Phespirit goes to Vatican City
The Holy See     February/March 2002

THE VATICAN MUSEUM

The greatness of this museum is as much to do with the legendary men who were its curators and creators, as it is with the rich and diverse collections of art inside.

It is a monument to skill and pride, genius and greed, stuffed full with beauty.

THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS
Raphael

This fresco, running the whole length of one wall in the Room of the Segnatura, the third of four Raphael Rooms, is a work of art that one could spend a whole day studying .....

..... were the room not so small, so packed with visitors, and the Sistine Chapel not ten minutes walk away.

LAOCOÖN AND SONS
Hagesandros, Polydoros, and Athanadoros

Laocoön was the Trojan priest punished by Pallas Athena for opposing the entrance of the Trojan Horse built by the Greek army.

This marble sculpture was written about by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century AD.

Laocoön - as described by Virgil, 19BC.