Art History

«Fundamentum et caput omnium aliarum ecclesiarum». Saint Peter’s basilica at the Vatican in the Middle Ages. This course aims to study and trace the history of one of the most important buildings in Christianity, whose appearance is currently only known through sources, archaeological excavations dating from the 1950’s and graphic evidence. Saint Peter’s basilica used to be the coronation place of emperors and the destination of a multitude of pilgrims and faithful: it stands on the slopes of Mons Vaticanus, on the large necropolis that – after the abandoning of Caligula’s circus – extended there, where Saint Peter himself was buried. Constantine had his own basilica built right on that tomb, which became the heart and reason for being of the whole complex, cherished by popes all over the Middle Ages. Structure of the course: Lesson 1: Presentation of the programme. Constantine’s buildings, the Ager Vaticanus, Caligula’s circus, the necropolis, Peter’s ‘trophy’. Lesson 2: The construction of Saint Peter’s, its chronology, its reconstruction in the 16th century. The archaeological data. The sources (until Alpharanus). Lesson 3: The records by apostolic notary Giacomo Grimaldi. The two basilicas coexisting. The graphic documentation. Lesson 4: Reconstructing Constantine’s basilica through sources and graphic evidence. The transept issue. Lesson 5: The atrium. Lesson 6: The arrangement of the ‘trophy’ under Constantine. The Capsella Samagher. The decoration of the apse and of the triumphal arch. Lesson 7: The doors; the ceiling; the pavement; the nave frescoes. Lesson 8: Leo the Great’s façade; the rotundas; the secretarium; the baptistery; the monasteries; the oratories. Lesson 9: The arrangement of the Confession under Gregory the Great. Lesson 10: John VII’s oratory. Lesson 11: The Carolingian age. Lesson 12: The centuries 10th to 12th; Innocent III: the apse and the Confession. Lesson 13: Gregory IX’s façade. Lesson 14: The atrium cycle; Nicholas III; the Madonna Bocciata; the Madonna of Porta Iudicii. Lesson 15: Popes’ tombs in Saint Peter’s. Lesson 16: Boniface VIII’s chapel and the portrait-bust of Boniface VIII. Lesson 17: The bronze statue of Saint Peter; the marble statue of Saint Peter. Lesson 18: The portrait-bust of Benedict XII; Veronica oratory. Lesson 19: The artworks commissioned by Jacopo Stefaneschi (the frescoes in the tribune; the polyptich). Lesson 20: Giotto at Saint Peter’s: the Navicella mosaic. Lesson 21: Conclusions.

There are no requirements.

Attending students: - P. Liverani, Preesistenze archeologiche: la necropoli vaticana, e la tomba dell’apostolo. Il circo di Caligola. L’obelisco, in La basilica di San Pietro, a cura di C. Pietrangeli, Firenze 1989, pp. 19-24; - P. Silvan, La tomba di san Pietro, in La storia dei giubilei, I, Prato 1997, pp. 147-159; - Id., Le radici della chiesa romana. L’evoluzione della memoria petrina, in San Pietro. Arte e Storia nella Basilica Vaticana, a cura di G. Rocchi Coopmans de Yoldi, Bergamo 1996, pp. 17-29; - Id., L’architettura della basilica medievale di S. Pietro, in Romei e giubilei. Il pellegrinaggio medievale a San Pietro (350-1350), a cura di M. D’Onofrio, Milano 1999, pp. 240-261; - S. De Blaauw, L’arredo liturgico e il culto, ivi, pp. 271-277; - H. Brandenburg, L’antica basilica vaticana costantiniana di S. Pietro, in San Pietro storia di un monumento, Milano 2015, pp. 9-33; 324-325; - A. Ballardini, La basilica di S. Pietro nel medioevo, ivi, pp. 35-73; 325-330; - H. Kessler, L’antica basilica di San Pietro come fonte d’ispirazione per la decorazione delle chiese medievali, in Fragmenta picta. Affreschi e mosaici staccati del Medioevo romano, a cura di M. Andaloro, A. Ghidoli, A. Iacobini, S. Romano, A. Tomei, Roma 1989, pp. 45-64; - A. Ballardini, Il perduto oratorio di Giovanni VII nella basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano. Architettura e scultura, in Santa Maria Antiqua tra Roma e Bisanzio, a cura di M. Andaloro, G. Bordi, G. Morganti, Milano 2016, pp. 220-227; - P. Pogliani, Il perduto oratorio di Giovanni VII nella basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano. I mosaici, ivi, pp. 240-247; - A. Iacobini, Est sacra principis aedes: la basilica vaticana da Innocenzo III a Gregorio IX, in L’architettura della basilica di San Pietro. Storia e costruzione, «Atti del Convegno Internazionale di Studi, Roma 7-10 novembre 1995», Roma 1997, pp. 91-100; - A.M. Romanini, Arnolfo di Cambio nella basilica di S. Pietro, ivi, pp. 45-62; - Ead., Le statue di San Pietro in Vaticano, in La basilica di San Pietro, a cura di C. Pietrangeli, Firenze 1989, pp. 57-61; - G. Morello, «La Veronica nostra», in La storia dei giubilei, I, Prato 1997, pp. 160-167; - M. Andaloro, S. Romano, La pittura medievale a Roma. 312-1431. Corpus e Atlante, Milano: vol. I (2006), pp. 87-90; 90-91; 411-415; 416-418; vol. V (2012), pp. 51-53; 62-66, 113-116; 316-320; vol. VI (2017), pp. 169-170; 204-206; 244-245; 246-263; 281-286; 287-289; 189-191; Atlante (2006), pp. 21-44. Notes: The pdf of the texts will be made available on Classroom. Non-attending students In addition to the over-listed contributions for Attending students, Non-attending students are encouraged to read the following the following texts: - S. De Blaauw, Cultus et decor. Liturgia e architettura nella Roma tardoantica e medievale, II, Città del Vaticano 1994, pp. 451-491; 515-581; 621-674. Notes: The pdf of the texts will be made available on Classroom.

Attendance is not mandatory but is strongly recommended. Students who can not follow the lessons are asked to contact the teacher in any case for explanations and suggestions. All over the academic year the professor will be available to receive students following the timetable published online on the University website. Any possible variations or suspensions of office hours will be promptly notified.

The exam will be oral and it will take place at the end of the course (intermediate tests will not be held). The oral exam will be focused on the topics of the programme (by using pictures) in order to verify: 1) the depth and breadth of the acquired knowledge; 2) the specific vocabulary; 3) a more advanced ability to link themes and problems critically. In the evaluation of attending students it will also take into account their participation in classroom discussions.

None.

The course will be held through frontal classes supported by keynote presentations.