emma17campbell

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In 313, Emperor Constantine passed an edict that allowed Christianity to become legal. A few years after that, he was constructing a church in the shape of a cross. It was built over a small shrine said to have been where St. Peter, a disciple of Christ and the Roman Catholic church’s first bishop, was buried. Hence, old St. Peter’s basilica. It also contained many memorials and tombs in this building including most of the popes during this time period. By the end of the 15th century, however, this church was completely falling apart. Under Pope Julius II the entire church was demolished, but it wasn’t until Pope Paul III that the architect, painter, sculpture, and true Renaissance man Michelangelo started work on St. Peter’s basilica. Michelangelo was 70 years old and took no commission for the basilica. He sadly died before it was finished. However, in 1626, to his specifications the basilica was complete.

This church is such a symbol for how far Christianity has come. From coming out of persecution to having the body of one of Jesus’ disciples located in it to having Michelangelo construct its design, it contains so much history of the world and Christianity. It is a remarkable building that makes you feel so incredibly small. Our tour guide told us that the letters in the picture were 7 feet tall. It was so hard to imagine as I looked up and they seemed so small. Walking in such a big building made me feel so humble. There are traditions that are still held there today like the pope visiting to take mass. They also have the last door on the right, “the holy door”, completely bricked up and on a holy year the pope will strike it with a hammer to reopen it to the pilgrims. After the holy year, it is bricked up again until the next time.

This building is one of the earliest church buildings. It made me feel so connected with the people of the past and yet so completely in awe of the things they were capable of doing. It was surreal to have been possibly standing under someone from hundreds of years ago that knew and followed Jesus.

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The cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the duomo of Florence, is one of the most important achievements on the continent of Europe. Construction started in 1296 by a guy named Arnolfo di Cambio. He gave the exterior’s various shades of green, pink, and white marble. He also gave the face it’s Gothic look. This is very ironic. During the Renaissance, people were disgusted with the old, Germanic look but this particular building ended up becoming a symbol of greatness and their greatest accomplishment during the Renaissance. The building stood lacking a top for many years. It wasn’t until a guy named Brunelleschi who studied the domes that the Romans had built and made mathematical equations that the construction on the dome happened in 1418. Brunelleschi was originally so mad that he did not win a contest to work on the doors to the baptistry that he left for Rome. We are so thankful for this event today because he became one of the most influential people and greatest architects of all time. Once he had finally figured out the dome, he also invented many of the tools he would need to complete the dome. It took him a total of 18 years to complete and became the symbol of a new way of thinking.

This building is so important for us to realize what these people were rediscovering from 1500 years ago and recreating. Brunelleschi was a man way beyond his years. This building is the birthplace of the Renaissance. It shows us how powerful, wealthy, a little cocky, and how eager to become great Florence was. Because of this dome, people were inspired to also think in new ways. It brought thousands of people with tons of potential and talent to create great and beautiful things. It brought back the knowledge and strength that this part of the world had completely lost. Through this cathedral, they learned more and more of their heritage and because of this, we do too. 

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Pisa was one of the four republics in Italy to rule over the Mediterranean Sea. The people were good at sailing, trading, and were very powerful and wealthy. To showcase this power, they decided to create a complex which would include a cathedral, baptistery, bell tower, and cemetery. In 1173, construction began on the bell tower. It’s foundation was built on soft ground and a dense, clay mixture. By the time they completed the third story in 1178, it began to lean. In the meantime, they were going to war against Genoa, so they halted its construction. This is said to have contributed to its ability to stand erect years later. In 1272, they tried all kinds of things to fix the architecture of the building including making it slightly taller on the short side. In the end, the weight of the extra floors sunk it even further. They tried to compensate and continue building it even with its lean. They placed 7 bells, each one representing a note on the musical major scale. In 1372, 200 years after the original construction, the building was completed. If you can even say that. It stands more than 5 meters off perpendicular.

The fact this building still stands today, is simply a miracle. There are so many well built buildings and statues of the time that have been completely destroyed. If I were putting my money on things to still be here today, I certainly never would have picked this one. During World War II, American soldiers wouldn’t destroy it because of its beauty. There are more reasons why this tower should not be here today than there are reasons it should.

To me this is one of the most important things to learn about and study, because we can do something about its preservation today. We personally asked one of the soldiers at the gate that spoke English in a joking manner if it were safe to climb up as we handed him our ticket. He told us, “Yes, for about 200 more years.” We need engineers and architects available to keep this around for years to come.

Not only was this a super fun place to take pictures and run up while the lean throws you up against each side of the walls, it was so surreal to be in a place that might not be standing when my grandkids are alive. I couldn’t help but think of the passage in Luke 6:28, “He is like a man holding a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the steam broke against the house and could not shake it because it had been well built.” If there is one thing everyone can learn, it is that a foundation is so important. Physically and spiritually building.

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During the ancient Roman empire under the rule of Nero, things started to go downhill. He was building lots of things, but exhausting the treasury. He wasn’t very popular among the people. He was said to have started a fire in Rome that he blamed Christians for in order to build a new palace. He built an enormous statue of himself that was called the colossus of Nero. After his eventual suicide and others who would attempt to rule, there was finally a man named Vespasian that had legions of men and was powerful enough to keep the title. Under his reign, he started construction on a massive amphitheater in 72 AD right next to the statue of Nero. Eventually, the title was handed down to his son Titus and he would finish the construction on the Flavian amphitheater in 79 AD. The people referred to the statue as colossal, and even after the destruction of the statue of Nero the name Colosseum stuck for the grand amphitheater.

The colosseum was a huge arena that could fit thousands of people. They gathered around to watch all kinds of gruesome activities for their entertainment. Rome was a powerhouse. They conquered, built, and led others in their ways. They would reenact their victories here for the people. They would have gladiator games where highly trained athletes would fight off and slaughter wild animals. They themselves may even be slaughtered or if the emperor didn’t think they were being brave enough would kill them too. When prisoners were sentenced to death for crimes they committed, they would throw them in the arena along with ferocious beasts. The Roman empire was wealthy and thriving off of the people that they were conquering.

It is important for us to see today where we came from and how we got to where we are today. These people were so smart and so innovative. They built big and glorious things that were way ahead of their time period. Some groups didn’t even have a written language. You could say that they got so ahead of themselves in the era they were living in, it plunged them into hundreds of years of darkness because they didn’t know how to maintain it. It is important for us to learn from the mistakes that they made and to make it better than it was. The colosseum should be protected and treasured to see just how advanced these people were.

The colosseum has a way deeper meaning to me since I got to see first hand how magnificent and surprising it truly was. It showed me that these people, although they lived hundreds of years ago, are more like us than I realized. They enjoyed having things for entertainment just like we do. Their form of entertainment might be a lot more gruesome, but these people enjoyed gathering together and having a form of amusement. I picked this because it was incredible to see this great giant piece of history fit into just a small fraction of our heritage.

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Pompei was a city that, like many we are learning about, had Hellenistic culture but was under the influence of Rome. Being located on the coast of Italy, it became a popular vacation spot for the richest of Rome. They had many slaves that would work in the city, and an incredible way of organizing and ruling the cities they conquered. The city was destroyed by the volcano Vesuvius in 79 AD. The blow could be seen for hundreds of miles. Ash, pumice, and other rocks hit the city and surrounding areas. If the people were not killed by this, it would be a high speed poisoned cloud of gas and rock that would swallow up everything and everyone in its path. It was then buried in tons of volcanic ash and the whole area became abandoned for centuries.

Eventually, a group of explorers found the city and it was  marvelously preserved underneath layers and layers of debris. It was by this preservation that we know so much about the people who once lived there. We learned what they were building, what kinds of food they had growing there, what kind of animals they had, the nature of slaves, the town’s sexual nature, the tragedies of their death quite literally written on their faces, and even things like their dental records. This is who these people were and how they lived their daily lives. This tragic event gives us an amazing opportunity to learn about the Greeks and the influence that the Romans had on them after they were conquered. It shows Roman strength with organization of a quite incredible city.

I briefly remember learning about Pompei in a high school history class with a teacher that could have cared less if we knew the information or not. I remember it being some city that got destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Believe it or not, I was not even aware that it had been excavated and was a place that you could visit today. Needless to say, I have had many mind blowing moments on this trip. To be able to walk around in these people’s steps and learn and see all the beautiful things they had built and possessed was simply humbling. From this devastating event, we have a precious perspective and opportunity to learn about the people of this age.

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I tried posting before Italy, but I think I accidentally created two different accounts. This is a picture from our hike in Italy. Please let me know if you can see this!