Caravaggio for free slides into the Pantheon

If we haven't seen enough Caravaggio at the Borghese Gallery (where there are "almost a dozen"), or if we want to see some before our date with the Borghese, there are a number scattered through churches, and we can see them for free. 

San Luigi dei Francesi

The best place to find free Caravaggios in Rome is in the small church of San Luigi dei Francesi near Piazza Navona. This is the French national church in Rome with French motifs throughout..fleur-de-lis, salamanders, and, on the ceiling of the nave, is France's King (aka Saint) Louis ascending to heaven.  Inside in the Contarelli Chapel (in the far left corner) you can see the master's "Saint Matthew" cycle: "The Calling of Saint Matthew,"  "Inspiration of Saint Matthew," and "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew." Entrance to the church is free, though it will cost you a few euros to activate the lights to view the paintings.
The Calling of St. Matthew shows Matthew in a tavern with his cronies counting the money they've extorted.  In this, his first large-scale work, 29-year-old Caravaggio shocked critics and clerics by showing a holy scene in a down to earth location.
The Inspiration of St. Matthew shows him hard at work writing Jesus' life story when he's interrupted by "an angel with a few suggestions."
In the Martyrdom of St Matthew Caravaggio focuses a spotlight on Matthew and his killer.  In the background (to the left of the Executioner's shoulder) is a self-portrait of Caravaggio observing the violence without getting involved. 

Saint' Agostino (a few blocks north)

The Madonna di Loreto (painted in 1605, pictured above) is hung in the first chapel on the left. The church is close to Piazza Navona, and also includes a Raphael fresco.

Pantheon (a little bit south)

Now this is where I got diverted from Caravaggio.  I glanced at a map.  Look!! There is the Pantheon!  There is so much history and so many chapters in Rome's history that it may be hard to stay focused.  Given that, I'm sliding back to 27 B.C. when the original temple to all (pan) of the gods (theos) was built.   OK, so what we see today was rebuilt by emperor Hadrian around 120 A.D.  That's still a lot older than the liberty bell.

Rick Steves feels that this is perhaps the most influential building in art history - the model for the Florence cathedral dome which launched the Renaissance, and for Michelangelo's dome of St. Peter's, which capped it all off.  Even the U.S. Capitol was inspired by this dome.  The dome, the largest made until the Renaissance, is made from concrete (a Roman invention, as we know) that gets lighter and thinner as it reaches the top.  The coffered ceiling reduces the wight without compromising strength.  And, at the top, the oculus (eye-in-the-sky) is the building's only light source. 
After the fall of Rome, the Pantheon became a Christian church (from all the gods to all the martyrs) which saved it from architectural cannibalism and ensured its upkeep during the Dark Ages.  The Pantheon is the only ancient building in Rome used continuously since its construction. 

Gesu Church

And, if we still have strength, we can stop at the Gesu Church to admire the ceiling fresco - The Triumph of the Name of Jesus, look at the tombs of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier and learn about the Jesuit legacy culminating in 2013 with the ascension of Francesco I, the first Jesuit pope.  The Gesu was the first Jesuit church to be built in Rome and its design epitomizes Counter-Reformation Baroque architecture (read over-the-top). 

Then, as Cathy, and the NY Times, have noted, we might watch, at 5:30 p.m. every day, a 20 minute services that is squarely in the Baroque tradition - a multimedia extravaganza that combines painting, sculpture, music, words, and lighting effect.  Although R.S. cautions we shouldn't expect Hollywood-quality.  The service starts with recorded music.  Then a recorded voice (in Italian..Cathy will have to translate) tells the story of Ignatius, illustrated by spotlighting different parts of his tomb.

But wait!!! Isn't that Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome's only Gothic church, just around the corner?

Borghese Gallery...and Caravaggio

The Borghese Gallery offers Bernini sculptures and paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Titian in a Baroque palazzo set idyllically but inconveniently in the vast Villa Borghese Gardens.  You get to see art commissioned by the Borghese family displayed in the very rooms for which it was created.

"Rome - 16 May 1605.  Camillo Borghese is elected Pope Paul V and immediately names his sister's son, Scipione Caffarella, as Cardinal-Nephew.  Not content with being a pope's nephew, Scipione becomes the adopted son of his uncle and is known thereafter as Scipione Borghese.  He becomes the most unscrupulous collector the art world has ever seen."

Cathy pointed me to a treasure-trove blog, "The Pines of Rome," by an unnamed blogger (Tiffany?).  It's loaded with info on art and Rome.  She has several blogs on The Borghese Gallery.  The first paragraph above is from one of them.  But before we continue, how do we get there?
Cathy's lovely Google map shows that our apartment is just over a mile away.  But, as we can't travel as the crow flies, some further investigation is in order.  Rick Steves tells me that bus #910 goes from Termini train station (and Piazza Repubblica) to the Via Pinciana stop, 100 yards from the museum.  And be sure to allow plenty of time because entrance is timed and you don't want to miss it.

Don't make the rookie mistake of showing up at the popular Galleria Borghese without tickets. Only 360 visitors are admitted every two hours (at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.), and advance tickets (about $14) are required before you can see the heartbreakingly beautiful works here, including those by Titian and Bernini. You can drop by a day or two in advance to make your reservation for a specific date and time, or reserve at galleriaborghese.it. Then, collect your tickets in person at least 30 minutes before your scheduled admission time.  And note that baggage check is free, mandatory, and strictly enforced.   Even small purses must be checked, although the checkroom does not take coats (!?).  And no photos allowed.  You must check your camera (wonder how they handle phones?).

Back to Scipione...Scipione must have realized that as Cardinal-Nephew in corrupt 17th-century Rome, he would have more than ample access to any funds he might require, and so he traded his right of inheritance with his cousin Marcantonio, in exchange for every piece in the family's art collection. Despite his position of immense influence, he chose not to involve himself in affairs of state, and instead used his power to satisfy his obsession to possess the world's greatest art.

Now, boys and girls, get out your checklist of art you want to see:

In Room 1...Antonio Canova's Pauline Borghese as Venus.  Yes, the Pauline (Paolina) that was Napoleon's sister.

Bernini's David

Bernini's Apollo and Daphne

Room II...Bernini's David (with 25 year-old Bernini's face)
Room III...Bernini's Apollo and Daphne with her fingers turning to leaves.

More Bernini In Rooms IV (The Rape of Proserpina) and Room VI (Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius)
And in Room VII lots of Caravaggio.  This room holds the greatest collection of Caravaggio paintings anywhere.  His Self-Portrait as Bacchus shows Caravaggio as he first arrived in Rome.

Self-Portrait as Bacchus, 1593

Caravaggio's unique style combined two striking elements:  uncompromising realism and stong Light-dark contrasts.  His models were ordinary people with bodily flaws.  He lived a reckless, agressive and short life. 

Madonna of Palafrenieri, 1605-06

 His Madonna of Palafrenieri was forbidden to hang in St. Peter's because the boy Jesus was naked, and the Modonna's likeness had been inspired by Rome's best-known prostitute.

The Borghese's collection continues with more Bernini's including painting and two self-portraits.  The Gallery, of course contains much more than mentioned here.

Room IX has works by Raphael, including Deposition.  (We'll see Caravaggio's Deposition in the Vatican Museum)

Raffaello Deposizione, 1507

Room XX closes with Titian's Sacred and Profane Love. 

Titian, Sacred and Profane Love, 1515

And Rick Steve's concludes his tour with the following.  "This exquisite painting expresses the spirit of the Renaissance - that earth and heaven are two sides of the same coin.  And here in the Borghese Gallery, that love of earthly beauty can be spiritually uplifting - as long as you feel it within two hours."

Before we go will have to draw up a battle plan.  Should we go early when we are fresh?  Or will be be more crowded then?  And remember it's closed on Monday.