Santa Maria Sopra Minerva - Rome, Italy
See Michelangelo’s Risen Christ
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome, Italy
Thousands of tourists flock each day to see the Pantheon in Rome. It is the best-preserved building from ancient Rome, and it is certainly worthy of attention. But to get there, most pass right by Santa Maria sopra Minerva and miss one of Michelangelo’s lesser-known works in the process. After the Rome Pieta, the David, and the Sistine Chapel cemented Michelangelo’s reputation as Italy’s premier artist, he received a commission for a sculpture of the Risen Christ. It was delivered and installed in Santa Maria sopra Minerva in 1521 and was an immediate success. Worshippers began to touch the toes of the sculpture as a gesture of adoration, and the practice became so popular that the toes started to wear away, and church officials had a bronze shoe made for the sculpture’s foot. The bronze shoe is now gone but the bronze loincloth remains – the work of a squeamish clergy after Michelangelo’s death.
Lines for the museums are often long and the halls are crowded, but Santa Maria sopra Minerva is usually empty, and its cool shadows offer a lovely respite on a summer day. You will find Michelangelo’s sculpture at the left-hand side of the altar.
Biographical Information:
Angela K. Nickerson is a freelance writer and tour escort. Her first book, A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome (Roaring Forties Press, 2008) combines her great passions – travel, art, history, and Italy – in one volume. She can be reached through her blog, Just Go!: http://aknickerson.blogspot.com/
Websites: http://www.basilicaminerva.it/, http://aknickerson.blogspot.com/
