Another day in Roma...

Thursday September 7, 2006

Today was an indescribable day of presentations by both Erin Shields and Sam Al-Khoury. This morning we met as a group at the Villa Farnesina just across the Tiber from the Campo de’ Fiori. There, Erin gave her presentation on the function and decoration of a villa and also, Raphael’s Loggia di Psyche. We started outside of the villa where, although difficult to see due to restoration, Erin gave us a brief history of the Chigi family villa (later bought by the Farnese family). In its time the villa would have functioned as a country home where the family would have come for vacation or to entertain guests. Originally, the loggia would have been completely open, connecting Raphael’s frescoes with the gardens outside, but it was later closed off from the weather in order to protect the beautiful art. We also saw work by Peruzzi, an early example of the use of perspective in art…it was gorgeous!



On the way to the Jesuit churches we made a quick pit stop in order to re-energize with either a café latte, cappuccino, spremuta or acqua. For me, this was my first Italian cappuccino, well my first cappuccino ever…it was good. Thanks Lisa for treating us!



Highly caffeinated, we arrived at Il Gesu where Sam started his presentation on the Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church. He talked about the founding of the order by Ignatius (later canonized) and others, specific characteristics of the Jesuits that set them apart from others in the Church and their influence in the Counter Reformation and in the modern world. One interesting fact: the Jesuits adapted their missionary work to each location by learning the language, culture and beliefs of the people. This made conversion to Christianity much easier for them and successful. Oh yah, random fact: Gonzaga University and Seattle University are both Jesuit universities (the Jesuits are known for their dedication to education). We also visited St. Ignazio church. Both churches are beautiful and full of details that glorify the name of Jesus on High.



Il pomeriggio we had Italian…ciao.

Ciao, Carissa