With the return of the Papacy to Rome in the late 14th century, the city began a long process of recovery from the collapse of the Roman Empire, which occurred a millennium earlier.  The Pope would assert his role not only as the spiritual, but also as the earthly leader of the Latin Christian world.   During the Renaissance, Popes would begin to emulate the Emperors of Antiquity and begin to appropriate much of their artistic language. With the reconstruction of St. Peter’s and the Vatican Palace, the Pope now also had an appropriate seat from which to rule as the “Father of Kings”.

This lecture will be held in the Vatican Museums and Saint Peter’s Basilica. We will view the major works of the Vatican collection including the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Stanze and the Roman Antiquities.

We will then continue on to discuss the architecture and construction history of the most important church in the Catholic world – Saint Peter’s Basilica.

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