Photo Comparison: Developing in Different Directions

Culture is the way people live, how they think, and what they do. A window into a city’s identity, and a brief taste of what it is like, can be found by looking at the homes of its people.

Snapshot of apartment buildings in Rome

Snapshot of old and new apartment buildings in Istanbul

The first photo was taken from the Rome Center. Visible are some damaged and slightly crumbling buildings; on the lower left there are aging clay roof tiles waiting to be replaced. The many picturesque rooftop-gardens exude vibrant life next to the stucco, colorful buildings. They are all placed compactly next to each other, creating narrow streets and cobble-stoned walkways. They have the charm and style that fit in nicely with historical palazzos dispersed throughout the city.

As I acquainted myself with Rome I realized that these apartment buildings had indeed looked like this for a long time; the long tradition of Italy and their buildings have been set and well defined. If a building needed repair, it was patched up in the same style and fashion it was before. The one piece of modern architecture in Rome, the museum that houses the Ara Pacis, became a controversial topic among Romans, because they simply did not like it. It was not what a Roman building should look like.

This refrain from adopting more modern concepts is exemplified by some of the keys Italians use to their apartments. Many buildings, such as the one located on Via Dandolo, still use beautiful, antique-looking, weighty, four-inch long keys. Although practicality may warrant changing to something smaller, more transportable, there is no rush. And that is their culture. They live their lives at a slower pace, stick to their traditions, and identify with their history. There are no desires to change their homes, or to expand from small family-run shops to bustling businesses.

The second photo was taken on taxi ride along a four-lane freeway in Istanbul. At first these buildings may look similar to the ones in Rome, as they have slightly damaged and aging walls. In the center though, are three modern buildings perfectly spaced, and aligned with the slope of the hill. The Turkish lead many development projects, but unlike Romans who restore aging buildings, they demolish old buildings, and raise new condos. And these new homes, in contrast with the Roman’s homes, have no potted plants. The fast paced lifestyles of the Turkish may not allocate time to take care of and nurture plants like Italians. During my short visit I saw Istanbul as city wanting to move swiftly to catch up with the technologically advanced West, and to be identified as modern.

Istanbul’s wide, four-lane highways quickly get people from Point A to Point B. The economy thrives on big businesses like Turkcell, and the people want new architecture like the elite Kanyon shopping mall inside new, 30-floor buildings. Roman’s however, will walk to their destination, perhaps stop at a café for a morning cappuccino, and will pick up some fresh produce from the market as they head to open shop.

Although both of these cities have had a long history interconnected with the modernized West, they have each made their own decisive decisions in the direction they wish to develop: one is content with their historical tradition, culture, and way of life, the other is desiring changes for modernity, technology, and advancement like the West.

St. Peter’s Piazza: A Play With Perception

The arduous journey up to this point was only intensified by the sun’s heat that pounded down on the pilgrims, who were traveling from

all over the world to Vatican City. Walking along the cobblestoned streets, they finally glimpsed a curved shaped building; it was part of a dome! Excitement stirred within the pilgrims, as they realized after traveling for weeks, they were near to their destination: St. Peter’s Basilica, the center of the Catholic faith. With quickened steps they walked on, the Churc

h going in and out of their line of vision. New energy was bestowed upon the pilgrims as they continued across Ponte Sant’ Angelo. With angels looking over their shoulders they rounded another corner, to finally see –magnificence.

They felt astonishment at what lay before them. The expansive open area, St. Peter’s Piazza, was outlined with rows and rows of columns. With Christian saints and martyrs surrounding them, the colonnades lovingly ushered th

e pilgrims forward, onward to the Church.

Around 330 AD the first St. Peter’s Bas

ilica was built, marking the spot where the apostle, Peter, was crucified, burned, and buried. Historically Catholics ventured to the Vatican to pay tribute not only to the current Pope, but also to the very first Pope.

By 1506 however, St. Peter’s Basilica, the most important Catholic Church in the world, was in a great need of repair. Pope Julius II thus began demolition of the original building, and the holy site it sat on. The controversial de

struction, and consequent construction of the new basilica went on for years, continuing with

successive architects and popes. In 1615, the completion of the famous façade designed by Carlo Maderno created a stunning building, desperately in need of a beautiful entranceway. Religious authorities at that time highly disliked the asymmetrical land in front of St. Peter’s; they viewed perfect squares and shapes representative of God and Catholicism. The unbalanced space that preceded the new church needed to be replaced with something equally as magnificent as the new St. Peter’s Basilica. No pope had started the process, however, until Fabio Chigi assumed the papacy as Pope Alexander VII.

The new pope of the Chigi family was very interested in architecture and urban planning. Pope Alexander VII was known to have a wooden model of Rome, which included moveable parts, in his bedroom to help him plan new layouts for the city. Cardinal Sforza Pallavicino even wrote that the Pope knew what,

“broad streets and comfortable dwellings could do for the health and happiness of the inhabitants… [he] never wearied in straightening and widening the streets and broadening the piazzas… to make more free space for light and air,” (Borsi).

Pope Alexander was willing to take on the challenge of reconstructing the old entranceway to create a more aesthetically pleasing piazza for the Church, and of course like every pope before him, to leave his mark in the world by posting his coat of arms throughout the piazza. On July 31, 1656 Pope Alexander VII called a meeting, the Reverenda Fabbrica di San Pietro, and began the organization and construction of a new entranceway.

Pope Alexander VII commissioned the redesign of the piazza to his favorite artist, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (who had already worked on St. Peter’s Basilica’s fantastically large Baldachinno, Cathedra Petri, and the Chapel of the Sacrament). As the site of one of the most important pilgrimages for Catholics, the Church wanted to create a space that would astound pilgrims. Their mindset would be set on the spiritual journey they were taking, but upon reaching the piazza they would marvel at the grandeur and power of the Church. As the pilgrimage continued however, the piazza’s main purpose would be to lead the travelers forward, toward the grand basilica.

The design of the new piazza had to accommodate certain structures already in the area, and certain design constraints set by Pope Alexander VII. One unavoidable object already in the piazza was the 25.5-meter tall Egyptian obelisk. It had originally been moved to its location in the middle of the piazza in 1586 by Pope Sixtus V, and is one of the largest obelisks standing today. The other structure that had already occupied the piazza was the fountain built in 1613 by Carlo Maderno, the designer of the basilica’s façade.

The

façade

of St. Peter's Basilica, which was often criticized

for blocking the dome and being too big.

An overarching factor Bernini needed to consider while designing was not within the piazza itself, but was what the piazza led to: the basilica’s façade. Critics at the time viewed the façade too large without the campanili that had been planned at either ends of the building, but were never built. Pressures were on Bernini by Pope Alexander VII to create a design that would mitigate this disproportionately long façade. Also the papal apartments were off to the side of the piazza, and it was imperative that the new design would not block the view of the piazza from the apartments. Lastly, the piazza served as a public gathering space when the pope would give his blessings, urbi et orbi, from the benediction loggia. The papacy needed to maximize the number of people that would be able to view the blessings, and special ceremonial speeches by the pope that were held on the front central balcony.

The final design seen today is composed of two piazzas of differing shapes: a trapezoid and an oval (320-meters by 240-meters at its widest). Some preliminary designs considered using a perfect square or a perfect circle, highly desired in religious architecture. It was considered that a circle with its single focus point represented absolutism that the Church may have wanted to convey. However with the position of the obelisk, which would act as the natural central point of the piazza because of its height, meant that a perfect shaped piazza would have required tearing down nearby buildings and parts of Vatican City.

Geometric sketch showing the ovato tondo of St. Peter's Piazza.

Source: Bernini (Borsi)

Pope Alexander VII settled the matter by choosing an ovular shape. This oval form, known as ovato tondo, is found from constructing touching and interlocking circles.

Pope Alexander VII was pleased with this as it maximized open space, as well left his mark in the world since no one had designed such a unique shaped piazza before.

It is actually believed that Bernini had originated the concept, and implanted the idea into the Pope's mind.

Bernini cleverly realized that to get around the Vatican financiers, who were drawing their purse strings tightly, he would have the Pope determine the final plans as no one could argue with him.

Bernini’s shift away from Renaissance ideology towards Baroque style architecture is exemplified in the almost circular shaped piazza. The bifocal oval was a dynamic figure, and had more variant lengths and widths throughout the shape than a circle would have had. In this way the oval was thought of as “ambiguous” and not as defined as the idealistic circle, therefore more baroque.

The already existing fountain and obelisk were then designed to be in line with each other, with a second twin fountain on the other side of the obelisk for symmetry. These three structures created the major axial line for the elliptical shaped piazza.

The oval piazza merged with the trapezoidal piazza that was directly in front of the basilica. This trapezoid shape maximized the number of people who could crowd around the benediction loggia, and accommodated one of the papacy’s design constraints. The piazza widened upon approaching the basilica, which cleverly changed the pilgrim’s perception, and made the façade appear closer and less wide.

The two colonnades that extrude from the sides of the basilica were expertly designed by Bernini to solve the disproportionate façade. Since the straight sections of the colonnades extending from the basilica are not parallel, a viewer in the oval piazza would think that the façade’s length was the shortest distance between the sides of the trapezoid. This again shortened the appearance of the

façade.

The 13-meters tall columns that

comprise the four-column-deep colonnades

are the Tuscan form of the Doric order. The 284 total columns can be considered short, but when viewed next to the basilica, they make the façade and dome look taller, hence more proportional. The height of the columns were also ideal so that those within the papal apartments would still be able to view the piazza and all the visitors and displays below, which was a concern of the Vatican from the very beginning.

(Left) Colonnades are

four-columns deep

(Right) Perfect height

of the

columns make

the

facade

appear

taller

and more

proportionate.

Also allows those

in the

papal

apartments

(on

the

right) to

view

the piazza below.

Bernini again plays with the viewers’ perceptions as he designed the columns to have different diameters: a column from the inner ring near the inside of the piazza had a smaller diameter than each of the three successive columns outward. This perception manipulation made it so that when one stands at one of the two points, the centro de colonnato (marked by marble disks on the pavement), there would appear to only be one row of columns surrounding the piazza, instead of four. Pilgrims would stand at these points, and would view each of the inner columns framing an unobstructed view of the city that surrounded them. Bernini's design elements for more open space and light showed his shift toward baroque-style architecture. It has been said that the viewer in the piazza could feel, “a sense of being enclosed within a perfect ring, yet exposed to so much open space and light” (Borsi).

View from one of the centro de colonnato disks. The changing diameters of the

columns make all four rows of columns in the colonnade become a single row.

Atop the colonnades are the Christian saints and martyr statues.

The straight colonnades that curve to become oval outlines of the piazza had been described as the, "maternal arms of the Church, opening to receive those who approach the basilica over the tomb of the apostle,” (Magnuson, 176). Even more comforting are atop the colonnades are 140 various statues, 96 designed by Bernini, of important Christian saints or martyrs of the Catholic religion. Pilgrims who have entered the piazza marveled at the magnificence of the Church –the surrounding statues of saints and martyrs only welcomed the pilgrims more as they followed the line of colonnades toward St. Peter’s Basilica to finish their pilgrimage.

Overhead view of the piazza. The colonnade "arms"

are often thought as the welcoming arms of the mother church.

Source: h

ttp://www.pitt.edu/~tokerism/0040/baroque.html

The current piazza lacked one element of Bernini’s design, the third colonnade. Its purpose was to complete the enclosed oval shape of the piazza, and would completely block the view of the piazza and the basilica from the outside. Not until the pilgrim crossed the walkway and was enclosed within the piazza, was the pilgrim suddenly viewing the grandeur and magnificence that was the Church. Unfortunately due to Pope Alexander VII’s bad health, he ordered the paving of the piazza to be accomplished first. Thus began the paved markings for the directions of the winds and zodiac signs. Along with these symbols were the markings of rays that emanated from the obelisk to tie the colonnades to a central point. By early 1667 however, Pope Alexander VII died, and the papacy decided it was best for the Vatican’s treasury to not build the last colonnade.

Although Bernini’s desire for the pilgrim to be completely surprised was not put into effect, St. Peter’s Piazza still holds an air of grandeur and brilliance that astonishes all visitors, even if they are able to view the piazza as they approach.

Sketch of St. Peter's Piazza. On the lower right is the plan for

the third enclosing colonnade that was never built.

Source:

h

ttp://www.pitt.edu/~tokerism/0040/baroque.html

Today people of all faiths travel to Vatican City—if not for the religious pilgrimage, then for the appreciation of the abundant history, art and architecture at this location.

The sheer size of the piazza (which could easily fit 300,000 people), along with the religious and spiritual elements enclosed is stunning. Visitors assemble in the piazza every day to

view Bernini’s ingenious designs, and crafty planning skills that manipulated pilgrims' perceptions and their experience.

The fusion of shapes to create this unique space greets all visitors, a

nd leads them forward on their journey to St. Peter’s Basilica.

St. Peter's Piazza is able to hold over 300,000 people.

Source:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/international

My first impression was amazement at the large and expansive designs of St. Peter’s Piazza, which had never been seen before. With further research I found that this early baroque architecture was an excellent example to later artists and architects how light, space, and a viewer’s perception could be altered. I realized how much thought went into Bernini's final plans, and how successfully he mitigated the previous issues of the façade’s dimensions, and created wonder within the pilgrim as they viewed four-column-deep colonnades reduce to a single row. The details of the positioning of the trapezoidal piazza with the basilica, the angled colonnades, and even the diameter of the columns, impacted the pilgrims so that they perceived St. Peter’s Piazza as astonishing, welcoming, and perfect.

Bibliography

Borsi, Franco. Bernini. New York City: Rizzoli International Publications, 1984. 39-66. Print.

Hibbard, Howard. Bernini. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1966. Print.

Kitao, Timothy K. Circle and Oval in the Square of Saint Peter’s. New York: New York
University Press, 1974. Print.

Magnuson, Torgil. Rome in the Age of Bernini. Vol. II. New Jersey: Humanities, 1986. 164-72. Print.

Marder, Tod. Bernini and the Art of Architecture. New York: Abbeville Press, 1998. Print.

Morrissey, J. P. The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry That Transformed Rome. New York: W. Morrow, 2005. Print.