Chapter 43 Rome

Rome Rome (Rome) is the capital of a great empire in history, and it always looks like a thousand things to imagine.Although its glory is long gone now, from the scattered ruins, future generations can still look like Baiyi.These ruins, old ones and newly excavated ones, can be seen almost everywhere, as if they were specially dotted with this ancient city.A few stone pillars here, and a few sections of broken walls there, carrying the dust of the past, sinking lonely in the big pit; although the sun at noon in summer, it shines dimly, without much energy.The Roman market (Forum Romanum) is the largest in scale.Here is the center of the ancient Roman city, with courts, temples, and remnants of residences.The three Corinthian pillars of the Temple of Castor and Porus are connected with stones on the top; they are the most beautiful in the whole field, like three handsome young men covering their foreheads with their hands, looking at this place. An ancient market.I don’t know how many people there were crowded and noisy all day long back then, each with their own thoughts and tricks; now there are only a few cases of tourists gesticulating in the dead silence.There is a house on the corner, which is in good condition; on one side are three houses, with murals, which are already blurred, and the floor is paved with inlaid stones; It is very important to the dining room.Above the market is the Palatine Hill, a place of ups and downs.At first it was a village with only thatched huts; at the end of the Roman Republic, nobles with one surname lived here; in the imperial era, it was even more prosperous.When tourists go up the mountain, there are still intact loess bricks left on the magnificent houses on both sides, which shows the aura of the rich people at that time.The roof is a flat field, originally many gardens, collectively known as the Farnese Gardens, which are also the old relics of 400 years ago; now they are decorated with flowers and trees, and there is a small fountain in one corner.Looking at the ancient market under your feet in this garden, the panorama is in sight.

To the east of the market is the Lion Arena, and you can still see the approximate scale; among the many magnificent ruins, this one is in the best condition.The outer wall is a big circle, divided into four floors, you have to look up to see the top.The lower three floors are all round arches and pillars of the same color, while the upper floor only has small rectangular windows and lintels. This kind of simple contrast makes people feel that the building is a whole piece, like pines and cypresses rising straight into the sky, old dry pavilions, No fussy details.The middle of the inside was originally a large flat field; a fortress was built here in the Middle Ages, but now it is full of decayed wall foundations, which look like four.This place is the lion fighting arena; surrounded by seats for the audience.The lower two floors are boxes, the lowest floor is for the emperor and foreign guests, and the upper floor is for nobles; the third floor is for civil servants; the top floor is for civilians: it can accommodate 40,000 to 50,000 people.The lion cave is still on the next floor, and there is a mouth leading directly to the field.Lion fighting is a kind of punishment, and it can also be said to be a kind of judge: the prisoner is placed in front of the lion and let the lion fight him; if he actually kills the lion, he will go straight to his side and he will be free.But naturally let the lions eat more; these people probably deserve it.Thinking of the misery and horror of the prisoners and his relatives, the joy of his enemies, the majesty of the emperor, and the curious and tense faces of the general audience, it was like a nightmare.This venue was built in the first century. It was originally an opera garden, and it was later used for lion fighting.

Not far to the south of the Colosseum is the Caracalla Baths.The ancient Romans were very particular about bathing, and all baths were well built, and this one is even more gorgeous.The whole venue is made of marble and paved with inlaid stones; there are murals, statues, and unusual utensils.The house is tall and divided into two floors, both with round arches, and you feel stable when you walk in; the inside is resplendent and magnificent, which complements the murals and statues.In the middle is a large gymnasium with two fountains.The place covers an area of ​​six acres and can accommodate 1,600 people to bathe.There are three types of bathing, hot and cold, hot and steam, each occupying a room.The ancient Romans came to the baths not just to take a bath; they could negotiate business, settle lawsuits, etc. here, just like we go to tea shops and restaurants.There are also many entertainments here. They take a bath after work or when they are tired, and find a few friends to go to the entertainment room for entertainment. Otherwise, they can go to the living room to talk and talk.Now there are only a lot of ruins left.There was still a lot of marble, but it was moved to build St. Peter and other churches; scattered objects are displayed in the museum.What we see are some majestic loess skeletons with uneven heights, standing in the sun, and the photos of "Caracalla Baths" carefully researched by scholars, all of which are just so-called slaughter.

Rome has been famous for its churches since the Middle Ages.Kang Nanhai's "Roman Journey" quoted Du Mu's poem "480 temples in the Southern Dynasties, how many towers are in the mist and rain", the scene is somewhat similar; it's a pity that people who go in early summer can't appreciate the misty rain.St. Peter's Church is the most exquisite, on the former site of the Nile Circus in the north of the city.Nero killed many Christians here.It is said that St. Peter was buried here after he was crucified.The church has been up and down several times, and the current house was started in the early sixteenth century and has been handed over by many architects.When Michelangelo was seventy-two years old, he was ordered by Paul III to work here for seventeen years.Later generations believed that the Archangel Paul the Third prosthetic handed over to this great artist and set the scale for this great building; although there were additions and changes in the future, it was generally based on him.The interior of the church is based on the style of the Caracalla baths, and many tall round arches firmly support the dome.The church was six hundred and ninety-six feet long, four hundred and fifty feet wide, and four hundred and three feet high in the dome, but at first glance it did not seem so large.Because we usually look at the size of the house, always take the interior decorations as the standard, and the size of the decorations has a score invisibly.The one in St. Peter's Church is too big, "angels are like giants, and doves are like eagles"; so the real size of the church is not easy to see at once.But if you look at the people walking around inside, you will gradually feel something different.The walls of the church are made of colored marble, and there are many large famous paintings inlaid with stones, most of which are bright blue and vermilion; bright and rich, not blindly gloomy like ordinary churches.The statue of Peter carved by Michelangelo, gentle and clean, unique in style, is on the corner of the church.

The colonnaded corridors on both sides of St. Peter's Church are like two arms embracing St. Peter's Circus; leaving a gap, but like a ring.In the center of the field is an Egyptian obelisk, with large fountains on the left and right.The two cloisters were built by Alexander III in the seventeenth century, by Perni##.There are four rows of Doric stone pillars in the porch, a total of 284; there are railings on the top and back, and there are many small statues on the front railings.There are two round stones on the ground on the left and right sides of the field. Standing on them and looking at the porch on the same side, I feel that there is only one row of pillars, and the momentum is more majestic.There is a curved white stone line outside the circus, which is the boundary between the Vatican and Italy.The Pope stands on the terrace of St. Peter's Church every Easter to bless the people. It is said that the venue is crowded inside and outside.

St. Paul's Church is outside the South City. According to legend, it is the site of St. Paul's burial site, and the pillars are also good.There is a square yard in front of the gate, and the corridors on all sides are full of large pillars hewn from a single block of stone, which are much more plain than the two corridors of St. Peter.The inside of the church is also simple and empty, with nothing.But the eighty granite pillars in the middle, and the six wax stone pillars at the end, are arranged vertically and horizontally, as if they were in an ancient forest that is inaccessible.On the wall above the pillars, there are stone-embedded statues of popes around them, all in round frames.There is another small colonnade next to the church, which was built in the twelfth century.Enclosing a square courtyard, the porch was lined with two tiers of thin pillars of various colors—some of which were inlaid with pieces of golden glass—on low bases.The exquisite workmanship of this porch can be said to be like Hunan embroidery, but it is beautiful but also like Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.

Standing majestically on the Venetian Square in the center of the city is Yemanuer's second Ji Gong Gallery.This is modern Italian architecture, not lacking in strength.A curved corridor on a tall stone foundation.There are three layers of stone steps in the front: the first layer is in the middle, and the second and third floors are separated from the left and right, leading to both ends of the corridor.The corridor is symmetrical from left to right, up and down, and there is a bend in the middle, so it has the beauty of movement and stillness.Seeing the whole city of Rome in the twilight from the pillars in front of the porch, I feel far away.

The treasures of Roman art are naturally in the Vatican Palace; there are also some in the Capitoline Museum, but there are too few compared with the Vatican.There are several sculpture institutes in the Vatican, with a collection of about 4,000 pieces. The famous "Laocoon" (LaocooEn) is here.There are 50 paintings in the collection of the Academy of Fine Arts, all of which are high-quality goods. Raphael's "The Appearance of Christ" is one of them, but it is now closed for repairs.The murals in the Vatican are extremely wonderful, mostly by Raphael and his disciples, which are inferior to other places.There are four Raphael rooms and some porches full of their stuff.Hence the name Raphael.He was from Urbinu, the son of a poet and painter.After he arrived in Rome, he was loved by everyone, and everyone wanted to teach him to paint; he was too busy, so he had to recruit some disciples as assistants.His specialty is drawing the human body.This is a real man, full and strong in limbs, flesh and bones.This is naturally influenced by some Florentines, but most of it is his genius.He also has a keen sense of charm, distance, size and color, so he becomes a master.His house in Rome is still there, and his grave is in the State Funeral.The Xisting hall is as famous as the Raphael room, and it is also in the palace.This shrine was built by Chieftain Xiesi in the 15th century. It is 133 feet wide and 45 feet wide.The upper parts of the walls on both sides are decorated by Florentine painters, including Botecili.The paintings on the roof are all Michelangelo's, which is the famous Heisting Hall.Michelangelo is the pinnacle of the Florentine school.He doesn't paint much, and the essence of his life is here.When he painted the roof, his deep and solemn mood penetrated into the painting.His compositions are full of vigor, his outlines are natural and clever, and his majestic demeanor are all his unique advantages.On the wall of the altar in the hall is also his large painting called "The Last Judgment".This mural was painted many years later, and it took him seven years of work.

There are several tunnels outside the city of Rome, which were dug by Christians from the first century to the fifth century as tombs, but they were also used as places of worship.Nero hunted down Christians, and they often took refuge here.The most worth seeing is the San Callisto Tunnel.There is also a passion flower with twelve petals, which is said to represent the twelve apostles.We were looking at the place under the church of St. Sebastian, and we all lit small candles and went down.The winding and narrow road is lined with tombs of various sizes and depths; it is naturally empty now, but sometimes some scattered bones can be seen.There is a place where it is said that St. Peter lived and became a shrine, and the paintings on the walls are very good.There are also some remnants of murals.This tunnel seems to have four floors, and it takes up a lot of space.In the church of San Sebastian there is preserved a stone with two large footprints; they say it belongs to Jesus Christ, and it is now enshrined in the shrine.Another church also offers such a stone, which is said to be a copy.

The Prison Hall was built in the fifth century to house an iron chain on which St. Peter was attached.Now the chain is still in a beautiful niche.There are several statues carved by Mikai Angelo on the second monument of Zhoulius in the hall; the statue of Moses is particularly famous.The original firm spirit and brave strength are revealed from the eyebrows, beard, arms, hands, and legs everywhere, making you feel like you are seeing a great person.There is also an Aragoli hall, in which there is a statue of the Holy Child.This holy baby is naturally Jesus Christ; it was carved with olive wood by a believer in Jerusalem in the fifteenth century.He took it to Rome and kept it in this church.Many people come from all over the world to make wishes, which are said to be very effective; there are many gold and silver ornaments hanging densely on its body, all of which are made by others.There are also many letters written to it, expressing admiration.

On the southwest corner of the city of Rome, next to the ancient city wall, is the English cemetery or Protestant cemetery.Most of the people buried here are artists and poets, so there are many Italians and people from other countries who come to pay their respects.Among them, the most famous ones are naturally the tombs of British romantic poets Shelley and Keez in the nineteenth century.Shelley's heart is buried in England, and his ashes are here.The tomb is on the slope below the ancient city wall, covered with a rectangular white stone; the first line is engraved with "heart center", the next two lines are the dates of birth and death, and the next three lines are fairy songs from Shakespeare's "The Storm". He was harmless, The waves of the sea change, It's been even more amazing since then. Fortunately, it is precisely related to Shelley's death and his character.The tomb of Jizi is not far away. There is a tombstone on which is engraved: This grave is The body of a young English poet; When he was dying, Thinking of the evil power of his enemies, I am so sad, I call the following sentence Inscribed on his tombstone: "Here lies a man, His name is written in water. " The last line means quick decay; but his name is just like the so-called "don't waste the rivers and rivers through the ages", which was not expected by people at that time.Later, someone came up with a new interpretation and wrote a poem based on this jargon, and a small statue of Lian Zizi was engraved in bronze and embedded on the wall next to his tomb.The original text of this poem is very interesting. Jeez is a good name, said to be written in water; bit by bit of water, Tears of posterity— dead heroes, It's hard to be so touching. sleep well Although the statement is missing, Gao Feng is majestic. This cemetery is a poetic corner of Rome; some people who love Rome will not die in Italy, but will be buried in this eternal corner of this "eternal city". (Originally published in "Middle School Students" No. 28 on October 1, 1932)