RAPHAEL ROOMS VIRTUAL TOUR: SPELNDORS OF THE RENAISSANCE COURT

Enter the magnificent Le Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael’s Rooms), an impressive landmark unites the faithful and the lovers of art. With the aid of high-quality photographs and your private art expert go through each of the Stanze in turn: Sala di Costantino, the Stanza di Eliodoro, the Stanza della Segnatura and the Stanza dell’Incendio del Borgo.

In the beginning of the 16^th century, the fearsome Pope, Julius II, decided that his private Vatican apartments were inadequate for his use. On the suggestion from architect Bramante, who was designing the St. Peter’s Basilica, Julius II called in Raphael to adorn his suite of rooms with magnificent frescoes. Empahsis on magnificent as he wanted to upstage the work that Pinturicchio had done for the Borgia pope Alexander VII’s apartments a decade before.

Raphael took on the daunting task and his success changed the trajectory of Western art forever. Identify how Raphael painted the philosophers of antiquity with the faces of his contemporaries in fresco School of Athens. Recognize how the Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple is a masterpiece of papal propaganda. Admire the dramatic Liberation of Saint Peter, where the apostle is freed from prison by an angel in a moonlit night. Unravel the theatrics of the action-packed Fire in the Borgo, where Rome burns, and the only savior is the Pope.

Your guide will also discuss the historical context of Renaissance Rome, the period that brought about the architectural and artistic transformation of Rome. The creative energy led to some strong competition, one of which being Raphael and Michelangelo next door painting the Sistine Chapel.

Pairing Suggestion

This course is a perfect pair for the course, The intriguing origins of the Vatican Museums and The Origins of the Sistine Chapel.