of reliquary piece in its place! St Peter's has always been like that! As a short piece in one of your next tours, I would suggest you also mention the fact, incredible to me, but apparently just the way things were back then, that almost all of the tombs or sarcophagi of a whole slew of popes that were on and around particularly the portico of the old basilica, were simply demolished destroyed and used as part of the building material for the new place. Contents, bones and all. In other words, they're still in St Peters, but probably not in the way they originally expected to be!
This is what I loved about the churches in Italy, they are loved and used everyday, not locked up till Sunday. Normal spiritual life goes on all the time, in spite of the tourists. At Sta. Maria Maggiore you can confess in several different languages, as the confessionals have signs saying English, Deutsch, etc. on them.
I visited The Vatican in 2019 with my daughter, she took me as a present for my 70th birthday. It was wonderful, and as I'm disabled we were shown to the head of the queue and went straight in. I prayed my heart out at St Peters tomb with tears falling fast from my eyes, for one if my sons who has cancer. God and St Peter must have heard me that day as when Covid 19 started the docs stopped his cemo, and gradually they stopped all his meds. At the moment he is living a happy and fulfilled life with hardly a twinge. Long may it continue, by the will of God. I shall never forget the beauty of The Vatican and St Peters Basilica. This video shows me that beauty once more, many thanks.
I just discovered your channel and this is fascinating! I love learning the true history of these places (as opposed to the Hollywood versions). Just one thing, only a one hour wait in line? People wait 2 hours, or sometimes longer for a 3 minute ride at Disney world. Which is crazy to me, but there it is. I'd wait two hours to see this myself. Amazing! Thank you for the wonderful tour.
I visited Rome the first time in summer of 1964. There was no wait at St. Peter. We just walked in. Sometimes women were not allowed in because they had no wraps around short blouses. Also, they were to wear something on their hair. However, one could easily get in and walk around the basilica. This was before the nut took a sledgehammer to the Pieta. It didn't need to be protected by that horrible plastic protection yet. This was possible because Rome had a lot of visitors but nowhere near what is the case now. It was a lot nicer.
I've been to Rome 9 times since 1982. Last time was in 2014 for JPII canonization. Never had an issue with getting in until 2014, but even then-we were on a pilgrimage tour and was able to buck the line.
Been there several times. Each time I visited, before I left, I always went back to La Pieta. The single most beautiful and emotive, evocative - I'm running out of words here - work of art that I have ever had the privilege of looking upon.
Once again, I wish I could had seen this video before going to St. Peter's-- but in 1978 the convenience of TH-cam was still far in the future. St. Peter's blew my ignorant little mind, but how much more would I have appreciated it if I had had more information beforehand. For one thing, it surprises me how much Roman material was repurposed for medieval and Renaissance projects. You wish the original buildings were intact, but it still means that the work of the Romans is yet with us, in one form or another. I wouldn't begrudge the bulletproof screen for the Pieta-- I still remember the news when that lunatic attacked the statue in 1972. It was heartbreaking, so I personally was happy to view the statue through glass. It is magnificent, even at a distance.
Fantastic! My only regret is that it ended all too soon. It seems fitting that the most impressive parts of the Basilica are made largely from recycled materials of Rome’s most important and impressive buildings. It is a living relic of Ancient Rome.
Thank you so very much for this virtual tour. As a side note, while in the Navy, I took a real tour in 1987...not even close to your tour. As a historian stuck in Arizona, I love your videos.
Another fantastic video!! Well done.. Thank you! I went to the Vatican as part of my honeymoon in 2003. We arrived outside at 6am (very early in the morning) as to avoid the long lines. Upon entering the Piazza San Pietro, we were informed that Pope John Paul II was to give a mass in the Piazza at 9am. We decided to attend mass instead of touring the Basilica that day; we had plenty of time, being that we were visiting Italy for about a month. It was a very rewarding decision. Pope John Paul II rode around the piazza in his covered Popemobile, and drove directly in front of us - the Pope and I made eye contact for a milli-second. I was in tears for the rest of the mass - and I am not Catholic. We did return to the Basilica two weeks later to actually tour the interior, where upon entering, I encountered the Pieta. The Pieta is my favorite piece of art of all times, and has been since I was a little boy. I saw the Pieta almost every day when I was little; it was on the dust cover of an art book that belonged to my dad. A book that I discovered after his passing when I was 5 years old. In my young mind, I attributed the Pieta to the memory of my dad and so, seeing it humbled me to my knees. Once I gained my composure, my new bride took 45 photos of me standing with the Pieta. So visiting the Vatican granted me two amazing experience: being in the presence of the Pope and being close to the Pieta. This video brought back all of those wonderful memories - Thank you!
I've been living in the Rome for many years and often I took my friends to visit the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican so I know quite well this enormous Basilica and his history including the previous Basilica. Unfortunately history was destroyed when the new Basilica was built, but also many other Roman constructions, but perhaps in my opinion, the worst was the destruction of the two chapels with many imperial tombs. I didn't know that the resting place of Honorius was never found, will it ever found? Thanks for sharing this very interesting video 👍👍👍
I wish there was a way to have a 3d exploration tool showing all the parts of the Vatican as we know they grew and changed over the centuries along with how their parts came to be plundered and assembled from the ruins in the region.
Wow. I visited in 2017 and went down into the grottoes but I didn’t know about the scavi… I would have tried to get tickets in advance if I had. I really enjoyed this video, thank you for producing it!
Research in 2008 shows that only 1.8% of the bronze in the Baldacchino comes from the Pantheon, the rest was used to make canons for Castel Sant'Angelo
In the 1960s as a young man with my parents we were taken down under the canopy to see the tomb of Peter. Its actually a rough hewn from rock and dirt cave, not big at all and with no ornamentation at all, very plain. A very stark contrast to the church above.
@@artistaprimus7080 science is the only common base we have! Jesus freaks hate science, evil people! Why the middle east Godly books of madness? Why you need hate?
was there in September 1968. I was just 23 and only had the week-end. Worst part was that I could not share it. I had three days notice of the trip. (I was stationed in Sicily) I went alone. I am 76 now, and I will go back with the love of my life
I forgot to mention that the greatest thrill of the trip was when I was able to walk right up to the "Pieta" and touch it. I have a photo but it is so dark. It is so smooth, yet cold. And yes, Michelangelo's name is etched across the sash. Now she is well protected from the likes of the "Mad German."
The best part for me was taking a tour underneath the basilica at the original ground level where streets of mausolea still stand. I first did the tour in ‘96 and did it again in 2000. It was quite different the second time, with air conditioning and fire doors and a lot of the most interesting things omitted. The road ended at the box containing St Peter’s remains. Even so, it was an amazing experience and i would highly recommend it.
I remember when I was about 12, my parents took me to the Vatican. I recall that in a very dark niche near the entrance sat the Pieta. It could be touched because it had no barriers of any sort. This was strange to me (even at that young age) because I had seen this statue in a large glossy coffee-table art book that my mother had. So while I did not appreciate the full significance of this amazing work of art, I thought it very strange that if this statue was important enough to be in my mother's art book, it should have been in a much better location. But I was then just a little boy, so what did I know.
I was sort of like you. I saw the Pieta when it came to the New York World's Fair in 1964. It was behind very thick bullet proof glass and we were on a very slow moving conveyor belt moving by it. I probably got a full minute or two of viewing and then we were out of there. Security everywhere. And then, in 1969 I visited the Basilica in November and there was not more than 20 people inside the whole church. Walked in the right hand side door and instantly was right in front of the Pieta. I could have easily put my hands on it, it was so close and unprotected. I instantly recalled seeing it in New York and now seeing it totally up close and personal. That had as much effect on me as the artistry.
@@mikelastname1220 Thank you. That is exactly how I remembered it. The niche that it was in, was quite dark and the Pieta appeared to be sitting on the floor, so it was down at my level. And you're right, I could have easily touched it as there was no security and just maybe 30 people in the entire church. Thanks for sharing a similar moment, that you and I have experienced... back so many years ago.
@@mikeifyouplease Yes, and if you are like me that is one memory deeply etched into our brains! It WAS slightly below eye-level. I was so surprised to be able to see it so up-close, especially after seeing all the security around it when I saw it at the New York World's Fair. What a contrast!
The Piata is behind protective glass because a crazy man attacked it with a hammer in the 70s and chipped it. Its the most beautiful object of art I ever saw. When I saw it in the sixties you could walk right up to it... So sad.
I’m one ofthose persons who isn’t impressed easily but this did it. When inside I told my wife and children this is really something special. That made them pay more attention and about at that moment a ceremony started and a cuor started singing in the background calmly. I filmed it and when I look/listen it now Istill get goosebumps.
Wonderful video. I am fascinated by the magnificent detail of each of the monuments featured. You must have searched long hours for this information Thanks so much.
That's like when I lived in Los Angeles. If it hadn't have been for friends visiting from out of town, I would never had seen the Hollywood Bowl, San Pedro Harbor or the Getty Museum among other things.
@@billolsen4360 Same for me living in Kentucky. When I was in the Army in 1968 all my buddies wanted to know what it was like to go to the Kentucky Derby. I only lived 24 miles away from it, but because it was in my backyard, I had no interest in it. When I got back home, I went three years in a row mostly thinking of my buddies who told me they were dying to go there.
Visited St Peters in 1969, when I was 15. Everything about it blew me away, size, architecture, artwork within. Then, went into the Sistine Chapel, even more impressive.
It always amuses me that the catholic church, which champions someone advocating a sober life, built one of the most opulent and ostentatious buildings in the world. The fact that a lot of their masterpiece was plundered and recycled from a pagan empire just adds to the 'gilded kitsch' vibe that the church gives off. Thank you for the tour and all the details on each individual part of the basilica, this was very informative.
Great video, even I learned a few new things about a place I know well. Look forward to more videos. Just one note: the word “baldacchino” should be pronounced “baldakino” instead of “baldatchino”
@@toldinstone - In my entire life time (74 years), I have always heard it pronounced CHINO. Never, KINO. Just looked up the pronunciation and you are correct! Must be a lot of people out there mispronouncing it just like I did.
Hand, yes, primitive, not so much. Replace electric motors with human power and everything else has remained pretty much the same ever since. It needed more work but they were smart and creative craftsmen.
I have been blessed with 2 visits. I was till stunned after the first visit and while conversing with a Swede over dinner I asked him if he had ever seen anything like St Peter’s and his answer was..”No..never”.
@@toldinstone Some great advice I was given before my first visit many years ago was to *take a pair of binoculars!!* These are also helpful in the Sistine Chapel as the ceiling is about 68 feet up. (Michelangelo hid some interesting things in his paintings!) They also helped to keep my children's attention. These churches are SO tall inside that binoculars can be VERY helpful. Plus the surrounding scenery.
Whether in person or through other media, the first thing that comes to my mind upon seeing this basilica is "What would the fisherman and his Master have thought of all this?" This is especially true as the cost for this most magnificent building of Renaissance Europe was raised via the selling of indulgences. "Give us cash so we can put an extra layer of gold on a saint's tomb, and we promise that you or your loved-one will spend less time being punished for your sins in Purgatory." Oppulence and material granduer were suited to the emperors, generals, and kings of the earth who had to exert themselves in their pride and pomp. But here we see the servants of the Servant literally coopting the wealth and oppulance of worldly emperors and trying to apply it to the Kingdom of God. Vanity.
Jesus had immense love for the Second Temple in Jerusalem, so much so that he evidenced the only act of aggression recorded to him (outside of the Gnostic accounts of his life) defending it's sacredness. The Second Temple was was built from the excessive taxes collected at spear point. So in contrast I'd imagine would have thought it's construction an improvement in every respect, therefore rejoice and be exceedingly glad! XD By the way... it was built by Herod the Great... the guy who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents. So... yeah... Not to be confused with his son Herod Antipas who's infamous involvement in the deaths of John the Baptist and Jesus should be well known to Christians.
@@Psychol-Snooper , 1. The Jewish temples were fabulously adorned by the direct instructions of God. YHWH was the designer, architect, and interior decorator of the tabernacle and temple. Was that true of the Renaissance artists and architects? The tabernacle and all its sacrificial paraphernalia were sorced via freewill offering (much of which must have come from the "plundering of the Egyptians" which provided much wealth to each Jewish family) , and most of the wealth needed for the First temple was gathered via conquest and tribute from surrounding peoples. The second temple (pre-Herod) was a much less impressive structure than that built under Solomon and was sourced from donations collected from many communities over many years as well as the return of temple implements which the Babylonians had taken by Persian authorities, and even donation of materials such as precious cedar by the decrees of Cyrus. The second temple was later refurbished to its later massive extent by rulers such as the Hasmoneans and Herod. I am not aware of any massive and oppressive taxation taking place for the divinely-ordained construction projects, though men like Herod may well have done so. Are you going to compare this situation to the church lying to millions by selling them sin-forgiveness in exchange for cash just so they could build a mere building? Especially when, unlike the tabernacle or temples, the basilica of Rome was neither planned, decreed, nor instituted by God as these structures had been. 2. The theological standings of the Temple of the Old Covenant and that of the buildings in which the Church happens to do their business are very distinct. A church building is *not* a/the temple. The individual believer as well as the whole congregation of believers together, are the temple in the context of the New Covenant as you will see from the scriptures. You will notice that Christ did not instruct the apostles to build specific special buildings with sacred regulations and costly adornments, though He did so in great detail for the old Temple. The New Covenant only has anything to say about *heavenly* , spiritual treasures and the "adornment" of the true temple which is the Spirit-indwelled heart of the believer. The technical details of the construction of the Temple have absolutely no relevance whatsoever to the buildings in which the Church meets. They are distict issues. 3. Jesus had 0 "love" for the stones and materials out of which the temple was constructed. When they visited the Temple, the disciples were fascinated by the fabulous and costly construction. However, Jesus once again corrects their priorities and perspectives by saying, "not one stone will stand on another," and, "tear down this temple and in three days I will raise it up again." He was telling them not to be impressed by physical structures and to be more concerned with what Christ was going to do in His person, which was the setting up of a new and better "temple." Do not forget that that same temple of stone and gold was burnt and leveled within that same generation because of the faithlessness of the people, just as the previous one had been before it. The model of the physical temple and everything connected with it are shown to not be good enough ways for people to deal with God. God superceded such things by fulfilling and surpassing them and everything they represent in the ministry of His Son. He instituted a "temple" of hearts and minds in simple love and submission in direct contrast to external appearances of wealth and power. But the Roman Church felt it was justified in bringing back the old models of priests, the sanctification of physical buildings, and constantly-performed sacrifices and saving rituals. Not only are these things neither commanded or even present in New Testament scripture, they are against the very model set up by Christ and His apostles in those writings they left us. In the "cleansing of the Temple," Jesus acted out of His zeal for the name of God which was attached to the place, against which the priesthood were blaspheming by their corrupt, unscriptual, and oppressive practices. I think the same Christ, if He visited Rome as the basilica was being completed, would have seen the temple He was raising up to honor His Father (ie, the body of human souls called the church) being blasphemed by priests practicing corrupt, unscriptural, and oppressive practices in His name for a mere building which He neither commanded nor ordained, and might just have begun braiding a second cord. Or perhaps in reality, He just left the doling out of temporal recompense to fallible human men such as Luther.
@@jameswoodard4304 Not going to read the magnum opus of a religious hypocrite. My reply was just me humoring you. You're an awful person. God's punishment for you is you HAVING TO BE YOU! Just this tiny vision into your existence has put me on the straight path. XD
@@Psychol-Snooper , Your reply: 1. "Ewww reading!? I entered into a serious discussion, but that doesn't mean I actually want do deal with actual ideas! Ugh!" 2. "I'm not going to read what you actually commented, I'm just going to insult your personality, character, and intelligence and call *you* a hypocrite. LOL!" 3. "I'm clearly the mature one who has thoughtful things to say on important topics. Sucks to be you!" Sorry, if I had realized you were twelve I wouldn't have started a conversation with you.
@@jameswoodard4304 If I didn't read the last comment, did you think I'd read this one? Of course you did. You're still fighting the wars of religion. XD
Too bad this wasn’t published when we visited it. Our tour guide basically pointed at things saying “This is this, this is that.” without offering any background history. He was disappointed when the tip he expected never materialized.
You're a good man for reading posts and acknowledging them. As a public speaking teacher, I, too, noticed how you elide many of your phrases. For instance, when you say, "It's not unusual to wait an hour," it sounds like "it's unusual..." The key part here is to slow down 20% and be sure to articulate every syllable and not smush them together. I remember reading about how it was death to the man who talked while they were putting up the obelisk...is that really true? How would they enforce such a sentence? If someone spoke, how would they know? What is someone coughed or fainted and cried out? That sounds ilke urban legend to me (Altho' Urban wasn't Pope then! hahahaha)
It's the least I can do for people who take the time to watch my videos. And yes, I am habitually unkind to my vowels. I think I do a better job in my more recent videos, but I'm still working on my delivery. As for the death sentence - the story about the sailor and the smoking ropes certainly has an apocryphal flavor, but as far as I know, no source exists that specifically disproves the papal order. It also seems clear, however, that nobody was actually punished for making noise. So we should probably take the story with a very sizable lump of salt.
@@toldinstone Very sensible approach to that story, indeed. It certainly has a whiff, a tincture, a soupçon, an innuendo of myth! And I love your phrase "unkind to my vowels". Terrific. It's hard to change one's speech habits, for sure.
Actually, the pictures and the story are great, but the spoken word is way too fast to understand. Why the hurry ? The spoken word should add value to the story. The speed made me nervous and I switched of the sound after some minutes to enjoy the images … sorry.
Excellent work. Thanks for making and posting. The information and pictures are sooooooo relevant and informative. AND thank you for not adding a jarring noise/racket/musak to you work which most others do (because they are nuts). I can only say, the only drawback is you talking way too fast for the mind to follow and assimilate what you are saying. slow down, please
@@toldinstone I fully understand. Being a scholar (rather than pretending to be one, as is found on youtube, tv and even colleges), you got deep information. like i said, because of that, your mind runs faster than your tongue can turn into words. we/i love all your information. so, make more of them or make longer ones, so that you can impart all the info without going hypersonic. Your diction is greatn and you got a beautiful, authoritative voice. So, no need for the "rapid fire"
@@zoinomiko they didn't steal his tomb. Aurelian put up the first fortress wall starting it's conversion to a fortress in 271. Subsequent Roman emperor's completed it's transition. In 410 the visigoths broke in and destroyed the urns of the multiple emperors interred there. By the time the church took over hadrian was no longer interred there and it had already been fully transformed to a fortress.
@@blackhawks81H Yes, when the people don't have respect for their predecessors as happened in Rome. Imagine what would still exist of Ancient Rome had the later people actually had respect for the dead, and heritage, as they claimed loudly they did, and kept their hands off of the ancient monuments and tombs. Desecrating graves is supposed to be something the pagans and Christians alike weren't supposed to do. Yet repeatedly they did so anyway. That is the most shocking thing to me, it's not history, it was generation after generation of DISRESPECTFUL PEOPLE. At least in the modern era in the West, there is power enough to force people to "HANDS OFF" such monuments. One of the positives of the "World Order" modern international political structure is that a modern Pope cannot simply say tear down the remnant of the Roman Forum to have building material he desires, or some rich idiot doing the same to enlarge their mansion. Ironically because Rome remained a "living city", most of the glory of the ancient city is destroyed, most of Ancient Rome is dead, killed by the successive generations of disrespectful people who lived between 500 and 1950 A.D.. Finally, after Mussolini, the Italian people came to their senses and stopped destroying their heritage!
Thank you very much for all these videos I am deeply fascinated with Catholic history and with the Roman Empire and as you know they are linked together
Hey loved the video! Cant wait to read more about it in your book!
Glad to hear it! As I mention in the video description (I've been promoting myself pretty shamelessly), the book is now available for pre-order on Amazon and other online outlets. It's scheduled to be published on September 1:
www.amazon.com/Naked-Statues-Fat-Gladiators-Elephants/dp/1633887022
Thanks so much for watching, and feel free to check out the other videos about Ancient and Renaissance Rome on toldinstone.com!
The last time I visited the Vatican was 1977 and twice before that. Note: I have visited Roma, Italia many times afterwards, however, not the Vatican, because of then $50.00 ‘entrance fee’. (Martin Luther must be rolling in his grave.) Alone in 1977, during this last visit, I went under the tomb of St Peter. I walked a great distance under the Vatican and eventually into in the open area behind the Vatican. Oddly, at the open area exit, from the catacombs, two things were apparent: there was zero security there and I how I stumbled upon it was pure luck. When I was in the catacombs there were several areas and many mire long deep rows that extended very deep from the main stone walk-path, no doubt for entombing dead souls bodies, that when walking in complete darkness, I found my way forward with my hands upon the walls (occasionally, putting my hands into stone shelves that were carved into the walls.). So, at these ‘dead ends’ [pun intended] I turned around to later stumble upon them again. This last time I decided to turn left and 3 meters later, another wall, another 3 meters turn and suddenly light. Following the light, I exited the catacombs, under the basilica into the fresh air and sun. Inside the catacomb, under the visible St. Peter’s tomb lays a full skeleton in a marble area. It was the first thing I encountered. After two hours walking, lit only by a few light bulbs lights near the various entrances (Another is under the tower, adjacent to where the list of all the pope’s resides. I wandered with minimal sight mostly relying on touch and my Zippo lighter, as my guide. As described, these areas were endless shelves of relics and some artifacts. For the record, there was minimal security, in 1977 compared today. Though, I did watch the Swiss Guards pattern of changing shifts. Then, confident that I had a full two minutes, during the shift change when I was ‘somewhat unlikely’ I would get caught, my 22 year old self rushed the entrance of St. Peter’s tomb, scrambled down many steps most of which are not publicly visible beating the Swiss Guard’s at their own game of situational awareness.
If you ever attempt this, you will need good shoes, small backpack, water, snacks, hoodie (gets seriously cold), long pants to help minimize scrape injury in darkness, cellphone due to small size and camera functionality, with an app emanating shooting in the dark, your nicest Catholic self, in the highly unlikely event that you get caught: “But sir, I have been a devout Catholic for many years and I just wanted to experience what the early Catholics must have felt…” and lastly a whole lotta confidence.
So much man made beauty. If the ones that worked on that massive construction could talk we will hear their cries and tears as it was forced labor done by slaved and poor people w no pay or benefits. The talent and master craft were innate. Perfection at its best. Has endured the test of time but eventually will be gone Great video. Tks. .
@@toldinstone can you speak slower and enunciate a little more? It's sometimes difficult to hear everything but could be much smoother. Thanks!
What a wonderful video. Thank you for your great work, it is obviously the labor of the love of history. I am looking forward to watching the Hagia Sophia video.
As a young man, perhaps about 13 years of age, when visiting St Peters, with my parents in about 1966, I became separated from them and the tour group they were with. They did not miss me at first. And I attribute my separation to the curiosity that young children will sometimes have. Any how, I had, wandered into the hallway in front of the Vatican Library. And at a very ornate table was on display an open book. It was a hand made book with brilliant colors, open to a page with drawings depicting Aztec warriors and a Aztec pyramid and gruesome sacrifices. I was transfixed, with my gaze on this page , well I became lost in time, trying to understand what I was seeing. Then I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, I turned and looked up to see a man in robes and a red hat. He remarked that I must be lost, and that he would take me back to my parents..... Which he did.
It must have been a Cardinal.
@@TuckerSP2011 Well probably, but I don't actually know. The Vatican is well worth visiting. I went back as an adultt with my bride. I am not Catholic. But in the 60s it was so easy... To visit..no lines...my dad parked his car in the grounds!
That's a bit of an honor.
@@bobelschlager6906 Things were much different in those days the absorption on security was not there and people had much more respect for property and and politeness.
With you being 13, lost in the Vatican, i thought this story would have a very butthurt ending ;)
Visited it in 2010.
Absolutely incredible.
It makes you feel so small.
I'm sure that was the intention.
I visited there too in 2010 in the last week of April. It sure was impressive there.
It is so amazingly grand.
I don't think this type of architecture is designed to make us humans feel small, rather it is designed to make God seem, and I use this word with its original meaning, awesome. When we are awestruck, with a natural wonder or with magnificent buildings, we open ourselves up to the the wonder of the universe and its Creator.
Same. Met an Italian gal while I was there as well. Probably the finest physical specimen I ever had the pleasure of being with.
@@talibanairport1544 did you do anything to make sure she knows that by telling her that?
I've visited Rome twice and both times been awestruck by the scale of St Peters, there's nothing like climbing the dome and seeing the urban sprawl of one of the worlds greatest cities. Regardless of your view of the church, or the labour used in the construction of the basilica, the sheer scale of the human achievement is incredible. Understanding more of its history from this video has made it an even more impressive structure to me.
I visited St. Peter's Basilica in 1998.
I had an unexpected reaction to the beauty of it. My heart rate went way up and I felt euphoric.
I remember looking at the larger than lifesize marble angels carved high on the walls. I knew the high polish was created by hundreds of hands polishing the dense stone with straw.
For the first time I realized it represents a massive labor of love and devotion. How could I respond otherwise!
I was also there in 1998. Like you, I was truly overwhelmed. I wasn’t really prepared for the scale of it.
Sermons for the eyes!
I was also there in 1998. For the second time,
and I'm not even catholic,
but, When in Rome.... all roads lead to the big V
A labor of love, is one, good way of describing it. I some ways I felt that too.
My mother lost her Catholic faith after visiting the Vatican. She was so disgusted by the finery and extravagance hoarded by the church when there is so much suffering and destitution in the world. That, and the child abuse scandals of course.
There’s a “Scavi” tour (excavation) under St. Peter’s where you can see the old Roman graves leading to the bones of St. Peter. It’s a fascinating journey and for believers, quite moving. The bones were discovered either right before or right after WWII.
Tickets are hard to get-only 1800 a year and you need to know someone. Fortunately, I did and was able to take the tour.
I did that tour once, and was awestruck
Margie, hook me up.
Some people want to win the lotto. This would be all I’d ever want in life.
I am stunned to hear of this. Me and an Army buddy were in St. Peter's in November, 1969. We were free to roam anywhere we wanted to go. We went down in the crypt and walked forever down there looking around. It was the same for going on top of the Basilica. We were so close to the Pieta, we could have reached out and touched it. It is too bad that today's people are so wild and mean spirited that everything must have bullet proof glass or no entrance except for small guided tours. By the way, as I said this was November, 1969. Just two or three days before we got there, some deranged man jumped over the railing around St. Peter's tomb (crypt) and took a hammer and knocked two or three fingers off the statue down there. During that same time period someone set off a bomb in the Victor Emmanuel giant and beautiful monument. So many insane people in this world!!!!
Oddly enough I read a brief mention of this tour in a Rick Steves book at 6am while at work. I found their website and email and sent off an email respectfully requesting a scavi tour. About 3 minutes later my email dinged and I looked and had a reply from them with a date and time and how to pay for it. It was a very cool tour, and you exit right out into the Basilica without having to deal with the lines waiting to get in. It took me a total of about 5 minutes to make that happen lol. Pretty cool.
St Peter’s Basilica is astonishing. Quite the most beautiful and impressive building I have ever visited. I defy anyone to go there and not be completely awestruck.
As a young, dum 22 year old who had never been anywhere, when I walked into St. Peter's, my attention was drawn to the right, where I saw the Pieta (before the plexiglass). I had cried only once in my life, but the sight of that drama reduced me to a shuttering, sobbing mess. To this day, my heart melts at the remembrance.
I was very awestruck by the way their garments were chiseled to look so real. Every fold and detail was absolutely perfect. What artistry!!!
Though I have never been to the Vatican, I was as a little boy, privileged to see the Pieta which was on display at the Vatican Pavilion during the 1964-65 World's Fair here in New York City. Somewhere in my house is the 16mm film that my mother took of the statue as we slowly rode on the moving walkway which glided you past the statue which was behind glass. An unforgettable experience.
I have been blessed to visit Rome on many occasions and never miss the opportunity to always visit St. Peter's. The Scavi tour and the crypt are not to be missed. However glazing at the Pieta one can only be overwhelmed looking at the work of God's hands through the young man of Michelangelo....it takes my breath away and reduces me to sobbing like a crazy person....every time!
> I had cried only once in my life
Sorry but as a dad of a 3 yr old, this is categorically impossible. Ask your mom/dad/parents :)
@@barath4545 you're probably right I only remembered crying once.
I had the privilege of visiting St Peter’s Basilica in 2007 and I can attest to it’s majesty. Excellent narrative work.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
I was there that year too!
Was there in ‘08
@Phrnch Mdl It wasnt real ,its idolatry.
mad voice, lol!
St. Peter's is such a breathtaking edifice just by its mindblowing, epic and absolutely unimaginable size that all these more subtle details totally escaped my view when I went there for the first time. It's probably one of those places that you could visit a hundred times without getting bored, so next time, I'll keep this video in mind! When you're stepping under the dome and read the letters 'Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam', you literally forget to breathe. There is this giant dome hanging over you and you really start to wonder why such a massive thing looks as if it was just floating there. The thing is so enormous that pictures of it actually rarely deliver its actual size, because they lack the first person perspective, which gives the place even more mystery.
There are no places I could compare this church to, not even the beautiful gothic churches of northern Europe.
It really is an amazing place.
No matter how pragmatic or cynical you may be, visiting St. Peters is a magical and powerful experience. The mixture of histories and artifacts and the pure grandeur of the structure is impossible to absorb in a single walking tour. Visiting off-season is highly recommended. Take your time.
Like the mysteries are guarded secrets they still withhold from us.
people force themselves to be cynical when it comes to anything christian. it should be enjoyed the same as any other human acheivement in architecture
My mother lost her Catholic faith after visiting the Vatican. She was so disgusted by the finery and extravagance hoarded by the church when there is so much suffering and destitution in the world. That, and the child abuse scandals of course.
@@ImpendingChocolate I can understand her choice. A lifelong atheist I had no such illusions of the church actually embodying its proclaimed values. The Vatican museum has literal stacks of treasure piled in disarray.
Here in Texas many nominally christian churches worship money, spread hatred and intolerance, say and do things completely contrary to the words in their book.
But St. Pete's is a cool bit of art. There's no denying that.
@@ImpendingChocolate So your mother lost her Catholic faith by the finery and "extravagance" of a place of worship meant to be used by all christendom ?
Seems her "faith" was pretty weak to begin with...
These riches you speak about are a common catholic heirloom, spent in a project everyone may appreciate, not some palace hidden away for the sole benefit of one man.
I was fortunate to visit twice within a few years. St. Peter’s and the Grand Canyon are the only two things I’ve ever seen that are totally and completely flooring. You can’t overestimate the immense power of this building it’s truly amazing. On my second visit I was lucky enough to attend mass in the papal grottos at the central altar which is one of the most special experiences of my life.
And if you go, you should climb to the top where you get a birds eye view of St Peters Square! Amazing!
I haven’t visited St. Peter’s yet but I have visited the Grand Canyon. I’ve had friends who asked what was my impression. I told them that “It exceeded my expectations” and that has rarely happened and I’ve traveled a lot.
the Roman catholic church are SUN worshippers
@@chrisgardiner2215 no
@@SmithsnMoz Yes
I visited St. Peter's during the Holy Year of 2000. After I walked in the door, there it was The Pieta.
What a glorious moment for me. The rest of the visit was one marvelous seeing after another.
Thanks, toldinstone, for bring back the memories.
St. Peter’s basilica was by far and away the most magnificent building I’ve ever seen.
For those of us who attended university way back when, this video/lecture is a refreshing anachronism. I feel like I am in a lecture hall with a favorite professor, immersed in the subject matter. This is geared for those of us who have the attention span to appreciate the work that went into this presentation and who have the appreciation of a long form lecture.
You found it long?
I wish it had been longer. There's so much to look at in this great building.
I wanted it to be even longer!!! It was over in a flash. Not like some of my college lectures where I had to prop my eyes open.
I’m sad that I didint take my time walking through the entire basilica when I was there last February (2020). One day I will go back. One day
Rome always waits for those who love her. She is almost 3000 years old, she have time 😉
Fascinating. I have visited St Peter's and WOW! I did not know the information about the obelisk, amazing that the move was even contemplated let alone achieved. The baroque tombs are a wonder, too.
👍 👍
I have been to the basilica many times, and I was unaware of everything contained in your video. Truth is, even with a guide book, the church is so massive that it is impossible to read up on and see everything. Well done!
Thank you!
One of my dreams is to see the Vatican and I am not Catholic. The art work is almost overwhelming. True masters of the arts.
It is so worth the visit.
And, it's amazing that entrance into St Peter's is completely free of charge to anyone, and everyone has access to see world renowned art, including Michelangelo's _Pieta'._
@@bepinkfloyd814 wow. What’s your problem.
@@therockstandard3068 i was not clear in what i said? I hate the church, is a cancer in my country. They don't pay taxes and are a bunch of perverts, if you don't know shit about italy then don't act surprise. I was born here and the church has been a filfthy cancer for all the history. So either open a book or stfu.
@@bepinkfloyd814 alright little kid. Tell your mommy you need some help.
@@bepinkfloyd814 ur prob from North america
Amazing history I was born in Rome 1945 behind St Peter's just inside the ancient Roman wall that surrounds Rome. My family would go to Sunday services at St. Peter's....I was baptized at St.Peter's
I was there in 2004 and attended Mass. I'm an American. I was sitting at Mass next to a Frenchman. The responses at Mass around me were of all different languages. I looked up and saw the Chair of St. Peter in front of me. Overwhelmed by the experience, I wept through the Mass. The Frenchman smiled at me, as if to say "I understand," and patted me on the shoulder. The whole experience was electrifying and if I live to be 100, that memory will be crystal clear in my mind.
It's a special place.
Just imagine if it had been St PETER who'd smiled at you!
Saint Peter's Basilica is truly a sight of heaven
"Sixtus the Fifth" my OCD!!!!
I'm partial to the lesser known "Fiftus the Sixth"; he's the one who installed the Vatican's hot-water heaters and upgraded the ventilation system, all on his days off... He was also the one to put a stop to excess candle-burning ("What, do I look like I'm made of wax? Pray, or put it out!") Does anyone remember him? Does he get any credit? No! ... I swear, that old Pope gets no respect!
@@giuseppelogiurato5718 , THANK YOU. I am going to investigate this pope right now.
Does not compute? :)
I love this, 120%!
Sure it ain't brain trauma ?
Your tour was quite excellent. Too short!
I celebrated Mass in Latin and English at one of the side altars when I visited there decades ago. You put up a sign telling people what language you were using so they could join you. There were Masses going on all over the place, along with the big canonical Mass at the main altar at noon.
I happened to end up saying Mass at the altar table right over what I thought was the tomb of my favorite baroque composer, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
However, I later found out that they lost his real body somewhere. I think they have found it since, but when I was there they were using some kind of reliquary piece in its place!
St Peter's has always been like that!
As a short piece in one of your next tours, I would suggest you also mention the fact, incredible to me, but apparently just the way things were back then, that almost all of the tombs or sarcophagi of a whole slew of popes that were on and around particularly the portico of the old basilica, were simply demolished destroyed and used as part of the building material for the new place. Contents, bones and all.
In other words, they're still in St Peters, but probably not in the way they originally expected to be!
This is what I loved about the churches in Italy, they are loved and used everyday, not locked up till Sunday. Normal spiritual life goes on all the time, in spite of the tourists. At Sta. Maria Maggiore you can confess in several different languages, as the confessionals have signs saying English, Deutsch, etc. on them.
I visited The Vatican in 2019 with my daughter, she took me as a present for my 70th birthday.
It was wonderful, and as I'm disabled we were shown to the head of the queue and went straight in. I prayed my heart out at St Peters tomb with tears falling fast from my eyes, for one if my sons who has cancer.
God and St Peter must have heard me that day as when Covid 19 started the docs stopped his cemo, and gradually they stopped all his meds. At the moment he is living a happy and fulfilled life with hardly a twinge. Long may it continue, by the will of God.
I shall never forget the beauty of The Vatican and St Peters Basilica.
This video shows me that beauty once more, many thanks.
Just wanted to say, I only just discovered your channel, I love this video all the others I've watched. Keep up the great work Man I miss traveling.
Fantastic show. Dr. Ryan. Thank you kindly for getting me out of the house, and for the education. Fascinating. I look forward to more.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
I just discovered your channel and this is fascinating! I love learning the true history of these places (as opposed to the Hollywood versions). Just one thing, only a one hour wait in line? People wait 2 hours, or sometimes longer for a 3 minute ride at Disney world. Which is crazy to me, but there it is. I'd wait two hours to see this myself. Amazing! Thank you for the wonderful tour.
I visited Rome the first time in summer of 1964. There was no wait at St. Peter. We just walked in. Sometimes women were not allowed in because they had no wraps around short blouses. Also, they were to wear something on their hair. However, one could easily get in and walk around the basilica. This was before the nut took a sledgehammer to the Pieta. It didn't need to be protected by that horrible plastic protection yet. This was possible because Rome had a lot of visitors but nowhere near what is the case now. It was a lot nicer.
The golden age of Roman tourism
Shame that one idiot ruins it for everyone else, but isn't that always the case?
Better to have the Pieta protected. There are a lot of anti Christian zealots who would love to destroy this priceless work of art.
I've been to Rome 9 times since 1982. Last time was in 2014 for JPII canonization. Never had an issue with getting in until 2014, but even then-we were on a pilgrimage tour and was able to buck the line.
@John Johnson Comedy gold!
Excellent presentation. It’s packed full of precisely the kind of information that most attracts me...details. I thrive on details.
I think you might like my channel...
Italy: where recycling was born 😂
A subtitle for this video could have been: "because mining is hard"
Mankind seek shortcuts. Heard of papal bull,Holy See . Today extortion or theft to order.
You guys in Europa are so lucky to have acces to so many historic buildings
That Basilica in person is a mind blower - wow to the 10th power.
Been there several times. Each time I visited, before I left, I always went back to La Pieta. The single most beautiful and emotive, evocative - I'm running out of words here - work of art that I have ever had the privilege of looking upon.
Once again, I wish I could had seen this video before going to St. Peter's-- but in 1978 the convenience of TH-cam was still far in the future. St. Peter's blew my ignorant little mind, but how much more would I have appreciated it if I had had more information beforehand. For one thing, it surprises me how much Roman material was repurposed for medieval and Renaissance projects. You wish the original buildings were intact, but it still means that the work of the Romans is yet with us, in one form or another.
I wouldn't begrudge the bulletproof screen for the Pieta-- I still remember the news when that lunatic attacked the statue in 1972. It was heartbreaking, so I personally was happy to view the statue through glass. It is magnificent, even at a distance.
The attacker was the Australian "sculptor" Laszlo Toth!
Sounds Hungarian to me.
Climb up to the top of the dome, winding up hundreds of steps inside the roof is a must. Huge respect for the engineers of the time.
Great video, keep up the good work!
Thank you!
I've been to St. Peter's Basilica twice, and I had no clue what was on the niches around the main altar. Thanks for the explanation.
There are even staircases going down behind the statues in the niches.
Fantastic! My only regret is that it ended all too soon. It seems fitting that the most impressive parts of the Basilica are made largely from recycled materials of Rome’s most important and impressive buildings. It is a living relic of Ancient Rome.
I'm very glad you enjoyed the video! And yes, it does seem fitting.
Thank you so very much for this virtual tour. As a side note, while in the Navy, I took a real tour in 1987...not even close to your tour. As a historian stuck in Arizona, I love your videos.
You’re very welcome!
Another fantastic video!! Well done.. Thank you!
I went to the Vatican as part of my honeymoon in 2003. We arrived outside at 6am (very early in the morning) as to avoid the long lines. Upon entering the Piazza San Pietro, we were informed that Pope John Paul II was to give a mass in the Piazza at 9am. We decided to attend mass instead of touring the Basilica that day; we had plenty of time, being that we were visiting Italy for about a month. It was a very rewarding decision. Pope John Paul II rode around the piazza in his covered Popemobile, and drove directly in front of us - the Pope and I made eye contact for a milli-second. I was in tears for the rest of the mass - and I am not Catholic. We did return to the Basilica two weeks later to actually tour the interior, where upon entering, I encountered the Pieta. The Pieta is my favorite piece of art of all times, and has been since I was a little boy. I saw the Pieta almost every day when I was little; it was on the dust cover of an art book that belonged to my dad. A book that I discovered after his passing when I was 5 years old. In my young mind, I attributed the Pieta to the memory of my dad and so, seeing it humbled me to my knees. Once I gained my composure, my new bride took 45 photos of me standing with the Pieta. So visiting the Vatican granted me two amazing experience: being in the presence of the Pope and being close to the Pieta. This video brought back all of those wonderful memories - Thank you!
You're very welcome
My dad toured the Vatican when with the US Army in 1944 so in 1969 I got to see what he had!
What a VERY touching story!!! Thanks for writing it!!!
This is a brilliant channel ! Thank you
Glad you enjoy it!
I've been living in the Rome for many years and often I took my friends to visit the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican so I know quite well this enormous Basilica and his history including the previous Basilica. Unfortunately history was destroyed when the new Basilica was built, but also many other Roman constructions, but perhaps in my opinion, the worst was the destruction of the two chapels with many imperial tombs. I didn't know that the resting place of Honorius was never found, will it ever found? Thanks for sharing this very interesting video 👍👍👍
You're very welcome. Let's hope that the Vatican will authorize new excavations in the crypt someday.
I learned quite a few new things about the magnificent church. Thank-you!
You're very welcome!
I wish there was a way to have a 3d exploration tool showing all the parts of the Vatican as we know they grew and changed over the centuries along with how their parts came to be plundered and assembled from the ruins in the region.
Who knows. In the future, there might be such online, even interactive, tours.
Thanks for doing this. I visited the Vatican as a young man. I felt like I had returned with the perfect guide to contextualize my experience.
Visit the scavi, under the basilica. It’s impressive.
I visited the scavi in 2007, when I was an undergraduate studying in Rome for a semester. I've always wanted to go back.
I’ve done the scavi 3 times. Awesome
Wow. I visited in 2017 and went down into the grottoes but I didn’t know about the scavi… I would have tried to get tickets in advance if I had. I really enjoyed this video, thank you for producing it!
@@danroberts007 You're very welcome!
Research in 2008 shows that only 1.8% of the bronze in the Baldacchino comes from the Pantheon, the rest was used to make canons for Castel Sant'Angelo
In the 1960s as a young man with my parents we were taken down under the canopy to see the tomb of Peter. Its actually a rough hewn from rock and dirt cave, not big at all and with no ornamentation at all, very plain. A very stark contrast to the church above.
Very few people have got to do what YOU got to do!!! Be proud!!!
Im visiting Rome this Christmas and this is certainly on the must see list.
It's very pleasant in winter, when the crowds are smaller.
Don't miss sisteen chappel.
Magical Jesus freaks!
@@googlegmail4636 so why do you care?
@@artistaprimus7080 science is the only common base we have!
Jesus freaks hate science, evil people!
Why the middle east Godly books of madness? Why you need hate?
was there in September 1968. I was just 23 and only had the week-end. Worst part was that I could not share it. I had three days notice of the trip. (I was stationed in Sicily) I went alone. I am 76 now, and I will go back with the love of my life
Happy travels!
I forgot to mention that the greatest thrill of the trip was when I was able to walk right up to the "Pieta" and touch it. I have a photo but it is so dark. It is so smooth, yet cold. And yes, Michelangelo's name is etched across the sash. Now she is well protected from the likes of the "Mad German."
I'm so glad this video came up in my suggestions! I learned a lot from this presentation. Subscribed, & I can't wait to explore the website!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your video! I recently went for my first time a few days ago, and loved learning more about this beautiful masterpiece.
The best part for me was taking a tour underneath the basilica at the original ground level where streets of mausolea still stand. I first did the tour in ‘96 and did it again in 2000. It was quite different the second time, with air conditioning and fire doors and a lot of the most interesting things omitted. The road ended at the box containing St Peter’s remains. Even so, it was an amazing experience and i would highly recommend it.
Thank you for concisely covering a lot of complicated ground. Fascinating.
All the best.
This was so awesome!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you very much for the video Sir! I would have no idea about any of this without your gracious help. Sincerely
I remember when I was about 12, my parents took me to the Vatican. I recall that in a very dark niche near the entrance sat the Pieta. It could be touched because it had no barriers of any sort. This was strange to me (even at that young age) because I had seen this statue in a large glossy coffee-table art book that my mother had.
So while I did not appreciate the full significance of this amazing work of art, I thought it very strange that if this statue was important enough to be in my mother's art book,
it should have been in a much better location. But I was then just a little boy, so what did I know.
I was sort of like you. I saw the Pieta when it came to the New York World's Fair in 1964. It was behind very thick bullet proof glass and we were on a very slow moving conveyor belt moving by it. I probably got a full minute or two of viewing and then we were out of there. Security everywhere. And then, in 1969 I visited the Basilica in November and there was not more than 20 people inside the whole church. Walked in the right hand side door and instantly was right in front of the Pieta. I could have easily put my hands on it, it was so close and unprotected. I instantly recalled seeing it in New York and now seeing it totally up close and personal. That had as much effect on me as the artistry.
The Pieta you speak of may have been a replica.
@@mikelastname1220 Thank you. That is exactly how I remembered it. The niche that it was in, was quite dark and the Pieta appeared to be sitting on the floor, so it was down at my level. And you're right, I could have easily touched it as there was no security and just maybe 30 people in the entire church. Thanks for sharing a similar moment, that you and I have experienced... back so many years ago.
@@mikeifyouplease Yes, and if you are like me that is one memory deeply etched into our brains! It WAS slightly below eye-level. I was so surprised to be able to see it so up-close, especially after seeing all the security around it when I saw it at the New York World's Fair. What a contrast!
such a stunning creation. went in december & never stood in a line, except to tour the graves under the basilica. great info
The Piata is behind protective glass because a crazy man attacked it with a hammer in the 70s and chipped it. Its the most beautiful object of art I ever saw. When I saw it in the sixties you could walk right up to it... So sad.
I remember the news report, he attacked it with an iron mallet and there was more damage than a chip, but it wasn’t extensive.
Love this so much channel. History is the love of my life.
I’m one ofthose persons who isn’t impressed easily but this did it. When inside I told my wife and children this is really something special. That made them pay more attention and about at that moment a ceremony started and a cuor started singing in the background calmly. I filmed it and when I look/listen it now Istill get goosebumps.
Wonderful video. I am fascinated by the magnificent detail of each of the monuments featured. You must have searched long hours for this information Thanks so much.
Even though I live in Rome, I've been there only one time when I was a kid. This video made me want to go back there!
That's like when I lived in Los Angeles. If it hadn't have been for friends visiting from out of town, I would never had seen the Hollywood Bowl, San Pedro Harbor or the Getty Museum among other things.
@@billolsen4360 Same for me living in Kentucky. When I was in the Army in 1968 all my buddies wanted to know what it was like to go to the Kentucky Derby. I only lived 24 miles away from it, but because it was in my backyard, I had no interest in it. When I got back home, I went three years in a row mostly thinking of my buddies who told me they were dying to go there.
omg the part about the obelisk moving was AMAZING
Thank you for your respectful narrative of St. Peter's. Truly appreciated!
My pleasure!
I love this kind of information. That you for your research and sharing it with us.
Love this video! great work
Glad you enjoyed it!
Visited St Peters in 1969, when I was 15. Everything about it blew me away, size, architecture, artwork within. Then, went into the Sistine Chapel, even more impressive.
Excellant, well put together, subscribed.
Thank you, and welcome aboard!
I can never get tired of your mindful presentations.
man i REALLY enjoyed this.
Glad to hear it!
Masterful descriptions and explanations of the Vatican. I am amazed. Thank you.
HIstory never gets old
So good!
I never tire!
Thank you!!!
I was there 4 years ago, it’s absolutely breathtaking!🌈
Incredible! Love and appreciate your work and educational videos.
It always amuses me that the catholic church, which champions someone advocating a sober life, built one of the most opulent and ostentatious buildings in the world. The fact that a lot of their masterpiece was plundered and recycled from a pagan empire just adds to the 'gilded kitsch' vibe that the church gives off.
Thank you for the tour and all the details on each individual part of the basilica, this was very informative.
Incredible. You have to see this masterpiece in person.
Great video, even I learned a few new things about a place I know well. Look forward to more videos.
Just one note: the word “baldacchino” should be pronounced “baldakino” instead of “baldatchino”
I'm very glad to hear it. And my apologies for the mispronunciation - I realized my mistake almost as soon I released the video.
@@toldinstone - In my entire life time (74 years), I have always heard it pronounced CHINO. Never, KINO. Just looked up the pronunciation and you are correct! Must be a lot of people out there mispronouncing it just like I did.
Amazing tour, thank you! Love your videos.
How in the world did craftsmen build this beautiful, huge, and intricate work with primitive hand tools?
Hand, yes, primitive, not so much. Replace electric motors with human power and everything else has remained pretty much the same ever since. It needed more work but they were smart and creative craftsmen.
A few pulleys. A couple levers. Some man/horse power. And a TON of planning.
I went there in August last year and failed to notice much of these things because i was too captivated by the grand hall
@Nastro Adhesivo noted i don't even know that they're called naves 😂
I have been blessed with 2 visits. I was till stunned after the first visit and while conversing with a Swede over dinner I asked him if he had ever seen anything like St Peter’s and his answer was..”No..never”.
I’ve been to Rome 30 times. Never enough !
It really is like nowhere else on the planet
@@toldinstone Some great advice I was given before my first visit many years ago was to *take a pair of binoculars!!* These are also helpful in the Sistine Chapel as the ceiling is about 68 feet up. (Michelangelo hid some interesting things in his paintings!) They also helped to keep my children's attention. These churches are SO tall inside that binoculars can be VERY helpful. Plus the surrounding scenery.
I used this for our tour around it today rather than paying for a dumbed down version. Thanks greatly!
Rome is amazing
Someday I will visit this place.
Fantastic video and narration. Love it!
Whether in person or through other media, the first thing that comes to my mind upon seeing this basilica is "What would the fisherman and his Master have thought of all this?"
This is especially true as the cost for this most magnificent building of Renaissance Europe was raised via the selling of indulgences. "Give us cash so we can put an extra layer of gold on a saint's tomb, and we promise that you or your loved-one will spend less time being punished for your sins in Purgatory."
Oppulence and material granduer were suited to the emperors, generals, and kings of the earth who had to exert themselves in their pride and pomp. But here we see the servants of the Servant literally coopting the wealth and oppulance of worldly emperors and trying to apply it to the Kingdom of God. Vanity.
Jesus had immense love for the Second Temple in Jerusalem, so much so that he evidenced the only act of aggression recorded to him (outside of the Gnostic accounts of his life) defending it's sacredness. The Second Temple was was built from the excessive taxes collected at spear point. So in contrast I'd imagine would have thought it's construction an improvement in every respect, therefore rejoice and be exceedingly glad! XD
By the way... it was built by Herod the Great... the guy who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents. So... yeah... Not to be confused with his son Herod Antipas who's infamous involvement in the deaths of John the Baptist and Jesus should be well known to Christians.
@@Psychol-Snooper ,
1. The Jewish temples were fabulously adorned by the direct instructions of God. YHWH was the designer, architect, and interior decorator of the tabernacle and temple. Was that true of the Renaissance artists and architects? The tabernacle and all its sacrificial paraphernalia were sorced via freewill offering (much of which must have come from the "plundering of the Egyptians" which provided much wealth to each Jewish family) , and most of the wealth needed for the First temple was gathered via conquest and tribute from surrounding peoples. The second temple (pre-Herod) was a much less impressive structure than that built under Solomon and was sourced from donations collected from many communities over many years as well as the return of temple implements which the Babylonians had taken by Persian authorities, and even donation of materials such as precious cedar by the decrees of Cyrus. The second temple was later refurbished to its later massive extent by rulers such as the Hasmoneans and Herod. I am not aware of any massive and oppressive taxation taking place for the divinely-ordained construction projects, though men like Herod may well have done so. Are you going to compare this situation to the church lying to millions by selling them sin-forgiveness in exchange for cash just so they could build a mere building? Especially when, unlike the tabernacle or temples, the basilica of Rome was neither planned, decreed, nor instituted by God as these structures had been.
2. The theological standings of the Temple of the Old Covenant and that of the buildings in which the Church happens to do their business are very distinct. A church building is *not* a/the temple. The individual believer as well as the whole congregation of believers together, are the temple in the context of the New Covenant as you will see from the scriptures. You will notice that Christ did not instruct the apostles to build specific special buildings with sacred regulations and costly adornments, though He did so in great detail for the old Temple. The New Covenant only has anything to say about *heavenly* , spiritual treasures and the "adornment" of the true temple which is the Spirit-indwelled heart of the believer. The technical details of the construction of the Temple have absolutely no relevance whatsoever to the buildings in which the Church meets. They are distict issues.
3. Jesus had 0 "love" for the stones and materials out of which the temple was constructed. When they visited the Temple, the disciples were fascinated by the fabulous and costly construction. However, Jesus once again corrects their priorities and perspectives by saying, "not one stone will stand on another," and, "tear down this temple and in three days I will raise it up again." He was telling them not to be impressed by physical structures and to be more concerned with what Christ was going to do in His person, which was the setting up of a new and better "temple." Do not forget that that same temple of stone and gold was burnt and leveled within that same generation because of the faithlessness of the people, just as the previous one had been before it. The model of the physical temple and everything connected with it are shown to not be good enough ways for people to deal with God. God superceded such things by fulfilling and surpassing them and everything they represent in the ministry of His Son. He instituted a "temple" of hearts and minds in simple love and submission in direct contrast to external appearances of wealth and power. But the Roman Church felt it was justified in bringing back the old models of priests, the sanctification of physical buildings, and constantly-performed sacrifices and saving rituals. Not only are these things neither commanded or even present in New Testament scripture, they are against the very model set up by Christ and His apostles in those writings they left us.
In the "cleansing of the Temple," Jesus acted out of His zeal for the name of God which was attached to the place, against which the priesthood were blaspheming by their corrupt, unscriptual, and oppressive practices. I think the same Christ, if He visited Rome as the basilica was being completed, would have seen the temple He was raising up to honor His Father (ie, the body of human souls called the church) being blasphemed by priests practicing corrupt, unscriptural, and oppressive practices in His name for a mere building which He neither commanded nor ordained, and might just have begun braiding a second cord. Or perhaps in reality, He just left the doling out of temporal recompense to fallible human men such as Luther.
@@jameswoodard4304 Not going to read the magnum opus of a religious hypocrite. My reply was just me humoring you. You're an awful person. God's punishment for you is you HAVING TO BE YOU! Just this tiny vision into your existence has put me on the straight path. XD
@@Psychol-Snooper ,
Your reply:
1. "Ewww reading!? I entered into a serious discussion, but that doesn't mean I actually want do deal with actual ideas! Ugh!"
2. "I'm not going to read what you actually commented, I'm just going to insult your personality, character, and intelligence and call *you* a hypocrite. LOL!"
3. "I'm clearly the mature one who has thoughtful things to say on important topics. Sucks to be you!"
Sorry, if I had realized you were twelve I wouldn't have started a conversation with you.
@@jameswoodard4304 If I didn't read the last comment, did you think I'd read this one?
Of course you did. You're still fighting the wars of religion. XD
Fantastic video - thank you for sharing!
Too bad this wasn’t published when we visited it. Our tour guide basically pointed at things saying “This is this, this is that.” without offering any background history. He was disappointed when the tip he expected never materialized.
I know what you mean. Our tour was similar. Too hasty and not enough background history. But it is magnificent.
Great channel bro, very appreciated 👍👍👍
You're a good man for reading posts and acknowledging them. As a public speaking teacher, I, too, noticed how you elide many of your phrases. For instance, when you say, "It's not unusual to wait an hour," it sounds like "it's unusual..." The key part here is to slow down 20% and be sure to articulate every syllable and not smush them together.
I remember reading about how it was death to the man who talked while they were putting up the obelisk...is that really true? How would they enforce such a sentence? If someone spoke, how would they know? What is someone coughed or fainted and cried out? That sounds ilke urban legend to me (Altho' Urban wasn't Pope then! hahahaha)
It's the least I can do for people who take the time to watch my videos.
And yes, I am habitually unkind to my vowels. I think I do a better job in my more recent videos, but I'm still working on my delivery.
As for the death sentence - the story about the sailor and the smoking ropes certainly has an apocryphal flavor, but as far as I know, no source exists that specifically disproves the papal order. It also seems clear, however, that nobody was actually punished for making noise. So we should probably take the story with a very sizable lump of salt.
@@toldinstone Very sensible approach to that story, indeed. It certainly has a whiff, a tincture, a soupçon, an innuendo of myth!
And I love your phrase "unkind to my vowels". Terrific. It's hard to change one's speech habits, for sure.
Actually, the pictures and the story are great, but the spoken word is way too fast to understand. Why the hurry ? The spoken word should add value to the story. The speed made me nervous and I switched of the sound after some minutes to enjoy the images … sorry.
Fascinating. Thank you. I never knew so much history was contained within these walls.
Excellent work. Thanks for making and posting. The information and pictures are sooooooo relevant and informative. AND thank you for not adding a jarring noise/racket/musak to you work which most others do (because they are nuts).
I can only say, the only drawback is you talking way too fast for the mind to follow and assimilate what you are saying. slow down, please
Glad you enjoyed it - and apologies for the rapid-fire delivery. In my more recent videos, I have a (slightly) more relaxed pace.
@@toldinstone I fully understand. Being a scholar (rather than pretending to be one, as is found on youtube, tv and even colleges), you got deep information. like i said, because of that, your mind runs faster than your tongue can turn into words. we/i love all your information. so, make more of them or make longer ones, so that you can impart all the info without going hypersonic. Your diction is greatn and you got a beautiful, authoritative voice. So, no need for the "rapid fire"
I just loved this. I do wish the narrator wouldn't mumble. He is excellent, but hard to comprehend when he gets going too fast
We did the Scavi tour of the necropolis a few years back. An amazing experience!
When I finally get back to Rome, I plan to do that tour again.
Fascinating story. So much history of nearly 2 thousand years.
"And may have come from Hadrian's Mausoleum" thanks for not calling it Castel Sant'Angelo. :D
oganadsfdsadssd THEY STOLE HIS TOMB TOO OH COME ONNNNNN
@@zoinomiko they didn't steal his tomb. Aurelian put up the first fortress wall starting it's conversion to a fortress in 271. Subsequent Roman emperor's completed it's transition. In 410 the visigoths broke in and destroyed the urns of the multiple emperors interred there. By the time the church took over hadrian was no longer interred there and it had already been fully transformed to a fortress.
@@aliencat8556 Yeah it wasn't so much a "they" that stole his tomb, as it was history itself. A lot happens over the passing of millenia.
@@blackhawks81H Yes, when the people don't have respect for their predecessors as happened in Rome. Imagine what would still exist of Ancient Rome had the later people actually had respect for the dead, and heritage, as they claimed loudly they did, and kept their hands off of the ancient monuments and tombs. Desecrating graves is supposed to be something the pagans and Christians alike weren't supposed to do. Yet repeatedly they did so anyway. That is the most shocking thing to me, it's not history, it was generation after generation of DISRESPECTFUL PEOPLE. At least in the modern era in the West, there is power enough to force people to "HANDS OFF" such monuments. One of the positives of the "World Order" modern international political structure is that a modern Pope cannot simply say tear down the remnant of the Roman Forum to have building material he desires, or some rich idiot doing the same to enlarge their mansion. Ironically because Rome remained a "living city", most of the glory of the ancient city is destroyed, most of Ancient Rome is dead, killed by the successive generations of disrespectful people who lived between 500 and 1950 A.D.. Finally, after Mussolini, the Italian people came to their senses and stopped destroying their heritage!
@@jonathancummings6400 Well said, pure facts
Thank you very much for all these videos I am deeply fascinated with Catholic history and with the Roman Empire and as you know they are linked together
You're very welcome
How do you spell the stone you were talking about that is in the Vatican?
Porphyry
Thanks for your wonderful vid