Silenzo Silenzo! No Foto! No Foto! Sistine Chapel.

St Peter's Basilica

Vatican. Sistine Chapel.
Words and Pics By Allison O'Donoghue

"Silenzo, silenzo. No foto, no foto!" shout the Vatican guards. Who are they kidding? Guesstimate head count - 200 to 300 squeeze into the relatively small space of the Sistine Chapel, and continue to more pour in by the minute. The throngs crane their necks, gawp, gawk and gaze upwards intently at the grandiosity of Michelangelo's genius, manifested in all its power and glory on that ceiling. So much so, people faint, wail and fling themselves in ecstasy, enraptured, caught up in the moment, thrashing into others squashed in like sardines. Those none too impressed with these antics and not caught up in the hysteria, push back or elbow them out of the way, who in turn scream louder. It all reminds me of the punk rock concerts I used to attend in the 1980's. High drama and totally fantastic!!

That picture - no foto!!

Silenzo, silenzo, no foto, no foto, repeated like a mantra and falling on deaf ears. Admittedly, the noise is deafening, more akin to the sound of a thousand cackling chickens, very loud, but impossible to police. I obey the first order of silence, but ignore the second of 'no foto' and secretly start taking shots of the ceiling, along with everyone else. I didn't come all this way for nothing!! Yet somehow, mingled in with flailing masses I get tapped on the shoulder by a security guard. "No foto, no foto", he says in all seriousness. How did that happen? How come I'm singled out? Surely they should attend to the hysterical ones creating havoc on the supposed silence, rather than little ole me. I didn't even use a flash, unlike others. However annoyed I am, I am deeply grateful he did not take my camera. I sulk for about 5 seconds then spot a small gap in the pew lining the walls of the chapel and make my way thru the crush to take a seat. I'm determined to study the ceiling and drink in all the history as well as wait for the rapture to overtake me. It doesn't. I sat for what seemed like an age, taking in all the unfolding drama and watching the persistent guards tap others on the shoulder.

I'm still waiting, still watching, staring up at the ceiling and walls, waiting for the ecstasy to kick in. It never did, but the beauty of the art work does overwhelm me with awe.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, visiting the Vatican is a must. A State within a State, perched on Vatican Hill situated on the right bank of the Tiber River, under the sovereignty of the Pope, head of the Catholic church. It stretches for 44 hectares and has over 2000 inhabitants with its own post office, supermarket, deli and bank. The State was enacted on February the 11th, 1929 after a treaty between the Holy See and the Italian State was drawn up. This treaty established the borders of the Vatican and instantly resolved centuries of problems associated with the Vatican, other countries and the surrounding suburbs of Rome. The border coincides with the medieval walls built around the Piazza San Pietro joining the extremities of Bernini's colonnade.

However, the Vatican has been the home of many Pope(s) since 1311. After the treaty was signed the Pope's court returned to Rome, permanently after decades of exile in Avignon, France. Before that the Pope resided in Lateran.

Pilgrims beat a path to the centre of Christendom all year round not just because its home to the Pope but also the presence of the Vicar of Christ and the tomb of St Peter. According to tradition, Constantine commissioned the Basilica in 319 AD over St Peter's tomb.

Vatican Ceilings

Vatican Gardens

Scholars, historians and the secular, visit the libraries, galleries and museums that are full to the brim with treasures from all over the world, while architectural students visit for inspiration. Gian Lorenzo Bernini worked exceedingly hard and unpaid for the love of God from 1656 to 1667 to realise his masterpiece, the Piazza S Pietro. The elliptical shape has two side colonnades covered by a gallery, upon which stand 140 statues of Saints. If you find a certain position in the Piazza all the columns line up and merge as one. Bernini's precision was exact, nothing short of miraculous or maybe he had help from up on high.

St Peters Basilica

Getting to the Sistine Chapel is a bit of an ordeal; you run the gauntlet of corridors large and small with signs and arrows showing the way, directing you to the main attraction. If you want to stop and study the ancient map frescoes adorning the walls some made by Marco Polo and others by Christopher Columbus, forget it, the crowd shuffles robotically towards the chapel, pushing you along with the constant surge of movement, whether you like it or not. Apparently, it is relatively empty early in the morning so that might be your best bet at truly stopping and enjoying the scenery. It is not only the Sistine Chapel that have magnificent ceilings, all the ceiling are ornately decorated by great artists from all eras. Created by various artists throughout the ages all vying to outdo each other until Michelangelo blew them all out of the water.

The corridors get smaller and smaller as you go along until you come to a tiny centuries old stairwell, well worn and dangerously slippery, so my advice is to wear non-slip shoes, but even if you do fall it will be on top of someone so you wont fall far unless you start a domino effect. Perish the thought.

At last the chapel looms and a wall of sound, unfamiliar to my ears, with the never ending 'silenzo, silenzo, no foto, no foto' greets as I finally walk into the Sistine Chapel and automatically look up. We all shuffle in and push the already crowded space back toward the exit, whether they like it or not. Maybe there could be a little crowd control and limit the number allowed in at any one time, but that would interrupt the flow and possibly cause other problems. I kept thinking, what if there was a fire? There are no windows to jump out of and the crush to the exit would be devastating. I quickly dismiss this thought and concentrate with extreme focus on that ceiling. I search for the iconic scene, the one depicted in so many films, books, posters and postcards. I find it and take a photo. I manage to get a few shots before that tap on the shoulder.

The Sistine Chapel, named after its founder Pope Sixtus IV was finally completed in the 16th century and has served as a chamber where the College of Cardinals gather to elect a new Pope.

Contrary to popular belief Michelangelo did not paint the ceiling flat on his back but standing up craning backwards and paid the price with permanent back and neck pain and eye strain. The Last Judgement fills the altar wall with the figure of Christ as judge who sits in the upper centre surrounded by saints and accompanied by Mary. The figure of a flayed human is apparently that of Michelangelo. He painted himself in this fashion to symbolically depict heaven and hell.

It was not only Michelangelo who contributed to the walls and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel but also great artists such as Perugino, Botticelli, Roselli, Signorelli, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio and della Gatta, who all eventually completed the masterpiece in 1483 but improvements continued until the late 16th century. Recently restored to its original colourful beauty the Sistine Chapel is an ongoing project that could quite possibly never be finished. Artists have been working on the chapel for centuries, the frescoes on the side-walls predate Michelangelo's ceiling. On the right depict scenes of the life of Moses and on the left depict scenes of the life of Christ.

Although, I was never over-wrought by rapture or flung into ecstasy, the experience of visiting the Sistine Chapel was a wondrous and sublimely beautiful one. Interestingly, only a few of the photos I took actually worked out clearly, the others are all fuzzy and out of focus. Maybe the guards don't have to do or say anything.

The Vatican is a must see in all its glory.