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The Gates of St Peter’s Cathedral in the 20th
Century and the History of the Church as Seen in Vatican Medals The exhibition in the General Staff building was organized by the State Hermitage together with the Apostolic Vatican Library, the Numismatic Collections (Rome), the Museum of Giacomo Manzu (Rome), the Museum of Venanzo Crocetti (Rome) and the Museum of Luciano Munguzzi (Milan) to mark the 500th anniversary of the St Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. St Peter’s Cathedral enjoys worldwide renown not only as the main Catholic church but also as a unique art monument that is comparable with the richest museums of the world. Though it appears to be unified and harmonious, it includes works from various periods, since it was built over a period of more than 400 years. The decision to begin construction of a new cathedral to replace an old basilica erected on the site of the burial of the Apostle Peter was made by Pope Julius II in 1506. The design for the new cathedral was prepared by the architect Donato Bramante. Following his death, construction was directed by Raphael and Antonio da Sangallo, who changed the original idea. However it was only in 1546, when Michelangelo took charge of the construction work, that considerable progress was made in the work. Michelangelo returned to the idea of a centric church as decided by Bramante, but he changed the design to suit his own idea of modern architecture. By 1564, when Michelangelo died, the cathedral was mostly built. It remained for Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana to complete the cupola and the lantern (a small tower at the top of the cupola with openings to admit daylight from above) in 1593. In the centuries which followed, right up to recent times, St Peter’s cathedral continued to be expanded and further decorated. Medals and coins from the collection of the Apostolic Vatican Library, which constitute the first part of the exhibition, tell us about the important stages in the history of the construction and decoration of St Peter’s cathedral. The earliest of the samples put on display - a gold three ducat coin and a medal showing the building of a new apse - still relate to the old basilica. Later medals provide evidence on the laying of the foundations of the cathedral in 1506: they depict various episodes connected with the construction of the church and its decoration. These medals were created by the greatest masters of Rome and are first class works of the medal-maker’s art. The most recent exhibit item in this section - a gold medal devoted to the five hundred years anniversary of the founding of the cathedral, is a duplication of the medal of 1506 framed in an image showing the symbols of Christianity. The second part of the exhibition tells us about the art work of three 20th century Italian sculptors who created bronze gates for St Peter’s cathedral. Based on a competition held in 1949, gates with a depiction of the Seven Mysteries of the Church, were made by Venanzo Crocetti (1913-2003). This portal was solemnly opened in 1964, together with the Gates of Death made by Giacomo Manzu (1908-1991). Somewhat later, in the period 1970-1977, Luciano Minguzzi (1911-2004) created the Gates of Good and Evil. All three sculptors belonged to a single generation and may be considered to have been among the greatest masters of the 20th century. Understanding the responsibility involved in the task before them, they devoted long years of their lives to the important commission. As a result, they produced three outstanding works of modern art in which one can see the reflection not only of the individual manner of each of them, but also their characteristic philosophical approaches to the subjects. While solving purely sculptural tasks, each of the artists created a work of profound content that reflects their thinking on good and evil, joy and suffering, life and death. The exhibition displays around 150 items, including preparatory sketches and models by Crocetti, Manzu and Minguzzi created during their work on the gates for the cathedral, as well as sculptures that give a rather complete idea of the creative signature of each of the three masters. The curator of the exhibition in the Hermitage is Serguey Androsov, doctor of art history. |
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