(Padova, Italy)
There is more to Padova than laundry, pizza and gelato. Our visit included two exceptional sights that attract people from all over the world.
The first was the Scrovegni Chapel. Having already seen the Sistine Chapel in Rome and “The Last Supper” in Milan (as well as Orvieto’s Duomo just a few days ago), I was somewhat skeptical of another church full of art. In this case, however, there was something special about the time when the art was created.
The artist Giotto was born in 1267 and created the frescoes inside the Scrovegni Chapel from 1303 to 1305. Like Michelangelo, Giotto had many talents: the crucifix shown in this post was also created by him.
The art is more than seven centuries old and is still in the place it was originally created. It predates “The Last Supper” by almost 200 years and the Sistine Chapel by more than 200 years. Besides its great age, it is also remarkable because it is really the first example of modern art: the realism of the art, the depiction of real people, the depiction of three dimensions and even the simulation of marble through paint had no real precedent. In a way, the Scrovegni Chapel marks the beginning of the Renaissance.
The creation of the chapel itself also had an interesting story. It seems that Mr. Scrovegni was a money lender charging high interest rates. His son was concerned about how his father would be treated in the afterlife: with good reason, apparently, as Dante’s Inferno included the senior Scrovegni in one of the levels of hell. In an attempt to buy forgiveness for his father’s sins, the junior Scrovegni financed the construction of the chapel and contracted Giotto to paint the frescoes.
Later in the day, we visited St. Anthony’s Basilica. Once again, there was something special about this place that distinguishes it from the many other basilicas to be found across Italy and Europe. This is the final resting place of St. Anthony, who lived from 1195 to 1231. He was a gifted orator and apparently a prolific miracle worker. Pilgrims come from all over the world to pray here or to give thanks for prayers answered. We saw a number of pilgrims while we were there…as well as a number of souvenir stands immediately outside!
What is unusual about St. Anthony’s Basilica is that St. Anthony’s tongue, lower jaw and vocal cords are still intact and on display in the basilica’s reliquary. His body was first exhumed in 1263: he had mostly decayed to dust but his tongue was still unspoiled and red. When his remains were examined again in 1981, the above parts were still intact and have remained on display ever since.
A final point of interest is that the Basilica is actually considered part of Vatican City! As with the main Vatican location in Rome, however, there are no border formalities. After leaving the basilica, we wandered through the Prato della Valle (see photo at the top of this post) before having our customary late dinner. We have gotten into this habit in Italy, as most restaurants do not open until 7:00 or 7:30 p.m.
Coming up next: our cultural adventure winds down and the skiing begins!