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There is a door at St Peter's Basilica which is always locked and is opened once every 25 years. I had the privilege of walking through that door in 1975. I was lucky. I happened to be here at the right time. It was Holy Year and Catholics who walked through the Holy Door of St Peter's or the other three papal basilicas during that year received special blessings. At that time, I had just graduated from university and I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life. Fast forward nearly 40 years later, and here I am back at St Peter's. This time the door is locked. I have retired for a few years and again, I am not sure what to do with the rest of my life. The difference, this time, is that I brought my son David along. He had just graduated from his university, and I suspect he does not know what he wants to do with his life, too. The Holy Door may be locked but how can I be in the Vatican and not get blessed. So guess what is the first stop on my itinerary? St. Peter's Square where the pope holds regular "meet the people" session at 10am every Wednesday. You have to apply for a special pass to get up close to the pope. That is not for me. I found the procedures too much of a hassle, so I had to stay behind a barricade at the far end of the square. But a pope's blessing is still a blessing even if we are some distance away.
Religion aside, there are two good reasons why I am excited to be at the Vatican. One is Michaelangelo, and the other is Raphael. Both are great artists. I know a little about their work but on this trip I found out that they were rascals, too. That made me appreciate their work more.
I have always admired Michaelangelo's La Pieta, the carving of Mother Mary cradling the lifeless body of Jesus. I fell in love with this masterpiece the first time I saw it in 1975 when I walked through the Holy Door at St Peter's Basilica. I remember staring at it for some time. I just could not take my eyes off it. On this trip, I went to look at the Pieta again. And I am just as enchanted with it. What is so amazing about the Pieta is that Michaelangelo completed this masterpiece at the age of 23. I find that hard to believe. Apparently, so did many people at that time. In fact, Michaelangelo himself overheard one person telling another that the La Pieta was the work of another sculptor, Cristoforo Solari. "There was no way such a masterpiece could be created by a young and unknown artist," he overheard the person saying. That night, Michaelangelo carved these words on Mary's sash: Michaelangelo Buonarroti, Florentine, made this. We saw more of Michaelangelo's genius and creativity when we signed up for a 3-hour tour of the Sistine Chapel and theVatican Museum. His painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling is truly amazing, especially for a person who complained that he hated the work because he considered himself an architect and sculptor, and not a painter. Michaelangelo did not become more sober with age. His mischievous streak surfaced when he worked on The Last Judgement 25 years later. We were told that when the Pope's Master of Ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena, insulted Michaelangelo about the nude figures in his Last Judgement, the artist got his revenge by working the face of Cesena into Minos, the judge of the underworld.
Raphael's work was just as astounding and his accomplishments were achieved at a young age too, in his early twenties. Like Michaelangelo, Raphael was also a rascal. He sneaked images of his girlfriends and lovers into his paintings.
In his famous masterpiece, School of Athens, Raphael drew in the faces of Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and himself in the bodies of philosophers.
After being intoxicated by the paintings of these two masters, we made our way to St Peter's Basilica which took over a hundred years to build. It is a magnificent building. There was a mass being celebrated as we walked into the building. We joined in the service. Getting blessed a second time in one day is indeed a bonus.
As we walked out of the basilica, I could not resist looking for a special spot in the square. Here all the four rows of columns will align and everywhere you turn, you will see just one column. Another example of ancient genius at work. Do I want to come back here? You bet. However I have to wait until 2025 so that I can walk through the Holy Door again.