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37th out of 131 books
—
32 voters
Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's
by
R.A. Scotti
In this dramatic journey through religious and artistic history, R. A. Scotti traces the defining event of a glorious epoch: the building of St. Peter?s Basilica. Begun by the ferociously ambitious Pope Julius II in 1506, the endeavor would span two tumultuous centuries, challenge the greatest Renaissance masters?Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bramante?and enrage Martin Luther...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
May 29th 2007
by Plume
(first published 2006)
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R.A. Scotti's "Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's" is more than just a biography of one of the world's great architectural wonder's. “Basilica” is a wonderfully readable historical narrative of the mid and late Renaissance in a plot-thick story of warrior-popes, international intrigue, angst-riddled artistes all intersecting, orbiting and colliding at this historical inflection point.
The building itself was constructed under the leadership of thirty different popes. Sco...more
The building itself was constructed under the leadership of thirty different popes. Sco...more
This book was left at our rental apartment in Rome. So I read it before heading over to tour the Vatican. Scotti hits the highlights of the construction and covers the same information as the tour guides. So I was able to ruin most of the tour guide's jokes to the annoyance of everybody else in the group. The writing is not very good. Too much attempt at dramatic flair and cliff hangers that cut against a flowing narrative. I give the book 2 stars and St. Peter's Basilica a solid 5 stars.
Bonnie says that this "is a wonderfully easy to read art history book! Learn how much of a brat Michelangelo was, how looney the popes were, and how this all helped create the most amazing Renaissance art!"
May 04, 2013
Paul
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-book,
non-fiction
Basilica is a creative blending of the histories of engineering, architecture and art (and the towering figures in both fields, including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, Bramante), the Catholic Church and the papacy (along with the individual popes), and cultural and political movements in Europe during the time leading up to and following the Reformation and Counter-Reformation; Luther makes an appearance as does Galileo. Scotti adeptly pulls in and weaves together details from all these strand...more
Basilica fuses art history and commentary on the contentious politics of the Renaissance and Reformation to tell the story of two centuries of construction on St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The book is thoroughly researched and thoughtful. Although it includes many personalities - two dozen popes reigned during the construction - descriptions of key characters, including Julius, Michaelangelo, and Rafael, are developed and memorable. I would certainly recommend this book to friends travelling to...more
The late R. A. Scott’s well researched book The Basilica tells of the building of St. Peter’s Basilica. The site was once called the Circus of Nero or Caligula. The obelisk at the center of St Peter’s Piazza was originally brought to Rome from Pagan Egypt by Caligula. It was eventually given the status of witness to the many Christians including the Apostle Peter were martyred by the Romans at the Circus. All were buried in a nearby cemetery, usually in unmarked graves. Peter's grave was apparen...more
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Jan 08, 2013
Jimmy
added it
This book is on the history of the Roman Catholics' building of the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. What made me want to read this is because I wanted a fuller context of the building of the basilica that historically prompted the sales of indulgences which of course set the wheels turning that eventually that resulted in the Protestant Reformation. The author's was a family acquaintance of Pope John Paul II and while I don't know where she stand with spiritual matters I must admit she did...more
Jul 10, 2011
Vrixton Phillips
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
s-f-11-challenge
It began great: full of drama, lots of history, lots of art; but then somewhere towards the middle, the bottom dropped out and it stopped reading like the makings of a good HBO series and more like a slightly annoying History Channel documentary; one that acts like you have the attention span of a gnat and likes to remind you what the subject matter is and what's happened up until this point at the beginning of every few chapters &c. &c.
That said, it does live up to its subtitle. There'...more
That said, it does live up to its subtitle. There'...more
Basilica is an readable, if somewhat disjointed, history of the process of building St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The author excels in some areas - for example, when describing the personalities of primary figures such as Michelangelo and Bernini - but the organization of the book is slightly hard to follow. I occasionally lost track of which decade (or even half-century) was being discussed, and major historical events (such as the Sack of Rome or even the completion of the physical Basilica) a...more
This excellent and interesting history narrates the story of the building of St Peter's Basilica in Rome beginning with the story of the original, built on the same spot by Constantine, then continuing with the 125+ years from the beginnings of the present Basilica, starting with Pope Julius II in 1506, the heart of the Renaissance, to the final touches by the sculptor, Bernini, working for Alexander VII in the mid 1600's. The book is especially good at the details, including fights, politics an...more
I take back everything I ever said abut Renaissance art being boring! This is a layman's guide to the what was essentially the end of the High Renaissance, so you meet all sorts of wiley characters... Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, et. al... it's a giant soap opera. Popes all over the place being crazy, commissioning art, living exorbitantly, fighting with Michelangelo. I was pleasantly surprised at the entertainment value of the whole story, and it puts into perspective a lot of the artists t...more
Scotti does a good job of describing the evolution and creation of St.Peter's Basilica. The book is interesting and is as much a short biography of the basilica's artists, architects, popes and artisans as it is a story of the basilica itself. Scotti delves in both religious architectural details and small feats of renaissance engineering yet at times she is unable to clearly convey her ideas and does not accompany them with sketches or diagrams. This makes a couple of passages from the book har...more
buku ini mau mengisahkan pembangunan [kembali] basilika st.petrus setelah lembaga kepausan pindah ke roma dari avignon di abad ke-15. basilika pertama yang dibangun oleh kaisar konstatin dibangun ulang dan dipulihkan kemegahannya sebagaimana orang di abad ke-15 itu membayangkannya.
dari jaman ke jaman, basilika st. petrus ditafsir ulang dan secara akumulatif dibikin semakin megah. para arsitek di tiap jaman dalam menangani pembangunan ulang basilika ini selalu berhadapan dengan kontinuitas dan di...more
dari jaman ke jaman, basilika st. petrus ditafsir ulang dan secara akumulatif dibikin semakin megah. para arsitek di tiap jaman dalam menangani pembangunan ulang basilika ini selalu berhadapan dengan kontinuitas dan di...more
Genre:
Non-fiction
Summary Blurb(s):
Out of the clash of genius and the caprice of popes came the most glorious monument of the Renaissance
It was the splendor-and the scandal-of the age. In 1506, the ferociously ambitious Renaissance Pope Julius II tore down the most sacred shrine in Europe-the millenniumold St. Peter's Basilica built by the Emperor Constantine over the apostle's grave-to build a better basilica. Construction of the new St. Peter's spanned two centuries, embroiled twenty-seven pope...more
Non-fiction
Summary Blurb(s):
Out of the clash of genius and the caprice of popes came the most glorious monument of the Renaissance
It was the splendor-and the scandal-of the age. In 1506, the ferociously ambitious Renaissance Pope Julius II tore down the most sacred shrine in Europe-the millenniumold St. Peter's Basilica built by the Emperor Constantine over the apostle's grave-to build a better basilica. Construction of the new St. Peter's spanned two centuries, embroiled twenty-seven pope...more
Very similar to ‘Brunelleschi’s Dome’ this is an account of building St. Peter’s. Broader is scope (the whole building not just the dome—and it is much bigger—thus more complicated, right?) but not as interesting, for some reason, this covers the centuries it took to assemble the building we have today. (I used the word ‘assemble’ like it came in a kit!) A building so magnificent and mysterious deserves the same in its telling. All the back stories are there—in-fighting amongst the pious, religi...more
Despite a great deal of background on the history of the period, I think I failed to appreciate how much of the Reformation was driven by the cost overruns of a construction project...
The design, development and building of the Basilica of St. Peter must stand as one of the superlative achievements in the history of mankind. Begun in 1506 and completed in 1626, the Basilica reads like a "who's who" of Renaissance artistry and architecture including Bramante, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Raphael, a...more
The design, development and building of the Basilica of St. Peter must stand as one of the superlative achievements in the history of mankind. Begun in 1506 and completed in 1626, the Basilica reads like a "who's who" of Renaissance artistry and architecture including Bramante, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Raphael, a...more
I didn't want to, but I finally finished this book. It tells the story of the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and gives illustrative accounts of the Popes, artists and the politics that contributed to the massive structure. I'd recommend this book for anyone who likes religious history or art history. The author speaks frankly about the role of building such an edifice to solidify the authority and grandeur of the One true church.
As he lay dying, Pope Nicholas V (who commissioned the bu...more
As he lay dying, Pope Nicholas V (who commissioned the bu...more
I don't generally read non-fiction (my attention span does not have the capacity to follow through) but I thought this one was fascinating and loved reading it. It gives a great history of the building of St. Peters Basilica and the vatican. I enjoyed learning about the various popes and artists who drove it's completion over 200 years.
Makes me want to go back to Rome!!
Makes me want to go back to Rome!!
A fascinating history of the building of the second St. Peter´s (The first, built by Constantine on the same site) lasted more than a thousand years.) The construction took more than one hundred years, involved Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo as architects, about ten popes, including Julian II who laid the cornerstone (actually the beginning of the first pier to support the dome), and four different designs. The book is full of interesting facts. For instance, the Roman process of making con...more
It was fascinating reading. I found it interesting and profound that it took so many years and so much politics and so many hands to create this building. The books is full of history about all the many Popes in power during the building. The parts about Michelangelo and Rafael encouraged me to re-read "The Agony and the Ecstasy."
Interesting in some parts, but overall way too much detail on the architecture. I enjoy history and art history, especially when the personalities of the day are incorporated. But, this was really slow. As slow as building the basilica! Also, not enough photos of the art it was describing, so you only get half the story.
I haven't quite finished it yet (3/4 through) but I don't think I will.
I haven't quite finished it yet (3/4 through) but I don't think I will.
This was a fascinating look at the papacy and Rome during the late Renaissance through the building of St. Peter's Basilica. There were some great nad powerful men and also some very flawed men who held the papacy during this period. A recommendation from dad, and as usual, it was a good read. I really enjoyed it.
A magnificent book for a magnificent feat of art & engineering. The prose is concise, fluid & evocative. The historical characters and situations are brought to life with finesse, and not a single word is wasted in telling the story. An exercise in how to write history with grace, pace & beauty. I loved every word.
I really enjoyed learning more about St. Peter's basilica before my trip to Italy. I thought the book did a great job of staying focused on its main topic, which is difficult with such a large number of years and the other events going on in the church. The writing itself got on my nerves at times, though, as it seemed in places to be written like an essay and some descriptions got repetitive. Glad I read it, though, right before my visit.
The late R.A. Scotti adequately covers over 100 years of history and popes, artisits and egos to present an informative picture of the construction of the new St. Peter's Basilica. A bit uneven at times but still manages to bring to life the splendor and beauty of a truly incredible building. My only wish is that I get to see St. Peter's with my own eyes one day.
Really loved this book. It is a wonderful read, easy to digest thanks to the great writing style. I appreciated the insights into both the popes and the artists that worked on the basilica and consequences of many of the decisions that made it possible. Fascinating and compelling history.
Las þessa bók á Ítalíu vorið 2008. Aldeilis frábær bók um byggingu þessa mikla mannvirkis. Góð innsýn í páfagarð og pólitíkina sem þar var (er) í gangi. Mæli eindregið með henni sem ferðafélaga til Rómar. Það er allt önnur upplifun að skoða Péturskirkjuna eftir lestur þessa verks.
Would recommend to anyone who is planning in visiting St. Peter's Basilica in Rome...an well-written history, and give's one an appreciation of the the architectural, historical, and down-right physics of the this spiritually-inspiring, and breathtaking building.
For anyone with an interest in art, architecture or the history of the Catholic Church, this is a fascinating story. You often hear that Michelangelo was the architect of St. Peter's, but what you don't know is that he was only one of five builders responsible for the Basilica we know of today. In his company were Bramante and Raphael to name just two.
The author does a good job of highlighting the difficulties, and depicting the vibrant personalities of the popes and artists that had a hand in t...more
The author does a good job of highlighting the difficulties, and depicting the vibrant personalities of the popes and artists that had a hand in t...more
Fairly academic, but tells the great story of building St. Peter's. It is the first time I've read much about the personality and trials behind this - different Popes, various artists including Michaelangelo and all of their interactions.
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