Vatican Hidden Archives Articles
Vatican Visit
History
Vatican City as the headquarters of the Holy see is a relatively recent creation. The decision to make Via della Conciliazone into a thoroughfare leading into Vatican City was made in 1936, and the official opening occurred in 1950, a Jubilee Year. The Ager Vaticanus dates back to antiquity, and ironically was used as a circus where Christians were martyred. According to legend, the apostle Peter himself may have been a victim, and the supposed place of his burial was the site of a basilica, built by the Emperor Constantine.
Gradually, the bishop of Rome became more prominent, and by the 4th century we have the expression “Apostolic See,” to signify the “seat” of the apostles. Again, according to legend, Peter was the first bishop of Rome, followed in “apostolic succession” down through the ages to the present. The term “pope,” meaning “father,” gradually was applied to the bishop of Rome. The Papal States were created in 756 when Pepin the Short, king of the Franks, conquered the Lombards and gave Quiersy-sur-Oise, an occupied territory, to “The Republic of the Holy Church of God,” rather than to Byzantium, which had laid claims on it. In 846, following an attack by the Saracens, Leo IV built strong defensive walls around the Vatican district. This area was increased over the centuries.
Italy was unified from 1820 to 1870, and Rome was declared the country’s official capital under Victor Emmanuel II. In 1871 the Parliament passed the “Law of the Guarantees,” which made the Papacy subject to Italy. The Pope proceeded to excommunicate the signers. A series of conflicts followed, known as the “Roman Question.” Finally, in 1929, the “Lateran Treaty” was signed by Cardinal Gaspari and Mussolini, giving the Holy See sovereignty. The official portions of the Vatican State are the Vatican City itself, and several other properties, including the four major basilicas, St John Lateran, St Peter’s in the Vatican, St Paul Without the Walls, and St Mary Major. In addition, the State was given the Roman Curia, various colleges and seminaries, and the Villa at Castel Gondolfo. The entire territory adds up to 109 acres, with not quite 1,000 inhabitants.
Organization of the Church of Rome
Known worldwide as the Roman Catholic Church, its development into what it is today took many centuries. Fairly early on Rome became an important center for the Christian Church. In the Middle ages the Papacy was often implicated in matters of civil government and economic power. In 800 Pope Leo III crowned Emperor Charlemagne, creating a precedent for the Church’s endorsement of rulers. Two major splits in the Christian Church occurred, which would restrict the rule of the Pope: East and West (1054), and Protestant and Catholic (c. 1517). While his power has been increasingly restricted to spiritual matters, Vatican City is also a state, functioning as a country, albeit the smallest in the world. Furthermore, at the First Vatican Council (1870) proclaimed the Pope’s right to speak infallibly on matters of dogma or morals, when he speaks “ex cathedra,” that is, from the bishop’s seat.
The College of Cardinals: As the temporal Head of the Church, the Pope is assisted by the College of Cardinals, and by the Roman Curia. Cardinals are next in rank to the Pope. Their number varies, and today is about 190. They wear a scarlet cape over a linen rochet (a surplice with narrow sleeves). The Cardinals are the Pope’s closest advisers. As correctly represented in Angels & Demons, the Conclave is the assembly of the Cardinals. Whenever a new Pope is to be elected, they meet in a secret conclave, and must elect a new Pontiff within 10 days of the death of the previous Pope. They may not leave the palace where they meet until a new Pope has been elected. Nowadays, they meet to accomplish this task in the Sistine Chapel. According to Gregory X (1271-1276), who established most of the rules, after the first three days, the Cardinals may only have one meal a day for the next five days, and after that only bread and water. A majority of two thirds plus one is required for a valid election. A vote is held twice each day, and if inconclusive the ballots are burned, so as to produce dark smoke. When the vote is good, a plume of clear smoke appears above the Vatican, and the senior Cardinal appears at the façade window on St Peter’s to announce the new Pope, whereupon this designate appears himself and pronounces the first blessing to the world.
The Roman Curia is comprised of several bodies, the “dicasteries,” which help administer the Holy See. Each dicastery has a Cardinal as its head. Today, the Curia consists of two supreme bodies, (1) The Secretariat of State, a sort of cabinet under the Pope’s presidency, and (2) the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church, which handles most diplomatic affairs. In addition, there are (3) Congregations which handle specific doctrinal issues, and (4) three Courts which handle issues such as the annulment of marriages.
Important institutions
A number of groups, buildings and locations play a prominent part in the unfolding of the story, Angels & Demons.
The Swiss Guard: beginning in 1506, the Swiss Guard have been the official protectors of the Vatican. These soldiers were originally mercenaries who either fought in various wars or served to protect kings and palaces. Perhaps their most famous episode was the defense of the Tuileries Gardens during the French Revolution. Known for their discipline and toughness, one must not be deceived by their colorful uniforms: generally they wore red coats, but the line regiments had black, yellow or light blue facings with distinguished dark blue lapels and cuffs edged in white embroidery. Jealous to maintain neutrality, the Swiss constitution (amended in 1874), outlawed any recruitment of the Swiss military by foreign powers, although volunteering in foreign armies continued until prohibited outright, in 1927. Today, the only existing deployment of the Swiss Guard is at the Vatican.
The Secret Vatican Archives: The Vatican Secret Archive is adjacent to the Apostolic Library, which is one of the archival wonders of the world (founded in 1475, containing more than 60,000 volumes of manuscripts, 100,000 autographs and 100,000 engravings and maps). The Secret Vatican Archives is near the Vatican Museum, accessed through the Porta di S. Anna in via di Porta Angelica. they contain state papers, diaries from Roman families, papal account books, correspondence and the like. They have been estimated to contain 52 miles (84 km) of shelving, with some 35,000 volumes in the selective catalogue alone. According to the Vatican website, the oldest surviving document dates back to the 8th century. Of course, the Angels & Demons story suggests there are documents such as a notebook by Galileo containing secret signs of the location of the Illuminati, something altogether impossible. But the Secret Archives are the perfect stuff of a suspense novel, in that they use their own photographic and conservation studios, not open to the public.
The Sistine Chapel: One of the numerous treasures within the Vatican museums is the Sistine Chapel, named for Pope Sixtus IV, who commissioned it. This is the place where the Cardinals meet in conclave. The Pope’s successors, particularly Julius II, Clement VII and Paul III, engaged Michelangelo to paint the ceiling and the wall behind the altar. Today it has been restored, and remains one of the masterpieces of human artistry. Not only are there scenes and personages from biblical stories, but the Last Judgment stands in great boldness to remind worshipers not only of the impending judgment of Christ, but also of the dangers of schism.
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Key locations in Rome
The story of Angels & Demons unfolds around murders by the Illuminati of high placed Cardinals. Following the four primal elements cited in the Galileo volume, earth, air, fire, water, our two heroes, Robert and Vittoria track down each location, arriving too late to save the Cardinal. Grimly, each of them is murdered in a way in keeping with one of the four elements.
The Pantheon: Although in the story, it turns out to be a false lead, the Pantheon in Rome is well worth exploring. Various emperial dynasties believed it was crucial to leave their mark on Campus Marius, (The field of Mars) a place designated for the commemoration of various heroes. The Pantheon was built by Augustus (mentioned in the New Testament) in 27 BC, the original building was destroyed in a fire around 80 AD. Rebuilt in 127 by Hadrian, it now stands in its original form, perhaps the best preserved all ancient buildings of comparable age. Although the word “pantheon” means “all the gods,” the building was dedicated as a Christian church in 609 under Pope Boniface IV. The Christian character of the building is not especially mentioned in Angels & Demons, which is more interested in its odder features, such as the “demon’s hole,” literally an open hole in the ceiling, better known as the oculus, or the “great eye,” symbolically opened to the sky. After the Middle ages the place was used for the tombs of famous people, including Raphael, whose tomb is the false clue in the story. Two monarchs are buried there, Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I, whose sepulchers are guarded by an ancient Italian monarchist group. While various secularists object to this, the Catholic Church does not. Today the Pantheon is set in a charming square, the Piazza della Minerva, which features, among other things, an Egyptian obelisk from the 6th century BC, supported on an elephant’s back.
Santa Maria del Popolo: [Earth] Situated to the North of the Pantheon, one must traverse the imposing Porta del Popolo at one end of the square, before reaching the church. Inside of this church is the Chigi Chapel, one of six in the church (not eight as Dan Brown has it) It is named after one of Rome’s most prominent banking families. Raphael’s patron was Agostino Chigi. But the chapel would not be finished until over a century after Raphael’s death, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, whose patron, Fabio Chigi, would become Pope Alexander VII in 1655. The chapel was designed by Raphael in a most rational fashion, with round headed arches on the four walls. On one of them is the famous pyramid-shaped wall tomb, “Habbakuk and the Angel,” featuring the circle with Chigi’s bust carved out, and the plaque indicating the location of his tomb. Dan Brown, through Robert Langdon, connects this symbolism to the Illuminati and concludes that Chigi was a member. The Cardinal was found dead with his mouth filled with dirt.
The West Ponente: [Air] This is a marker, placed on the ground at St Peter’s Square. It is circular, and represents an angel breathing out a powerful gust of wind. This symbol provides Dan Brown with the setting for the murder of a Cardinal by means of punctured lungs.
Saint Theresa: [Fire] The Transverberation of St. Theresa is the central sculpture in a group designed by Bernini for the Cornaro Chapel inside Santa Maria della Vittoria. It is considered one of the greatest masterpieces in sculpture from the high baroque period. Although Bernini had fallen into disgrace because of his involvement with the reckless decadence of the Barberini papacy he was restored under Innocent X. St Theresa of Avila was the first recognized Carmelite saint, canonized in 1622. In her autobiography she describes an encounter with an angel which is worth quoting in part: “I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying.” (Autobiography, XIX, 13) The connection of this experience with fire is clear. The third Cardinal was engulfed in flames.
Piazza Navona: [Water] Finally, the Piazza Navona is one of Rome’s most beautiful squares, containing a veritable showcase of baroque sculpture. The one of central interest for the story is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, the fountain of the four rivers. It too has an Egyptian obelisk at the center. In addition to being papal monuments these fountains literally provided water for the city. Sponsored by the Pamphili family. Innocent X was in fact from this family. The statue was unveiled with great pomp and circumstance in order to attract visitors. The most conspicuous item on the Pamphili crest, was the olive branch, carried by a dove. Accordingly, olive branches were brandished by the performers who took part in the opening celebration. The Cardinal was drowned in this fountain.
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