ST. PETER’S AND THE VATICAN
FA 145A Spring 2017 Mr. McClendon
M,W, Th 1-1:50 pm Office: Mandell 209
Office Hrs: Tues 3-5pm & by appt. Tel: 62663
Email: mcclendon@ brandeis.edu
Required Textbooks: (available in paperback at Brandeis bookstore. They will be used in the following order.)
Eamon Duffy, Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes.
Richard Krautheimer, Rome, Profile of a City, 312-1308.
George Hersey, High Renaissance Art in St. Peter’s and the Vatican.
Howard Hibbard, Bernini (a study of the great Baroque sculptor and architect).
Requirements: The course covers two thousand years of art and history. In order to help you assimilate such a range of time and material, the course is divided into three segments: (1) Ancient to Medieval; (2) Renaissance; and (3) Baroque to Modern. Lists of the major monuments and reading assignments for each segment will be distributed in class and available on Latte.
Exams: Instead of a midterm and comprehensive final exam, there will be two short tests (approx. 40 mins. each) given during regular class periods at the end of the first two segments (Mar 2 & Mar 30). Each test will cover the pertinent third of the material and will consist of identifications of major works of art & architecture related to St Peter’s & the Vatican and a brief discussion of their importance. The third test, given during the final exam period (May 8), will be the same format except that it will also include a one hour essay question covering the entire course. You will be given a choice of essay questions beforehand (from which you select one). Thus you will be able to prepare your response in advance, but you will be asked to write the essay itself without notes during the second hour of the final exam. There will be an in-class review session before each test and digital images pertinent to each segment are available on Latte.
Map Quizzes: There will be two (5-10 min.) map quizzes (matching names with places) to help you learn the locations of major monuments in the city of Rome. Quiz dates will be announced beforehand to give you ample time to prepare.
Sorry, no make-ups for exams or quizzes without documentation of illness, a family emergency or other excuse as validated by an academic dean.
Written Assignments: You will be asked to write two short (3-4 page, double-spaced typed pages) visual exercises, which do not involve research aside from assigned readings and class notes. They are designed to acquaint you with the artistic styles and architectural designs related to the history of St. Peter’s and the Vatican. One will be due in mid February and the other in late April; specific dates to be announced.
Grading: The approximate value of each requirement is as follows: the three image exams (15%) each, the two written assignments and the final exam essay (15%) each, and the two map quizzes (5%) each. Attendance, as explained below under “other comments,” is also important.
Handouts: Study sheets with lists of major monuments, for which you will be responsible on exams, together with specific reading assignments in the textbooks, will be distributed at the beginning of each section during the course of the semester.
Electronic Reserve: In addition to the textbooks, selected readings will be assigned in electronic format via Latte as cited on the monuments lists. Images will also be available on line for review before each exam.
Class Regulations: Make-ups for exams and extensions for written assignment deadlines will be granted only for family emergencies and documented medical reasons. In each case, you will need to obtain a written request from your academic dean.
Other Comments: Regular class attendance is essential because there is no complete textbook coverage of the material. Lectures, class notes, and general discussion are very important in addition to the assigned readings. Also, please keep all handouts together throughout the semester; they will be extremely useful for review and discussion. Attendance will be taken occasionally, usually without warning, so that I can get to know everyone. You are encouraged to ask questions and to share your thoughts in class.
Following the standards of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, the Dean of Arts & Sciences has asked that the following statement be posted on all syllabi:
Four-Credit Course (with three hours of class-time per week)
Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.).
Please read the following guidelines carefully:
If you are a student who needs academic accommodation because of a documented disability, you should contact me and present a letter of accommodation as soon as possible. Accommodation cannot be granted retroactively.
You are expected to be honest in all your academic work. The University policy on academic honesty is distributed annually as section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Office of Student Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the University. If you have any questions about my expectations, please do not hesitate to ask.
In addition to Fine Arts and Creative Arts requirements, this course counts toward fulfillment of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program, the Italian Studies Program, and the Religious Studies Program. Please contact the instructor if you wish more information about these interdisciplinary programs.
Laptop computer/electronic device policy: Students are allowed to use laptop computers and other electronic devices under the following conditions: 1) The computer/electronic device is to be used exclusively to access material or to take notes related directly to this course; 2) Students using such devices are expected to pay attention to instructor presentations and general course discussions as well as to make a concerted effort to look up regularly and establish eye contact with peers and the instructor during such class activities; 3) if a student does not follow above items one and/or two, the permission to bring such a computer/device to this class may be denied.
ST. PETER’S AND THE VATICAN
FA 145 Mr. McClendon
General List of Lecture Topics
Introduction: Back to the Beginning
Antiquity:
1) The Obelisk of Caligula and the Circus of Nero
2) The Vatican Cemetery (“The City of the Dead”)
The Early Christian Period
1) The Rise of the Cult of St. Peter
2) St. Peter’s Basilica and the Conversion of Constantine
3) The Christianization of the Roman Empire
The Middle Ages
1) The Goal of Pilgrimage
2) The Urbanization of the Vatican
3) St. Peter’s Basilica as a Paradigm
4) The Triumph of the Papacy
The Return of the Papacy and the Renewal of Rome
1) Nicholas V, Alberti, and Renaissance Humanism
2) The Growth of the Papal Palace and the Vatican Library
The High Renaissance
1) Bramante and Julius II
2) Two Renaissance Masters: Raphael and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger
3) The Legacy of Michelangelo
The Counter-Reformation
1) The Rome of Sixtus V and the Vatican Obelisk
2) The Grottoes of St. Peter’s and the Birth of Christian Archaeology
3) Design and Construction of the Nave and Façade by Carlo Maderno
The Baroque Age
1) Bernini’s Baldacchino and the Crossing of St. Peter’s
2) St. Peter’s Square
3) Carlo Fontana’s Designs for the Vatican Borgo
The Modern Era: Eighteenth to the Twentieth Century
1) The Grand Tour, Napoleon, and the Risorgimento
2) Mussolini, Fascist Rome, and the Via della Conciliazione
3) St. Peter’s and the Vatican Today
Conclusion: “Resounding with Venerable Memories”
ST. PETER’S AND THE VATICAN
FA 145 Mr. McClendon
General Chronological Outline
37 C.E. Egyptian obelisk set up in the Vatican gardens by the emperor Gaius
(known as Caligula).
54-68 Monumental stadium constructed for the emperor Nero
64 Traditional date for the martyrdom of St. Peter
150-200 Shrine (tropaion) of St. Peter and graffito on the “Red Wall”
312 Conversion of the emperor Constantine to Christianity
320s-350s Construction of Old St. Peter’s
390s Paganism officially outlawed by the emperor Theodosius I
410 Sack of Rome by the Goths
461 Leo I (the Great), first pope buried at Old St. Peter’s
590-604 Insertion of annular crypt in the apse and placement of a permanent altar
above the apostle’s tomb by Pope Gregory I
800 Charlemagne crowned emperor of the Romans in Old St. Peter’s
1123 Pope Callixtus II consecrates a new high altar in Old St. Peter’s
1143 Proclamation of Roman Republic
1300 First Holy Year “of Jubilee” Proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII
1308-77 The popes reside in Avignon, France; the so-called “Babylonian
Captivity”
1450-55 Pope Nicholas V’s building project for St. Peter’s and the Borgo
1506 Initiation of the demolition of the early Christian basilica; first stone of
new St. Peter’s laid on April 18 by Pope Julius II (architect: Donato Bramante)
1511 The four crossing piers of the new church completed
1514-20 Raphael serves as architect of St. Peter’s
1527 Sack of Rome by imperial troops
1546-64 Michelangelo serves as architect of St. Peter’s
1586 Obelisk moved in front of St. Peter’s (Pope Sixtus V & architect
Domenico Fontana)
1588-93 Dome and lantern completed by Giacomo della Porta
1608-18 Construction of nave and façade by Carlo Marderno & Pope Paul V
1626 New church consecrated by Pope Urban VIII
1624-34 Bernini designs and builds the baldacchino
1656-67 Bernini designs and constructs the piazza of St. Peter’s
1798 Works of art removed from Vatican and sent to Paris following
Napoleon’s conquests
1818 Opening of Braccio Nuovo of Vatican’s ancient art collections
1870 Rome captured by royalist forces; the following year the city becomes
the capital of a unified Italy
1929 Treaty signed by Pope Pius XI and Mussolini creating the sovereign state
of Vatican City
1936-50 Demolition of the spina and construction of the Via della Conciliazione
1962 2nd Vatican Council convened by Pope John XXIII