Chapter 34 Chapter Thirty-Three
From the air, Rome looks like a labyrinth—an intricate labyrinth of ancient, winding paths wrapped around buildings, fountains, and ancient ruins.
The Vatican's plane was flying low northwest through layers of persistent smog created by heavy traffic below.Langdon stared down, as motorbikes, sightseeing buses, and rows of Fiat sedans crowded the intersections of the roundabout, beeping their horns.Koyaniskatis, he mused, recalling the Hopi word for a dysfunctional life.
Victoria sat firmly beside him, not saying a word.
The plane made a sharp turn suddenly.
Langdon felt his heart drop, and he looked further afield.Suddenly, he saw the ruins of the ancient Roman Colosseum.This arena, Langdon always thought, was one of the greatest ironies in history.Now, it is a noble symbol of the birth of human culture and civilization, but since its establishment, it has been subjected to centuries of barbaric sports-hungry lions tore prisoners to pieces, large numbers of slaves fought to death, Rapes of women taken from foreign lands, and public beheadings and castrations.Langdon thought that Harvard's use of the Colosseum as its blueprint for "Harvard Warrior Field" was ironic, but perhaps appropriate.Every fall, that ancient barbarity is repeated on the football field... When Harvard and Yale fought, the crazy fans shouted hoarsely for the bloody battle of the players.
As the helicopter flies north, Langdon discovers the ruins of the Roman Forum, the center of pre-Christian Rome.The rotting colonnades resemble collapsed tombstones in a cemetery that somehow escaped being submerged by the surrounding metropolis.
Looking west, the broad Tiber River meanders through the city, making several huge arcs.Even from the air, Langdon could tell the water was deep.The churning rapids were brown and filled with silt and foam after the heavy rain.
"Look straight ahead," the pilot said, letting the plane climb upward.
Langdon and Victoria looked out and saw the famous building.Its huge dome, like a mountain breaking through the morning mist, pierced the clouds and stood in front of them, that is St. Peter's Basilica.
"Here, that," Langdon said to Victoria, "Michelangelo's masterpiece."
Langdon had never seen St. Peter's Basilica from the air before.At this time, the marble facade of the church was shining in the evening sun, as if it was on fire.The monumental building contains 140 statues of saints, martyrs and angels, and it is as wide as two football fields and, even more jaw-droppingly, as long as six football fields.The grand and deep church is enough to accommodate 60,000 worshipers-this is more than 100 times the population of the world's smallest country, the Vatican.
However, it is incredible that, compared with this magnificent palace, the square in front is not inferior.The granite-paved St. Peter's Square stretches out in all directions, and its grandeur is breathtaking. The square is located in a densely populated area of Rome, like a classical central park.In front of the cathedral, around the huge oval square, two hundred and eighty-four colonnades spread out, forming four gradually shrinking arcs around a center... This is a small architectural illusion. The gimmick is often used to enhance the majesty of the square.
Langdon stared at the magnificent and magnificent temple in front of him, wondering how St. Peter would feel if he was alive.The martyrdom of this saint is horrific, crucified upside down.He is now buried in the holiest tomb in the world, buried five stories below ground, directly under the cathedral's central dome.
"Vatican City State has arrived," the pilot said, but it sounded anything but welcoming.
Langdon looked out, and saw towering stone fortresses approaching—the impregnable fortifications surrounding the Vatican City. The secular defense of the spiritual world.
"Look!" Victoria yelled suddenly, tugging at Langdon's arm, frantically gesticulating in the direction of St. Peter's Square below.Langdon leaned his face to the window to watch.
"There," she said, pointing to him.
Langdon looked in the direction she pointed, and saw that the back of the plaza was packed like a parking lot with more than a dozen trailers.There is a huge satellite dish facing the sky on the roof of each car, with a familiar name on it:
Eurovision
radio italy
bbc
international community
Langdon suddenly felt puzzled. He wondered if news of antimatter had leaked out?
Victoria seemed to tighten the strings in her heart all of a sudden. "How did the media get here? What happened?"
The pilot turned and glanced at her, surprised. "What's the matter? Don't you know?"
"I don't know." She replied in a gruff voice.
"The secret meeting," he said, "will be closed in an hour. The whole world is watching."
Conclave.
The word lingered in Langdon's ears for a long time before hitting his heart like a brick.Conclave.Conclave of the Holy See.How could he have forgotten this?It's been all over the news lately.
Half a month ago, the Pope ended his 12-year popular reign and died suddenly.Newspapers all over the world published the news of his sudden death in bed—it was so sudden and unexpected that everyone felt strange.Now, according to religious tradition, fifteen days after the Pope's death, the Holy See is holding a conclave--a religious ceremony in which one hundred and sixty-five people from all over the world--the most powerful people in Christendom--gather in Vatican City The country elects a new Pope.
All the cardinals on earth are here today, Langdon thought as the helicopter passed over St. Peter's Basilica.The vast world of Vatican City spread out beneath him.At this point, the entire Roman Catholic establishment is living on a ticking time bomb.
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