It's In The Library, Siena Farewell

If you recall, when last we met high in the little Italian town of Siena, we were still in the Duomo gawking at the floor and the statuary works of Donatello and Michelangelo while being gawked at in return by the heads of many Popes and Emperors peering down (Siena style) from the high reaches of the cathedral. Sounds about right? Good.

We were guided through a rather small carved marble arch which served as an entrance on the left side of the nave which led into the Piccolomini Library which is a repository for beautifully illuminated books of religeous music (possibly written for choir voices). The preserved texts lie protected under glass in cases that surround the room. However the feast for the eyes surrounding one far surpasses gilded illustration, stave, notes and text. The frescos adorning the walls are beyond description, not just for their colorful depictions of events in the life of Pope Pius II (Siena's native son Enea Silvio Piccolomini), but for the use of depth of field. Look at the fresco in the far right corner. The artist used a vanishing point tricking both eye and brain into seeing a ceiling perspective that isn't there. Look at left and right and you can see the actual depth of the panels. The shot below makes the effect easier to see. I'm afraid my little Sony A5000 couldn't capture the scene in greater detail, but you get the idea.

Light entered the hall from the opposite side of the room and cast a bright glow augmented by flood lights situated around the room...not the best situation for other than casual photography.
The room also featured sculpture (visible above) with a Roman copy of the famous Greek statue the Three Graces occupying the center of the library. A Pieta by sculptor Alberto di Betto graces the room as well.

In doing a little research I found some of the books on display are psalters which simply means they hold the book of psalms written and illuminated by artisans of the day. All the books and manuscripts were the property of  Pope Pius II who, not so amazingly during that time period, was the uncle of Pope Pius III who commissioned the library in 1492 (when Columbus sailed the ocean blue...sorry...hard to resist) after his death.

Lastly and certainly not least(ly) is the ceiling. I know. I know. After a while all description of points of interest begin to blend becoming indistinguishable and lose their charm. Another ceiling in another church? The sistene chapel it isn't, but taken as a whole the Piccolomini Library is colorful and adds the sprinkles on top the ice cream cone that is the cathedral tour. The Duomo has riches enough and then, after walking through the carved marble entrance, another marvel greets your eyes. It's almost too much.

I realize that we in the modern world whose home country, which in my case offers a history under 300 years (Columbus had just sailed when the work on the library began), find it hard to wrap our heads around the riches poured by the Popes into seemingly countless cathedrals and basilicae while at the same time funding the so called crusades in the Holy Land.

Enter a cathedral in the US and you might find some riches of art or decor, but you will more likely be in a dark hall with votives flickering in a corner and a solemnity not apparent in Siena, Florence or Rome. That's considering only three cities in Italy. I'm sure it doesn't end there.You can understand a Martin Luther in rebellion of a church which allowed the rich to buy their brothers, sons, nephews or uncles positions in the clergy from priesthood to bishopric to cardinal. The accumulated wealth gathered from tithes used to add to the glory of the sitting Pope, wage war and/or fill church coffers.

It isn't about the church. It's about the opportunity to see the things only experienced in books or on TV.  To see the David up close can't be compared with the best HD photograph or video. You stand in the place where a young Michelangelo painted the sistene chapel ceiling. You walk into the coliseum and stand and see what the plebian and patrician Roman citizen saw (save for the combat between men and beast).  It permeates your hide and you feel it in your bones. We take so much for granted today. We are handed so much knowledge. We can live our lives without worrying about inventing the wheel or oil lamps for light or developing the concepts of philosophy or medicine. We can live our entire lives without having to consider man's nature and where he fits in the world.
The ruins of Rome and the vestiges of an ancient religion that has survived and flourished for over two thousand years are alone worth the time to see and experience.

Now before we say goodbye to Italy...
There is always more to see. I have some shots of the very interesting Baptistry of the Duomo in Florence I will be willing to share. So, maybe one more trip in Italy. Back to Florence! If I can locate those shots. Stay tuned.