Stanzas of Raphael
Raphael's Stanzas are four rooms located one behind the other, which are part of the palace complex located in the Vatican. They are famous in the history of art for having been frescoed by the outstanding Renaissance artist Raphael Santi together with his students. The room was built during the reign of Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455).
History
In the 15th century, the rooms of the Stanza Raphael were erected by order of Pope Nicholas the Fifth. After his death, Julius II ascended the papal throne. Dad was an ardent admirer of architecture, so global restructuring began under his leadership. By his order, the Belvedere courtyard was built, around which transitional galleries began to be built, which later turned into Raphael's Stanzas.
In 1508, the pope entrusted the painting of the walls to the young artist Raphael Santi. At that time, an era of enlightened humanism reigned in Italy, which was reflected in the works of Raphael. Napoleon also visited this complex. Despite his young age, Raphael so impressed the Pope with the quality of his work that he entrusted him with painting other Vatican buildings.
Architectural features
The most popular station is Stanza della Segnatura, which took Raphael several years to complete. In general, the painting of this room is dedicated to the spiritual themes and philosophy of that time. The frescoes that decorate this room represent several phenomena - philosophy, literature, faith in spiritual forces, as well as faith in order and law. If you translate the name of the room from Italian into Russian, it will look like this - “room for signing.” Therefore, the Pope performed important legal actions in the room, including signing various documents.
The scale of the attraction of Stanza Raphael
The Stanza Deliodoro is the second largest room decorated by Raphael. The painting of the room itself is also dedicated to spiritual themes. Of interest are two paintings - “The Work of Peter” and “Mass in Bolsena”, which have retained their original appearance.
The third stanza is Stanza del Incendio di Borgo, on which the artist worked for two grueling years. The painting in this room is dedicated to the fire that suddenly broke out and engulfed the streets adjacent to the papal palace. According to legend, Leo the Fourth (Pope) was able to save the townspeople by stopping the fire with his unique cross. In addition to the fire, this room represents various acts of the Pope. The last of the attractions of the Stanza Raphael is dedicated to Emperor Constantine and his fight against the atheists. There are many frescoes dedicated to battles with the pagans, as well as baptismal ceremonies, which were carried out quite often at that time.
Raphael's Stanzas are interesting structures from an architectural point of view, which showed us the genius of their author. When coming to the Vatican, you should definitely look into this wonderful place.
