| Raphael Rooms | |
|---|---|
 The Stanza della Segnatura | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Artist | Raphael |
| Location | Apostolic Palace, part ofVatican Museums,Rome |
| Coordinates | 41°54′13″N12°27′23″E / 41.903611°N 12.456389°E /41.903611; 12.456389 |
The fourRaphael Rooms (Italian:Stanze di Raffaello) form a suite of reception rooms in theApostolic Palace, now part of theVatican Museums, inVatican City. They are famous for theirfrescoes, painted byRaphael and his workshop. Together withMichelangelo'sSistine Chapel ceiling frescoes, they are the grand fresco sequences that mark theHigh Renaissance inRome.
TheStanze, as they are commonly called, were originally intended as a suite of apartments forPope Julius II. He commissioned Raphael, then a relatively young artist fromUrbino, and his studio in 1508 or 1509 to redecorate the existing interiors of the rooms entirely. It was possibly Julius' intent to outshine the apartments of his predecessor (and rival)Pope Alexander VI, as theStanze are directly above Alexander'sBorgia Apartment. They are on the second floor, overlooking the south side of theBelvedere Courtyard.
Running from east to west, as a visitor would have entered the apartment, but not following the sequence in which theStanze were frescoed, the rooms are theSala di Costantino ("Hall of Constantine"), theStanza di Eliodoro ("Room of Heliodorus"), theStanza della Segnatura ("Room of the Signatura"), and theStanza dell'Incendio del Borgo ("The Room of theFire in the Borgo").
After the death of Julius in 1513, with two rooms frescoed,Pope Leo X continued the program. Following Raphael's death in 1520, his assistantsGianfrancesco Penni,Giulio Romano andRaffaellino del Colle finished the project with the frescoes in theSala di Costantino.
The scheme of the works is as follows:
| Room of the Signatura | Room of Heliodorus | Room of the Fire in the Borgo | Hall of Constantine |
|---|---|---|---|
| General view (I) | |||
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| General view (II) | |||
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| East wall | |||
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| The School of Athens | The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple | Battle of Ostia | The Vision of the Cross |
| South wall | |||
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| Cardinal and Theological Virtues | The Mass at Bolsena | The Fire in the Borgo | The Battle of the Milvian Bridge |
| West wall | |||
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| Disputation of the Holy Sacrament | The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila | The Coronation of Charlemagne | The Baptism of Constantine |
| North wall | |||
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| The Parnassus | Liberation of Saint Peter | The Oath of Leo III | The Donation of Constantine |
| Ceiling | |||
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The largest of the twelve rooms is theSala di Costantino ("Hall of Constantine"). Its paintings were not begun until Pope Julius and, indeed Raphael himself, had died. The room is dedicated to the victory of Christianity over paganism. Its frescoes represent this struggle from the life of the Roman EmperorConstantine, and are the work of Giulio Romano, Gianfrancesco Penni and Raffaellino del Colle. Because they are not by the master himself, the frescos are less famous than works in the neighboring rooms. Continuing a long tradition of flattery, Raphael's assistants gave the features of the current pontiff,Clement VII, toPope Sylvester in the paintings.
The fresco ofThe Vision of the Cross depicts the legendary story of a great cross appearing to Constantine as he marched to confront his rivalMaxentius. The vision in the sky is painted with the words in Greek "Εν τούτω νίκα" ("By this, conquer", better known as the LatinIn hoc signo vinces) written next to it.
The Battle of Milvian Bridge shows thebattle that took place on October 28, 312, following Constantine's vision.
The third painting in the sequence,The Baptism of Constantine, was most likely painted byGianfrancesco Penni, and shows the emperor being baptised byPope Sylvester I in theLateran Baptistery atRome. This follows the account of Constantine's baptism given in theActs of Sylvester and theLiber Pontificalis, rather than the alternate deathbed version recounted inEusebius'sLife of Constantine. InThe Baptism of Constantine, Pope Sylvester I has the physical features ofPope Clement VII (1523–1534), who ordered the completion of the Raphael Rooms.[1]
The final painting in the sequence,The Donation of Constantine, records an event that supposedly took place shortly after Constantine's baptism, and was inspired by the famousforged documents, incorporated into Gratian'sDecretum, granting the Papacy sovereignty over Rome's territorial dominions.
The next room, going from East to West, is theStanza di Eliodoro ("Room of Heliodorus"). Painted between 1511 and 1514, it takes its name from one of the paintings. The theme of this private chamber – probably an audience room – was the heavenly protection granted by Christ to the Church.[2] The four paintings are:The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple,The Mass at Bolsena,The Meeting of Pope Leo I and Attila, andThe Deliverance of Saint Peter from Prison. In the first two of these frescoes, Raphael flatteringly includes his patron, Pope Julius II, as participant or observer; the third, painted after Julius's death, includes a portrait of his successor, Leo X.
Raphael's style changed here from theStanza della Segnatura. Instead of the static images of the Pope's library, he had dramatic narratives to portray, and his approach was to maximize the frescoes' expressive effects. He represented fewer, larger figures so that their actions and emotions have more direct impact on the viewers, and he used theatrical lighting effects to spotlight certain figures and heighten tension.
InThe Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple Raphael illustrated the biblical episode fromII Maccabees (3:21–28) aboutHeliodorus, who was sent to seize the treasure preserved in theTemple in Jerusalem, but was stopped when the prayer of the priest of the temple was answered by angels who flogged the intruder and an angelic rider who chased him from the temple. The composition is considerably more dramatic than Raphael's earlier frescoes in the Stanza della Segnatura. Although the focal point is the still figure of the priest at prayer, Heliodorus and the angels rush forward into space, threatening to spill out of the painting. At the left Julius II, carried by the Swiss Guard in a chair, witnesses the event. His inclusion here refers to his battles to prevent secular leaders from usurping papal territories.[3]
The Mass at Bolsena depicts the story of a Bohemian priest who in 1263 ceased to doubt the doctrine ofTransubstantiation when he saw the bread begin to bleed during its consecration atMass. The cloth that was stained by the blood was held as a relic at the nearby town ofOrvieto; Julius II had visited Orvieto and prayed over the relic in 1506.[4] The Pope is portrayed as a participant in the Mass and a witness to the miracle; he kneels to the right of the altar, with members of the Curia (also portraits) standing behind him. Raphael distinguishes the "real" thirteenth-century witnesses from those who are contemporaries of the pope by their degree of engagement in the event; the latter concentrate calmly on Julius kneeling at his devotions rather than responding to the miracle.
The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila depicts the storied parley between thePope andthe Hun conqueror, and includes the legendary images of Saint Peter andSaint Paul in the sky bearing swords. A fully developed drawing by Raphael indicates he planned to place the pope – portrayed with Julius's features – in the background; when Leo X became pope – and just happened to choose the name Leo – he must have encouraged the artist to bring the pope front and center and use his own portrait.[5]
TheDeliverance of Saint Peter shows, in three episodes, howSaint Peter wasliberated from prison by anangel, as described inActs 12. It symbolizes the power of the Vicar of Christ to escape human restraints. Julius II's titular church as cardinal, before he was elevated to the papacy, had been S. Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains), so the painting is at once a general reference to the papacy and a specific reference to Julius.[6] The fresco is a study in light: natural moonlight, man-made torchlight, and God-provided angel light. It is the latter, of course, that outshines the others.
TheStanza della segnatura ("Room of the Signatura") was the first to be decorated by Raphael's frescoes. It was the study housing the library of Julius II, in which theSignatura of Grace tribunal was originally located. The artist's concept brings into harmony the spirits of Antiquity and Christianity and reflects the contents of the pope's library with themes of theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, and the poetic arts, represented intondi above the lunettes of the walls. The theme of this room is worldly and spiritual wisdom and the harmony whichRenaissancehumanists perceived betweenChristian teaching andGreek philosophy. The theme of wisdom is appropriate as this room was the council chamber for theApostolic Signatura, where most of the important papal documents were signed and sealed.
The first composition Raphael executed between 1509 and 1510[7] was theDisputation of the Holy Sacrament, the traditional name for what is really anAdoration of the Sacrament. In the painting, Raphael created an image of the church, which is presented as spanning both heaven and earth.
Raphael completed the second composition between 1509 and 1511.[8] It representsThe Parnassus, the dwelling place of the godApollo and the Muses and the home of poetry, according to classical myth. In the frescoApollo and the Muses are surrounded by poets from antiquity and Raphael's own time.
Between 1509 and 1511, Raphael also completed another work on the wall opposite theDisputa. This third painting,[9] entitledThe School of Athens, represents the degrees of knowledge or the truth acquired through reason. The fresco's position as well as the philosophers' walk in direction of the Holy Sacrament on the opposite wall suggested the interpretation of the whole room as the movement from the classical philosophy to the true religion and from the pre-Christian world to Christianity.[10] It was meant to reside over the philosophical section ofPope Julius II's library. It is perhaps Raphael's most famous fresco.
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The two scenes on the fourth wall, executed by the workshop, and the lunette above it, containing theCardinal Virtues, were painted in 1511.The Cardinal Virtues allegorically presents the virtues offortitude,prudence andtemperance alongsidecharity,faith, andhope.
TheStanza dell'incendio del Borgo was named for theFire in the Borgo fresco which depictsPope Leo IV making the sign of the cross to extinguish a raging fire in theBorgo district ofRome near theVatican. This room was prepared as a music room for Julius' successor,Leo X. The frescos depict events from the lives of PopesLeo III and Leo IV. The other paintings in the room areThe Oath of Leo III,The Coronation of Charlemagne by Leo III, andThe Battle of Ostia. Though theFire in the Borgo was based on Raphael's mature designs it was executed by his assistants, who painted the other three paintings without his guidance.
On December 23, 800AD, Pope Leo III took an oath of purgation concerning charges brought against him by the nephews of his predecessorPope Hadrian I. This event is shown inThe Oath of Leo III.
The Coronation of Charlemagne shows howCharlemagne was crownedImperator Romanorum on Christmas Day, 800.
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The Fire in the Borgo shows an event that is documented in theLiber Pontificalis: a fire that broke out in theBorgo inRome in 847. According to the Catholic Church,Pope Leo IV contained the fire with his benediction.
TheBattle of Ostia was inspired by thenaval victory of Leo IV over theSaracens atOstia in 849.
Media related toRaphael Rooms (Vatican Museums) at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Ecstasy of Saint Teresa | Landmarks of Rome Raphael Rooms | Succeeded by Sistine Chapel ceiling |
