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Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's
Out of the clash of genius and the caprice of popes came the most glorious monument of the Renaissance
It was the splendor—and the scandal—of the age. In 1506, the ferociously ambitious Renaissance Pope Julius II tore down the most sacred shrine in Europe—the millenniumold St. Peter’s Basilica built by the Emperor Constantine over the apostle’s grave—to build a better basilica. Construction of the new St. Peter’s spanned two centuries, embroiled twenty-seven popes, and consumed the genius of the greatest artists of the age—Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael, and Bernini. As the basilica rose, modern Rome rose with it as glorious as the city of the Caesars. But the cost was unimaginable. The new basilica provoked the Protestant Reformation, dividing the Christian world for all time.
It was the splendor—and the scandal—of the age. In 1506, the ferociously ambitious Renaissance Pope Julius II tore down the most sacred shrine in Europe—the millenniumold St. Peter’s Basilica built by the Emperor Constantine over the apostle’s grave—to build a better basilica. Construction of the new St. Peter’s spanned two centuries, embroiled twenty-seven popes, and consumed the genius of the greatest artists of the age—Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael, and Bernini. As the basilica rose, modern Rome rose with it as glorious as the city of the Caesars. But the cost was unimaginable. The new basilica provoked the Protestant Reformation, dividing the Christian world for all time.
In this swift, colorful narrative, R. A. Scotti brings to life the artists and the popes, the politics and the passions behind this audacious enterprise. Gothic cathedrals reach up to heaven, but the basilica brings heaven to earth, and the new St. Peter’s was the defining event of the high Renaissance.
In the tradition of Brunelleschi’s Dome, Scotti turns sacred architecture into a spellbinding human epic of enormous daring, petty jealousy, and staggering genius.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 21, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews
May 14, 2016
From the back cover:
In 1506, the ferociously ambitious Pope Julius II shocked Christendom by razing the original St. Peter's, which had stood for over a millennium, to make way for a magnificent new church. Scandalous from its inception, the construction of the new St. Peter's would take two tumultuous centuries to complete, challenge the greatest visionaries of the Renaissance ~~ Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bramante ~~ and provoke
the Reformation. In this fascinating book, R. A. Scotti traces the defining architectural feat of a glorious epoch and shows how its rise forever transformed the Eternal City.
This book was fascinating on many levels. The artists and architects involved in the building, the Popes who either championed or ignored the project, the evolution of the Church during those years, the Basilica itself as it grew from nothing to a landmark known worldwide.
My thoughts are still swirling but I will try to pin them down. There are familiar places that those of us alive today recognize, and it can be difficult to imagine them in any other form. I think that makes us take these areas for granted, and reading a book like this one can help a person appreciate how magical these places truly are, and what a human triumph their construction was.
Numbers on a page don't translate very well into an awareness of size, at least not in my math-phobic brain. There is an appendix at the end of the book listing various statistics of St. Peter's, but a casually tossed out fact in the book itself brought home the scale of the place a bit better for me. After the dome was completed, the decoration of the interior began. There is a Latin phrase around the lower rim of the cupola: in order for it to be seen from the floor below, each letter is six feet high, almost as tall as my brother.
This reminded me of reading about the three ships that carried Columbus on his voyage to the New World in 1492. They were about 56 to 58 feet long, which never meant much to me until I read that a tennis court was 78 feet long. Imagine going to sea in a ship that would fit inside a tennis court!
But now imagine the sheer bravado of designing and building on the scale of the Basilica, which has room inside for 50,000 people. Supposedly it was conceived for the glory of God, but human egos were very much involved, and it seemed that nearly everyone on the project wanted to be sure that future generations would know exactly who was responsible for what. I wonder about the workers, the men who actually raised St. Peter's stone by stone. The thinkers were important of course, but without the blood, sweat, and tears of the construction crew, the Basilica would never have found its soul.
In 1506, the ferociously ambitious Pope Julius II shocked Christendom by razing the original St. Peter's, which had stood for over a millennium, to make way for a magnificent new church. Scandalous from its inception, the construction of the new St. Peter's would take two tumultuous centuries to complete, challenge the greatest visionaries of the Renaissance ~~ Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bramante ~~ and provoke
the Reformation. In this fascinating book, R. A. Scotti traces the defining architectural feat of a glorious epoch and shows how its rise forever transformed the Eternal City.
This book was fascinating on many levels. The artists and architects involved in the building, the Popes who either championed or ignored the project, the evolution of the Church during those years, the Basilica itself as it grew from nothing to a landmark known worldwide.
My thoughts are still swirling but I will try to pin them down. There are familiar places that those of us alive today recognize, and it can be difficult to imagine them in any other form. I think that makes us take these areas for granted, and reading a book like this one can help a person appreciate how magical these places truly are, and what a human triumph their construction was.
Numbers on a page don't translate very well into an awareness of size, at least not in my math-phobic brain. There is an appendix at the end of the book listing various statistics of St. Peter's, but a casually tossed out fact in the book itself brought home the scale of the place a bit better for me. After the dome was completed, the decoration of the interior began. There is a Latin phrase around the lower rim of the cupola: in order for it to be seen from the floor below, each letter is six feet high, almost as tall as my brother.
This reminded me of reading about the three ships that carried Columbus on his voyage to the New World in 1492. They were about 56 to 58 feet long, which never meant much to me until I read that a tennis court was 78 feet long. Imagine going to sea in a ship that would fit inside a tennis court!
But now imagine the sheer bravado of designing and building on the scale of the Basilica, which has room inside for 50,000 people. Supposedly it was conceived for the glory of God, but human egos were very much involved, and it seemed that nearly everyone on the project wanted to be sure that future generations would know exactly who was responsible for what. I wonder about the workers, the men who actually raised St. Peter's stone by stone. The thinkers were important of course, but without the blood, sweat, and tears of the construction crew, the Basilica would never have found its soul.
June 1, 2013
This book was left at our rental apartment in Rome. So I read it before heading over to tour the Vatican. Scotti hits the highlights of the construction and covers the same information as the tour guides. So I was able to ruin most of the tour guide's jokes to the annoyance of everybody else in the group. The writing is not very good. Too much attempt at dramatic flair and cliff hangers that cut against a flowing narrative. I give the book 2 stars and St. Peter's Basilica a solid 5 stars.
November 26, 2015
A highly interesting and entertaining history of the building of St. Peter's basilica in Rome. Great for anyone interested in Renaissance history.
August 2, 2009
Very similar to ‘Brunelleschi’s Dome’ this is an account of building St. Peter’s. Broader is scope (the whole building not just the dome—and it is much bigger—thus more complicated, right?) but not as interesting, for some reason, this covers the centuries it took to assemble the building we have today. (I used the word ‘assemble’ like it came in a kit!) A building so magnificent and mysterious deserves the same in its telling. All the back stories are there—in-fighting amongst the pious, religious wars, endless debates concerning cost, style and content. Perhaps I read this too close to ‘Dome’ because that book zipped along and this one plods. The author seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time on the creation of the hole the building would sit in. Things that fascinate him aren’t necessarily fascinating.
The only time this account perks up is when Michelangelo comes on the scene. Make way for genius! You have to love the fact that in both St. Peters and the Duomo in Florence the bulk of the building had been built before the architects and masons began thinking about what was going to go on top. It’s a little like sending the Space Shuttle into orbit without every considering how to get it down. If Julius II hadn’t conscripted the artist for the Sistine, Mike might have still been in Florence and never had his crack at the dome. Here is another ‘lets face it people:’ when you visit St. Peters, there are three things you’ll talk about—the totally Bernini's bizzare baldacchino (it’s 92 feet tall for gosh sakes—and the largest single piece of cast bronze in the world), the pieta, and . . . here it comes . . . Michelangelo’s dome! (He learned from Brunelleschi, by the way.) Hmm. Maybe I’m a Domeophile. I like the one at the Pantheon as well.
Interesting facts and ideas abound. It’s just written in a completely uninspiring way. Certainly the litany of Popes over a couple hundred years of construction must have had some gossipy bits. I was always under the impression during the Renaissance the artists were the solid citizens and the clergy were the rascals.
The illustrations are terrific. The first basilica on the spot of St. Peters tomb looked like a Wal-Mart. It deserved to be torn down. The designs for the second went through so many changes you can not even rationalize in your mind what you see today. It really is fascinating. But—if you had massive walls collapsing, rabid Popes changing design mid construction, floods, invading armies, plagues and Acts of God, don’t you think the author could have found it a little more exciting?
It reads like a doctoral thesis—but, a good one.
The only time this account perks up is when Michelangelo comes on the scene. Make way for genius! You have to love the fact that in both St. Peters and the Duomo in Florence the bulk of the building had been built before the architects and masons began thinking about what was going to go on top. It’s a little like sending the Space Shuttle into orbit without every considering how to get it down. If Julius II hadn’t conscripted the artist for the Sistine, Mike might have still been in Florence and never had his crack at the dome. Here is another ‘lets face it people:’ when you visit St. Peters, there are three things you’ll talk about—the totally Bernini's bizzare baldacchino (it’s 92 feet tall for gosh sakes—and the largest single piece of cast bronze in the world), the pieta, and . . . here it comes . . . Michelangelo’s dome! (He learned from Brunelleschi, by the way.) Hmm. Maybe I’m a Domeophile. I like the one at the Pantheon as well.
Interesting facts and ideas abound. It’s just written in a completely uninspiring way. Certainly the litany of Popes over a couple hundred years of construction must have had some gossipy bits. I was always under the impression during the Renaissance the artists were the solid citizens and the clergy were the rascals.
The illustrations are terrific. The first basilica on the spot of St. Peters tomb looked like a Wal-Mart. It deserved to be torn down. The designs for the second went through so many changes you can not even rationalize in your mind what you see today. It really is fascinating. But—if you had massive walls collapsing, rabid Popes changing design mid construction, floods, invading armies, plagues and Acts of God, don’t you think the author could have found it a little more exciting?
It reads like a doctoral thesis—but, a good one.
December 17, 2011
Okay... So did I ACTUALLY finish this for AP Euro? That's open for debate... But seriously, it's not going to be on any test or final so I figured I'd rather spend my time on more sophisticated reading like Charlie Brown.
November 2, 2015
I really should know better then to read a historical nonfiction book with the word "scandal" in the title.
November 3, 2014
R.A. Scotti's "Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's" is more than just a biography of one of the world's great architectural wonder's. “Basilica” is a wonderfully readable historical narrative of the mid and late Renaissance in a plot-thick story of warrior-popes, international intrigue, angst-riddled artistes all intersecting, orbiting and colliding at this historical inflection point.
The building itself was constructed under the leadership of thirty different popes. Scotti writes, "...the convulsions of history became a backdrop that changed like a series of stage sets. Over the decades of construction, the Church evolved, and the world evolved with it and sometimes because of it."
Pope Julius II placed the first stone over the very spot where Jesus' disciple Peter was buried. She writes, "The enterprise was audacious, but so were the times. Gutenberg had invented the printing press, Columbus had stumbled on a new continent, and the Renaissance was in full bloom."
The list of characters who played central and supporting roles is like a who's who of 15th and 16th Century European stars: Michelangelo, Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), numerous di' Medicis, Bramante, Sangallo (Older AND Younger), Raphael, Martin Luther, Columbus, Pizarro, King Charles V, and the list goes on and on. It’s a Renaissance Festival on the Love Boat.
“Basilica” is not a historical treatise weighed heavily down by obscure footnotes, and archival trivia. It's not intended to be. It's an episodic narrative, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the tortured, anguished, aggressive, pious, unethical and enlightened personalities that drove, and were driven, by the 15th and 16th century Renaissance.
While Florence was the beating heart of the Renaissance, pumping its blood across Europe, Scotti writes “Rome, this city of Caesars and cradle of Christianity, was a hellhole, the imperial relics overgrown, buried, or turned into animal lairs.” This was not unnoticed by the nuovo-Caesar Popes, who thought, as one papal biographer wrote, that the “Vatican should outshine in magnificence the Palatine of the Emperors.” This vision was not such a stretch as, Scotti writes, “The Renaissance papacy became a government more than a religion, led by statesmen and sometimes warriors who could rarely afford to be saints.”
One of the stars of “Basilica” is Pope Julius II – known as the Warrior-Pope. He’d survived and outlasted his Borgia enemies, and took full advantage of his time in papal office. He was a human hurricane, driving away, or over, anything in his path. One contemporary wrote that he was “full of fury and extravagant conceptions.” This hurricane was the driving force of a new St. Peter’s Basilica…if not in it’s modern state, then certainly in its conception.
Scotti writes, “He brought recalcitrant princes to heel, reclaimed papal territories…and ennobled the world with art.” A scholar wrote, “It was through him that Rome became the Classical City of the World…and the Papacy the pioneer of civilization.”
And while the Renaissance recognized an explosion in new thinking, it’s most visible manifestation is its explosion of art. Art became a mechanism for mass communication. Think of it as an ancient twitter – instead of 140 characters – think of 140 pounds of marble…
Julius knew the beauty and power of art, and wanted it to be an integral part of this new monument to God and Christianity (and to a lesser, but still significant extent, to him). Art and architecture were inextricably connected during the Renaissance. And so some of the most famous painters of the time were also key members of the Basilica’s architectural ‘staff’ – namely Raphael and Michelangelo.
The story of the Basilica is not (only) a story of a building. It’s a story of personalities.
If Julius II is one of the leads, then Michelangelo is his co-star. Michelangelo is absolutely a tortured soul…tormented by his talent and his need to create. He comes across as the most pious of almost all other players in this world theater. He seems to have adored, feared, hated and idolized Julius…all at the same time.
Julius asked Michelangelo to sculpt a magnificent tomb, but for numerous reasons neither man could deliver. Michelangelo would ultimately deliver his “Moses” as the centerpiece to Julius’ tomb, but it’s not in the Basilica, and magnificent as it is, it represents only a shadow of what both men originally wanted. Michelangelo would paint the Sistine Chapel (the ceiling and the back wall), but he would also serve as chief architect of St. Peters, 30 years after Julius died.
There’s certainly a “Pillars of Earth” vibe to the tale - but without any of the ‘regular’ people. All of these heroes and villains (and at times it’s impossible to tell the difference…nor does it really matter) are characters on a grand stage.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book for what it is: a crisp narrative of Renaissance Europe, full of bigger-than-life characters, and world-changing events colliding around the creation of a man-made miracle. It’s a miracle of architectural and artistic achievement and a testament to something much bigger and longer lasting than the world events in its orbit.
“Basilica” is extremely well written, and reads as smoothly as good historical novel. Except none of it is fiction. It’s too good to be fiction. This book is a must if you’re planning a trip to Rome or simply interested in a coherent and comprehensive overview of this fascinating period in history.
The building itself was constructed under the leadership of thirty different popes. Scotti writes, "...the convulsions of history became a backdrop that changed like a series of stage sets. Over the decades of construction, the Church evolved, and the world evolved with it and sometimes because of it."
Pope Julius II placed the first stone over the very spot where Jesus' disciple Peter was buried. She writes, "The enterprise was audacious, but so were the times. Gutenberg had invented the printing press, Columbus had stumbled on a new continent, and the Renaissance was in full bloom."
The list of characters who played central and supporting roles is like a who's who of 15th and 16th Century European stars: Michelangelo, Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), numerous di' Medicis, Bramante, Sangallo (Older AND Younger), Raphael, Martin Luther, Columbus, Pizarro, King Charles V, and the list goes on and on. It’s a Renaissance Festival on the Love Boat.
“Basilica” is not a historical treatise weighed heavily down by obscure footnotes, and archival trivia. It's not intended to be. It's an episodic narrative, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the tortured, anguished, aggressive, pious, unethical and enlightened personalities that drove, and were driven, by the 15th and 16th century Renaissance.
While Florence was the beating heart of the Renaissance, pumping its blood across Europe, Scotti writes “Rome, this city of Caesars and cradle of Christianity, was a hellhole, the imperial relics overgrown, buried, or turned into animal lairs.” This was not unnoticed by the nuovo-Caesar Popes, who thought, as one papal biographer wrote, that the “Vatican should outshine in magnificence the Palatine of the Emperors.” This vision was not such a stretch as, Scotti writes, “The Renaissance papacy became a government more than a religion, led by statesmen and sometimes warriors who could rarely afford to be saints.”
One of the stars of “Basilica” is Pope Julius II – known as the Warrior-Pope. He’d survived and outlasted his Borgia enemies, and took full advantage of his time in papal office. He was a human hurricane, driving away, or over, anything in his path. One contemporary wrote that he was “full of fury and extravagant conceptions.” This hurricane was the driving force of a new St. Peter’s Basilica…if not in it’s modern state, then certainly in its conception.
Scotti writes, “He brought recalcitrant princes to heel, reclaimed papal territories…and ennobled the world with art.” A scholar wrote, “It was through him that Rome became the Classical City of the World…and the Papacy the pioneer of civilization.”
And while the Renaissance recognized an explosion in new thinking, it’s most visible manifestation is its explosion of art. Art became a mechanism for mass communication. Think of it as an ancient twitter – instead of 140 characters – think of 140 pounds of marble…
Julius knew the beauty and power of art, and wanted it to be an integral part of this new monument to God and Christianity (and to a lesser, but still significant extent, to him). Art and architecture were inextricably connected during the Renaissance. And so some of the most famous painters of the time were also key members of the Basilica’s architectural ‘staff’ – namely Raphael and Michelangelo.
The story of the Basilica is not (only) a story of a building. It’s a story of personalities.
If Julius II is one of the leads, then Michelangelo is his co-star. Michelangelo is absolutely a tortured soul…tormented by his talent and his need to create. He comes across as the most pious of almost all other players in this world theater. He seems to have adored, feared, hated and idolized Julius…all at the same time.
Julius asked Michelangelo to sculpt a magnificent tomb, but for numerous reasons neither man could deliver. Michelangelo would ultimately deliver his “Moses” as the centerpiece to Julius’ tomb, but it’s not in the Basilica, and magnificent as it is, it represents only a shadow of what both men originally wanted. Michelangelo would paint the Sistine Chapel (the ceiling and the back wall), but he would also serve as chief architect of St. Peters, 30 years after Julius died.
There’s certainly a “Pillars of Earth” vibe to the tale - but without any of the ‘regular’ people. All of these heroes and villains (and at times it’s impossible to tell the difference…nor does it really matter) are characters on a grand stage.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book for what it is: a crisp narrative of Renaissance Europe, full of bigger-than-life characters, and world-changing events colliding around the creation of a man-made miracle. It’s a miracle of architectural and artistic achievement and a testament to something much bigger and longer lasting than the world events in its orbit.
“Basilica” is extremely well written, and reads as smoothly as good historical novel. Except none of it is fiction. It’s too good to be fiction. This book is a must if you’re planning a trip to Rome or simply interested in a coherent and comprehensive overview of this fascinating period in history.
April 19, 2020
An interesting account and well chosen facts. Sadly, they are undermined by the lack of sources and "juicy" digressions, making this book more of an action novel than a historical account of the building of St Peter's Basilica.
November 4, 2025
I'll never forget the day I walked into St. Peter's. Growing up evangelical, the catholic church was only ever spoken about with malice and disgust. And so tragically, weirdly, I only learned about St. Peter's when I laid eyes on it. But (and without the cliche of a religious awakening) that day truly changed me. I had never seen something so immense, so old (although I know not that old compared to other architecture in Rome), and so majestic. Something so vast constructed without the ease of modern technology. As I wandered around in awe, the choir started a hymn and filled the halls with even more haunting glory.
Needless to say, I've been enamored with St. Peter's and of course, Rome ever since. This book recreated some of that same awe and gave a nicely detailed account of the history and at times, the psychology or the influence of man on a place such as this.
Really I'd give this book 4.5 stars because I could have lived without the cliches and overstatements, but would have welcomed more details about the square and the moving of the obelisk - how no one could ever get it right. But all in all, a great accomplice to a beautiful place with an almost 100 year architectural history. And a reminder that not only did Michaelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel and carve the statue of David, but was ultimately the final architect and mastermind behind the dome. In just 86 years!
Needless to say, I've been enamored with St. Peter's and of course, Rome ever since. This book recreated some of that same awe and gave a nicely detailed account of the history and at times, the psychology or the influence of man on a place such as this.
Really I'd give this book 4.5 stars because I could have lived without the cliches and overstatements, but would have welcomed more details about the square and the moving of the obelisk - how no one could ever get it right. But all in all, a great accomplice to a beautiful place with an almost 100 year architectural history. And a reminder that not only did Michaelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel and carve the statue of David, but was ultimately the final architect and mastermind behind the dome. In just 86 years!
November 17, 2022
4.5 stars
December 25, 2016
This short book does a surprisingly good job of covering the various facets of St. Peter's construction. Scotti discusses the various personalities involved, the effects on the overall Church, as well as the Vatican's financing, politics, arts, and architecture. The author's writing is uninspired, but the story is so interesting and fast paced one hardly notices.
April 17, 2014
A fantastic history of not only Rome and the Basilica, but also of the incredible artwork, architecture, and engineering during the construction that changed the world. Highly recommend.
April 6, 2017
I enjoyed this book very much because I love architecture and Rome and St. Peter's and Michelangelo and Bernini. But the whole time I was reading this book, I was thinking, have I read this before? I've kept a list of all the books I've read since I was 10, and this wasn't on the list, so either I read it and didn't record it (which seems unlikely), or I've learned all this information from other books, art history classes, documentaries & trips to the Vatican. Either way, though not feeling like I learned anything new, it was so enjoyable to revisit my wonderful college study abroad trips to Rome and the art and architecture I loved there.
July 14, 2023
A good history of Papacy from the late 1400s to the 1600s. The story of St. Peter’s seems to be a story of the church itself during the Reformation era and the book attempts with success to tell the story of the reformation alongside the construction of the Basilica. Furthermore, it is also a story of the many artists and architects who worked on the Basilica and how those two professions changed over time.
September 13, 2019
On the one hand, part of me is sad we no longer consider architecture an art and that buildings seem temporary instead of eternal. On the other hand, schisiming the church for a building was probably not great, even if it is a lovely building.
March 24, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. Basilica is a thorough history of the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. I am visiting Italy in May and wanted to know more about some of the key sites I will see; this book did the job really well. The building of St. Peter's is a fascinating story. I was unaware of how many key figures from the Renaissance were involved in the project. Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini and Pope Julius II all played key roles. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in St. Peter's or the Renaissance.
August 26, 2025
I am probably being too harsh with my one star but it isn't as good as James Lee-Milne's 1967 'Saint Peter's: The Story of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome' but if you can't do any better and actual produce a worse book then one published forty years before what is the point?!
February 23, 2025
michelangelo real asf if we’re being honest
January 19, 2016
Scotti's book is no scholarly review of Renaissance history but a page-turner: you'd know this from the review by Entertainment Weekly on the back cover. But it takes someone with her eye and ear to sift the historical record for the personalities and events that characterize Renaissance Rome, and do so in a way that not only teaches but delights. It was an age left an abiding testament to its religious and artistic fervor, written in the very buildings and streets that stand to the present day and command such admiration from those who still visit their works.
I found Basilica to be a very helpful guide to appreciate Rome, not only for its travel-guide maps in the appendix for good walks through the city, but for a pope-by-pope narrative of the construction of the masterpiece of St. Peter's. The construction of the church becomes the hook on which hangs the tapestry of two centuries of Roman history. Deciphering the inscriptions on the facades of 400 year old churches and obelisks does little to communicate their meaning; Scotti allowed me to appreciate the willpower and wealth that made them possible, filling the spare Latin with Italian grace and furor.
This does, of course, result in some silly things that more precise writers would avoid; claiming that "when Constantine picked up the shovel in the Vatican field to build his shrine to Peter, he blurred the distinction between Caesar and God" should elicit a guffaw from anyone who has pursued even a cursory study of theology or history. Similarly unhistorical is her curiously modern (even Protestant) view that "the secular and the sacred borrowed so freely from each other that by the time the Renaissance reached Rome, the two were as inseparable as body and soul" as some kind of Roman Catholic inhalation of paganism. Only an author thoroughly immersed in a milieu that has so utterly cloven the sacred from secular (and, I might add, soul from body) could write such a sentence.
Little bon mots referencing the Gospels ("architectural plans multiplied like loaves and fishes") pepper the text, and seem like condescending enticements to the churchy demographic, but this is a quibbling critique of an otherwise informative story that gave me great pleasure to read. In fact, upon my return from a recent visit to Rome, I reread it to be able to picture more vividly the places and characters that people her well-researched story. It is clearly the work of the amateur, in the etymological sense of the word--a work not of professional objectivity, but of one who loves her subject.
I found Basilica to be a very helpful guide to appreciate Rome, not only for its travel-guide maps in the appendix for good walks through the city, but for a pope-by-pope narrative of the construction of the masterpiece of St. Peter's. The construction of the church becomes the hook on which hangs the tapestry of two centuries of Roman history. Deciphering the inscriptions on the facades of 400 year old churches and obelisks does little to communicate their meaning; Scotti allowed me to appreciate the willpower and wealth that made them possible, filling the spare Latin with Italian grace and furor.
This does, of course, result in some silly things that more precise writers would avoid; claiming that "when Constantine picked up the shovel in the Vatican field to build his shrine to Peter, he blurred the distinction between Caesar and God" should elicit a guffaw from anyone who has pursued even a cursory study of theology or history. Similarly unhistorical is her curiously modern (even Protestant) view that "the secular and the sacred borrowed so freely from each other that by the time the Renaissance reached Rome, the two were as inseparable as body and soul" as some kind of Roman Catholic inhalation of paganism. Only an author thoroughly immersed in a milieu that has so utterly cloven the sacred from secular (and, I might add, soul from body) could write such a sentence.
Little bon mots referencing the Gospels ("architectural plans multiplied like loaves and fishes") pepper the text, and seem like condescending enticements to the churchy demographic, but this is a quibbling critique of an otherwise informative story that gave me great pleasure to read. In fact, upon my return from a recent visit to Rome, I reread it to be able to picture more vividly the places and characters that people her well-researched story. It is clearly the work of the amateur, in the etymological sense of the word--a work not of professional objectivity, but of one who loves her subject.
July 26, 2016
This is an outstanding book that chronicles the building of the Vatican Basilica. The cast of real life major hitters in this book are simply amazing. And, the personalities that merge from this author's work are worth the read!
With the lack of technology and the lack of tools available today, it is amazing at the high degree of workmanship and beauty that was created. Obviously missing, are the numbers of workers who died creating such a structure as St. Peter's!
However, the book makes up for some of the missing details, by creating a wonderful perspective of the likes of Michaelangelo and the popes he served, some to his dismay!
When you read this work, it is apparent that the Reformation had a tone of the insistence upon the building of this facility as a basis for the protests, aka protestants- who rose up against the taxation to create this major church.
This is a book that does not leave the reader, as it is finished, but rather makes you look for other similar books to find out more!
With the lack of technology and the lack of tools available today, it is amazing at the high degree of workmanship and beauty that was created. Obviously missing, are the numbers of workers who died creating such a structure as St. Peter's!
However, the book makes up for some of the missing details, by creating a wonderful perspective of the likes of Michaelangelo and the popes he served, some to his dismay!
When you read this work, it is apparent that the Reformation had a tone of the insistence upon the building of this facility as a basis for the protests, aka protestants- who rose up against the taxation to create this major church.
This is a book that does not leave the reader, as it is finished, but rather makes you look for other similar books to find out more!
November 20, 2008
I didn't want to, but I finally finished this book. It tells the story of the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and gives illustrative accounts of the Popes, artists and the politics that contributed to the massive structure. I'd recommend this book for anyone who likes religious history or art history. The author speaks frankly about the role of building such an edifice to solidify the authority and grandeur of the One true church.
As he lay dying, Pope Nicholas V (who commissioned the building of the Basilica) explained his building philosophy to his cardinals, " A popular faith, sustained only on doctrines, will never be anything but feeble and vacillating. But if the authority of the Holy See were visibly displayed in majestic buildings, imperishable memorials, and witnesses seemingly planted by the hand of Gd Himself, belief would grow and strengthen like a tradition from one generation to another, and all the world would accept and revere it."
As he lay dying, Pope Nicholas V (who commissioned the building of the Basilica) explained his building philosophy to his cardinals, " A popular faith, sustained only on doctrines, will never be anything but feeble and vacillating. But if the authority of the Holy See were visibly displayed in majestic buildings, imperishable memorials, and witnesses seemingly planted by the hand of Gd Himself, belief would grow and strengthen like a tradition from one generation to another, and all the world would accept and revere it."
October 17, 2013
Scott has digested 150+ years into 250+ pages. Considering the outsized ambition of the Basilica project and the stature of the participants, her summarization is a major feat. If you are knowledgeable about this project and/or this time in history, this book is not for you. This book is for general readers (like me) who have little background in this project and its place in time.
With the construction of St. Peter's Basilica as a focus we get a feel for papal history, this time in the City of Rome, how the Reformation morphed into the Counter Reformation, how the renaissance artistic ideals morphed into baroque, and, of course the towering artistic figures of the times. Each of these areas, that affected the construction of the Basilica, has its own massive literature. Scott has done a good job of making this accessible.
With the construction of St. Peter's Basilica as a focus we get a feel for papal history, this time in the City of Rome, how the Reformation morphed into the Counter Reformation, how the renaissance artistic ideals morphed into baroque, and, of course the towering artistic figures of the times. Each of these areas, that affected the construction of the Basilica, has its own massive literature. Scott has done a good job of making this accessible.
January 8, 2019
A wonderful read for Rome and renaissance geeks like me. This book describes the building of St. Peter through the ages, the artists and the surrounding conditions and it’s written great.
If you visit Rome, this book is wonderful and will enrich your knowledge and your trip. To maximize the experience I’d also recommend similar books about the Sistine Chapel, Caravaggio, Bernini is Borromini, and more... I won’t write the name of the books but you can find them in the Goodreads lists along with this one, and together they make a very good series of books about Rome, art, and history.
If you visit Rome, this book is wonderful and will enrich your knowledge and your trip. To maximize the experience I’d also recommend similar books about the Sistine Chapel, Caravaggio, Bernini is Borromini, and more... I won’t write the name of the books but you can find them in the Goodreads lists along with this one, and together they make a very good series of books about Rome, art, and history.
March 4, 2014
An excellent book! It tells the story of the saints and scoundrels whose vision and talent built the magnificent Basilica of St, Peter. The author weaves the history of the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Counter-Reformation through the building of the Basilica just as she weaves the personalities of the saints and scoundrels through it. The book is clear and readable without being simplistic. Well done!
April 24, 2017
This book was well written for the most part and I learned much about the various historical figures who had a hand in creating the Basilica. However, I often felt overwhelmed by details especially regarding the sizes of the different structures. And it was only sheer stubbornness that got me past the opening 50 or so pages where the author skipped around so many unrelated topics that I didn't know where the story was headed.
March 24, 2010
The late R.A. Scotti adequately covers over 100 years of history and popes, artisits and egos to present an informative picture of the construction of the new St. Peter's Basilica. A bit uneven at times but still manages to bring to life the splendor and beauty of a truly incredible building. My only wish is that I get to see St. Peter's with my own eyes one day.
February 6, 2016
A brilliant read on the history surrounding the building of St Peter's basilica. Infuses a great symmetry between the history of the popes, the architects and architecture. The feuds, politics and superstition kept me compelled to the pages.
This was a friends recommendation; he himself is an architectural enthusiast and was worried I would find it boring. Not. At. All.
This was a friends recommendation; he himself is an architectural enthusiast and was worried I would find it boring. Not. At. All.
Read
December 15, 2008Bonnie says that this "is a wonderfully easy to read art history book! Learn how much of a brat Michelangelo was, how looney the popes were, and how this all helped create the most amazing Renaissance art!"
January 1, 2026
Basilica… over 150 years of history in just over 250 pages. As to be expected, the history is not in depth but enough to make for an interesting, enjoyable read that inspires continued research. (Feeling the desire for another field trip to Rome where during my first visit, I attended Wednesday blessing by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square ).
The history of St. Peter’s Basilica is the history of a city in transformation, a religion off course, 20 popes offering the controversial sale of indulgences (which raised building funds but provoked Martin Luther), numerous architects, contractors, masons, and artists including pure hearted Michelangelo, the Baroque genius Bernini and the insanely jealous Raphael.
The most interesting and thought provoking portion of this book came at the beginning with Pope Julius ll deciding to raze Constantine’s St. Peter’s Church and replace it with the massive, glittering “biggest church in the world” we see today. I was so intrigued by Julius’ “we’re doing this come hell or high water” demeanor that I jotted down a few of the author’s descriptors of this man who seemingly revered Julius Caesar: “Few people provoked more vitriol in his lifetime,”. “…hurling weapons at any and all who opposed him.” “Militant.” “Arrogant.” “…like a sea surge, overwhelmed everything and everybody….” “…out with the foreigners…” There is no political attempt here, and I will say that history has been much kinder to the Warrior Pope giving him credit for leaving the financially strapped Rome with more money in the coffers than anyone before him, for identifying talents as in artists and artisans, for recovering territory which had been lost and for beginning the complex which is today the undeniable center of the Roman Catholic Church. On a different note, historians mark this period as the beginning of the reformation. Read: “Julius Excluded from Heaven,” Erasmus’ satire of Julius ll trying to bully his way into heaven but denied entry by St. Peter who insisted that heaven is for humble peacemakers. (I’ll admit that I asked ChatGPT to compare Julius ll with Donald Trump. Interesting. Recommend)
Through the course of this book, the author does a good job of illustrating how the Papacy recovered its mission after Julius and others misused their authority. Actually, Scotti does a good job on many levels.
I really, really enjoyed this book just as I enjoyed R. A. Scotti’s story of the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa. Her research is impressive. Is there another Scotti? Yes, one more non fiction about the great east coast hurricane of 1938. Scotti passed away in 2010 at age 65.
Read this especially if you’re headed to Rome!! Rome/Vatican City is nothing short of spectacular.
Read Michelangelo’s poem on painting the Sistine Chapel.
The history of St. Peter’s Basilica is the history of a city in transformation, a religion off course, 20 popes offering the controversial sale of indulgences (which raised building funds but provoked Martin Luther), numerous architects, contractors, masons, and artists including pure hearted Michelangelo, the Baroque genius Bernini and the insanely jealous Raphael.
The most interesting and thought provoking portion of this book came at the beginning with Pope Julius ll deciding to raze Constantine’s St. Peter’s Church and replace it with the massive, glittering “biggest church in the world” we see today. I was so intrigued by Julius’ “we’re doing this come hell or high water” demeanor that I jotted down a few of the author’s descriptors of this man who seemingly revered Julius Caesar: “Few people provoked more vitriol in his lifetime,”. “…hurling weapons at any and all who opposed him.” “Militant.” “Arrogant.” “…like a sea surge, overwhelmed everything and everybody….” “…out with the foreigners…” There is no political attempt here, and I will say that history has been much kinder to the Warrior Pope giving him credit for leaving the financially strapped Rome with more money in the coffers than anyone before him, for identifying talents as in artists and artisans, for recovering territory which had been lost and for beginning the complex which is today the undeniable center of the Roman Catholic Church. On a different note, historians mark this period as the beginning of the reformation. Read: “Julius Excluded from Heaven,” Erasmus’ satire of Julius ll trying to bully his way into heaven but denied entry by St. Peter who insisted that heaven is for humble peacemakers. (I’ll admit that I asked ChatGPT to compare Julius ll with Donald Trump. Interesting. Recommend)
Through the course of this book, the author does a good job of illustrating how the Papacy recovered its mission after Julius and others misused their authority. Actually, Scotti does a good job on many levels.
I really, really enjoyed this book just as I enjoyed R. A. Scotti’s story of the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa. Her research is impressive. Is there another Scotti? Yes, one more non fiction about the great east coast hurricane of 1938. Scotti passed away in 2010 at age 65.
Read this especially if you’re headed to Rome!! Rome/Vatican City is nothing short of spectacular.
Read Michelangelo’s poem on painting the Sistine Chapel.
July 4, 2024
He had been passed over for pope three times. By the time he finally won the prize, Julius II was a man in a hurry. Willful, determined, with an explosive temper – there was much to do in the few years he had left. As fate would have it, he met another colossal ego, Michelangelo, gifted with titanic talent. The two planned to sculpt a magnificent tomb for the pope, so beautiful and massive that it would be the crowning glory of Christianity. Since Constantinople had fallen to the infidels, the Christian church needed such a reassurance.
Trouble was, the planned tomb was too big to fit into old St Peters Cathedral, built by Constantine over a thousand years earlier. Down-sizing wasn't Julius' style, so in 1506 he announced a new, far larger St Peters would be built around the old. A relatively little known architect, one smooth-talking Bramante got the commission.
Work got under way. Michelangelo and Julius would have a falling out and a reconciliation. The pope went to war. The Sistine Chapel ceiling was painted. But money is short. Julius needs new income to continue his building – and sends an army of monks out to Europe, selling indulgences. (Pay $1000 now and get a year lopped off your mother's time in Purgatory.)
Martin Luther, already seething from the scandalous behavior of bishops and cardinals throughout the church is further outraged by the showy Roman corruption and becomes even more militant.
A brash, young fiery talent, Raphael arrives, and at once became new competition for the ever-suspicious loner, Michelangelo.
Julius passes, his tomb never completed. Pope Leo X is elected and makes Raphael head architect of the St Peters project, further embittering Michelangelo.
It would take another century to finish St Peters (in fits and starts) with its dome so massive that the entire Hagia Sophia could fit inside it.
I came across the book via a WSJ recommendation and enjoyed it a lot. An easy read – full of history you probably only dimly knew.
Trouble was, the planned tomb was too big to fit into old St Peters Cathedral, built by Constantine over a thousand years earlier. Down-sizing wasn't Julius' style, so in 1506 he announced a new, far larger St Peters would be built around the old. A relatively little known architect, one smooth-talking Bramante got the commission.
Work got under way. Michelangelo and Julius would have a falling out and a reconciliation. The pope went to war. The Sistine Chapel ceiling was painted. But money is short. Julius needs new income to continue his building – and sends an army of monks out to Europe, selling indulgences. (Pay $1000 now and get a year lopped off your mother's time in Purgatory.)
Martin Luther, already seething from the scandalous behavior of bishops and cardinals throughout the church is further outraged by the showy Roman corruption and becomes even more militant.
A brash, young fiery talent, Raphael arrives, and at once became new competition for the ever-suspicious loner, Michelangelo.
Julius passes, his tomb never completed. Pope Leo X is elected and makes Raphael head architect of the St Peters project, further embittering Michelangelo.
It would take another century to finish St Peters (in fits and starts) with its dome so massive that the entire Hagia Sophia could fit inside it.
I came across the book via a WSJ recommendation and enjoyed it a lot. An easy read – full of history you probably only dimly knew.
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