It's Like Church but with Metal Detectors

It's Like Church but with Metal Detectors

St. Pete's

Our Airbnb was around the corner from St. Peter's dome.  It rises half the height of a football field and was designed by the woefully understated Michelangelo. Even notice big things are farther away than they appear?  Around the corner was a 20-minute walk.

Mic's Pieta

Our host asked us if we had been to Rome.  We said yes and he joked that nothing had changed.  Well, that's mostly true.  Saint Peter's Square was a complete zoo at midday.  The area near the Basilica was filled with seating and a good part of the square was a cattle queue leading to metal detectors. We figured it would take a few hours to get into the church.  If you had doubts about the power of the Vatican gift shop, you my friend, are incorrect.  Although we were in Rome, maybe later was on our minds more than pilgrimage and long pants.  We figured there had to be a way to see the Church as well bypass the crowds.  According to the Google, the crowds die down after 5:30 pm until the doors close at 7 pm.  We took a short nap and headed to the Square.  Sure enough, the lines were less than 10 minutes long—I didn't even have to take off my shoes to go through the metal detector!  The inside of the Church was also quieter. At capacity, St. Peter's can hold 60,000 standing screaming fans (though they tend to be more reserved).  This evening, it was a gentle stroll around the hanger without bumping into any camera phones.  There was still the occasional glamour-selfie here and there, but it was still possibly to avoid accidentally photobombing everyone's memories. (As an aside, what possesses people to make glamour-selfies—especially in a church?)

Imagine the Heating Bill?

We did notice one big change in the Basilica for the worse—you can no longer approach the altar.  There was a rail about 50 feet from the Bernini Altarpiece and baldachin. The Baldachin is that canopy over the throne or altar, silly!  Our audio tour pined on all the details of the stroll around the columns as we stood and watched from the cruel barrier.  Actually, the thing that bothered us most was that we were unable to see an incredible marble memento mori piece of the grim reaper grasping an hourglass.  It isn't the subject matter but rather the sublime carving. 

Old Photo of Cool Art

The end of the audio tour was a stroll to Michelangelo's first commission, The Pieta, a depiction of Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus.  After an attack in 1972, The Pieta was placed behind bulletproof glass.  Thanks a lot, Laszlo Toth, The Second Coming with a pick axe, my Tuchus.

Inside the Dome

On the five-minute walk of silence, I (Mark) decided to play Florence and the Machine's song, Between Two Lungs.  The song is about lovers embracing in a long kiss but it has always felt like a glorious allegory to death.  The act of holding onto life with your last breath before being released from bondage and suffering.  I smiled and slowly twirled around the church as I gazed at the glorious heavens painting several stories in the sky.  I'm certain God wants you to celebrate your visit.  I was just following orders.

Near the end of our visit, the ushers were herding the crowds towards the doors.  It was quiet and we could see a peaceful altar in the distance.  There is no better time to see Saint Peter's.  And don't forget, the gift shops are open late for all of your devotional needs…

The Swiss Guard