Stations of Raphael, Vatican City: description, photo, location on the map, how to get there. Rafael Santi

The world is beautiful, our earthly world! Such is the slogan of all Renaissance art. Man has just discovered and tasted the beauty of the visible world, and he admires it as the most magnificent spectacle, created for the joy of the eyes, for spiritual delight. He himself is a part of this world, and therefore he admires in it and himself. The joy of contemplating earthly beauty is a life-giving, kind joy. The artist's job is to bring out more and more fully, more and more vividly the harmony of the world and thereby conquer chaos, to affirm a certain higher order, the basis of which is a measure, an internal necessity that gives birth to beauty. And what is all this for? To give people that festive spectacle that they long to enjoy, opening their eyes to the world, but which is revealed in full splendor only by the inspiration of the artist. This task, the greatest task of Renaissance painting, which was first undertaken by the masters of the Trecento, was completed at the dawn of the Cinquecento by Raphael.

In medieval churches, painting, mosaics or stained-glass windows seem to merge with architecture, creating together with it the whole, which should evoke a solemn mood in the worshiper. Due to their location in them, picturesque compositions are not always easily visible in all details. Photography has given us the opportunity to see these compositions in various aspects that had previously often gone unnoticed. In Romanesque or Gothic churches, people of the Middle Ages sometimes did not realize that before them were not only symbols, not only conventional images glorifying the ideals of their faith, but also works of art. The painting of the temple did not seem to them an independent creation, it was good to look at it under the singing of the church choir, which, like the vaults of the temple with its high arches, carried their imagination into the world of dreams, comforting hopes or superstitious fears. And therefore they did not look for the illusion of reality in this painting.

Renaissance painting is addressed to the viewer. Like wonderful visions, pictures pass before his eyes, which depict a world where harmony reigns. People, landscapes and objects on them are the same as he sees around him, but they are brighter, more expressive, more beautiful. The illusion of reality is complete, but reality, transformed by the inspiration of the artist, And admires it, equally admiring the lovely child's head and the stern old head, perhaps not at all attractive in life. On the walls of palaces and cathedrals, frescoes are often painted at the height of the human eye, and in the composition some figure looks directly at the viewer, connecting him with all others.

Translated from the Italian word "fresco" means "fresh", "raw". This is painting on wet plaster, that is, in those short tens of minutes, while the solution has not yet “grabbed” and freely absorbs the paint. Such a solution is called "ripe" by muralists. You need to write on it easily and freely, and most importantly, as soon as the artist feels that the stroke of the brush is losing its smoothness and it begins to “harrow”, the paint is not absorbed, but smeared, as if “salting” the wall, it is necessary to finish the work: all the same, the paints are already won't stick. Therefore, a fresco is one of the most time-consuming types of painting, requiring the greatest creative effort and composure, but also giving, as the oldest Russian mural master N. M. Chernyshev said, "hours of incomparable joy." Many great masters of world painting were engaged in fresco painting - Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, P. Veronese, famous Russian icon painters Feofan Grek, Andrei Rublev, Dionysius, and among the artists of modern times - P. Picasso, F. Leger, V. A. Favorsky. They worked like a machine "a fresco"(i.e. raw), and in a way "a secco"(i.e. dry). Here, painting is carried out on dried, already hard, lime plaster, only re-moistened, and paints pre-mixed with lime.

Rafael is the end. All his art is extremely harmonious, breathes with the inner world, and the mind, the highest, is combined in it with philanthropy and spiritual purity. His art, joyful and happy, expresses a kind of moral satisfaction, acceptance of life in all its fullness and even doom. Unlike Leonardo, Raphael does not torment us with his secrets, does not overwhelm us with his omniscience, but kindly invites us to enjoy the earthly beauty with him. During his short life, he managed to express in painting, probably, everything he could, that is, the full kingdom of harmony, beauty and goodness.

Pope Julius II was a colorful and outstanding personality, and his role in the history of contemporary Europe was significant. In essence, he continued the work of the gloomy memory of Pope Alexander VI, although he was his constant enemy - in the pope's attempts to unite Italy under the rule of the Roman Curia. This high priest had a strong and resolute temperament. Despite his rank and years, he mounted a horse and himself led the papal army in battles. "Down with the barbarians!" - such was his battle cry, and by "barbarians" he meant the Spaniards and the French, who plundered and humiliated Italy. And this cry, an echo of the ancient Rome of the Caesars, inspired the Italians to fight in those few years when it seemed that the papal power could create a single and independent Italian state. The pope conquered Bologna, Perugia and other cities that had not previously been subject to his will. His policy was not only bold, but also flexible. In the fight against the Venetian Republic, whose population was also Italian, he did not hesitate to enter into an alliance with the "barbarians", that is, with the same Spaniards and French. However, as soon as Venice was defeated, he joined with her to fight against France.

Like his predecessors, Julius II put the interests of the Vatican above the national interests of Italy. No wonder Machiavelli saw the main misfortune of Italy in the fact that the church did not have sufficient strength to unite the country, but was strong enough to prevent its unification not under its leadership. And yet it was under Pope Julius II that Rome became the largest political and cultural center of Italy.

Julius II was not a particularly subtle connoisseur of art, but he understood that art could revive the former glory of the eternal city and glorify it. The most famous architects work for him in Rome, and he calls Michelangelo and the young Raphael into his service, having heard that Florence recognized them as great artists. Under him, the construction of St. Peter's Cathedral begins.

In 1508, Raphael, at the invitation of Pope Julius II, came to Rome, and immediately began to fulfill an extremely honorable order - painting the front rooms (stations) of the Vatican. In Rome, where so many great monuments of art were created or collected, the Vatican frescoes of Raphael (1509-1511) make one of the most powerful and compelling impressions. They revealed the brilliant gift of Raphael the muralist. In the Stanza della Senyatura is one of the most remarkable creations of Raphael, representing four areas of human activity:
- theology - "Dispute, or Dispute about Communion"
- philosophy - "School of Athens"
- poetry - "Parnassus"
- jurisprudence - "Wisdom, Measure and Strength".

The master also depicted on the frescoes the corresponding allegorical figures, scenes on biblical and mythological subjects. Majesty and grace harmoniously combine in this greatest masterpiece. Poets, sages, philosophers, theologians form complex spatial groups, placed among the majestic architectural scenery and landscape. The artist shows a world where a person is majestic, wise, self-confident. Raphael painted the dream of a perfect man, free and noble. On his frescoes are people of strong will and high dignity. The artist appears here as the creator of a heroic style, glorifying the grandeur and grandiosity of the culture he created.

Left: Dispute about Communion. Raphael. 1514. Fresco. Vatican.

Right: Apparition of St. Ap. Peter and St. Ap. Paul or Meeting of Pope Leo I with Attila. Raphael. 1514. Fresco. Vatican.

The meeting of the sages of classical antiquity (“The School of Athens”) is adjacent to the meeting of the fathers of the Christian Church (“Disputation”), this neighborhood, as it were, revealing two faces of a single truth or the triumph of humanism in the bosom of the Vatican. The past merges with the present: the philosophers of the ancient world are talking in front of the vaults of the palace in the style of the High Renaissance, and among them, on the edge, Raphael portrayed himself, and among the church fathers - the artists and poets of Italy: Dante, Fra Beato Angelico, Bramante. The poets of classical antiquity communicate with the poets of the Renaissance ( "Parnassus"). Praise is given to secular and ecclesiastical legislation ("Jurisprudence"). The next stanza depicts a miraculous event dating back to a distant past, but the pope who is present is Julius II himself ("Mass in Bolsena"). And again, Julius II appears to the viewer as the personification of victory over foreigners who dared to encroach on the treasures and power of the Roman Church ( "The Exile of Heliodor"). And in another fresco - "Bringing the Apostle Peter out of prison"- the triumph of light over darkness could be perceived as a hope for liberation from the "barbarians". No wonder it was said about the frescoes of Raphael that they represent a true epic of Italy. Each fresco perfectly harmonizes with the architecture of the chambers and at the same time is a completely independent work. Passing from one to another, the viewer seems to be present at a majestic performance.

Left: Fire in Borgo. Raphael. 1514. Fresco. Vatican.

Right: Parnassus. Raphael. 1509-1510. Fresco. Vatican.

If we didn't even know history, if we had never heard of the papacy and classical antiquity, of Parnassus and the apostle Peter, these frescoes would just as shock us. For their content is the greatness of a person, his spiritual and physical beauty, the flight of his thought, this is wisdom and nobility, which are revealed in wonderful images, in the arrangement of figures, in strength, significance, the laws of every gesture, every turn of the head, in brilliant comparisons, in a composition that sometimes rises to the most grandiose achievements of architecture, sometimes unfolds smoothly, like a magnificent panorama, in a kind of absolute ease.

This is the completion of what Leonardo da Vinci first gave the world in The Last Supper. What was a discovery for Leonardo, for Raphael is a natural being. And therefore, he, as it were, multiplies the possibilities of art, which Leonardo provided with his Milan fresco.

Despite the fact that he had never before had to deal with either such dimensions of the image, or with such a technique, Raphael demonstrates his ability to combine a huge number of figures into a harmonious, harmonious composition. In this regard, his first fresco "The School of Athens" can still serve as a high example of this genre. In a number of subsequent Vatican frescoes, Raphael managed to achieve even greater expressiveness in the transmission of movement and a wider range of lighting effects.

Raphael Santi is a genius of the High Renaissance. Read our article about the fresco painting of Raphael's Stanzas (rooms in the papal Vatican Palace) della Senyatura and Stanza d'Eliodoro, and the fresco paintings of "Disputation", "Parnassus", "The Expulsion of Eliodor from the Temple" in our article.

Raphael's Stanzas in the Vatican Palace Complex are three relatively small rooms in the papal Vatican Palace, painted by Raphael together with his students in 1508-1517. These apartments already existed under Pope NicholasV(1447-1455). The Stanza della Senyatura (Signature Room) is the only one of the three stanzas whose name has remained authentic, unrelated to the works of Raphael. The walls of this room, which was the first to be decorated, are decorated with frescoes: "Dispute", "The School of Athens", "Parnassus" and "Justice".

"Dispute" - the first fresco made by Raphael in the Stanza della Senyatura. In this fresco depicting Religion, Raphael's manner indicates that he has not yet freed himself from the influence of artists whose work on a similar subject he saw in Florence and Rome.

Rafael Santi. Fresco "Dispute"

The theme of the painting is the triumph of the highest truth of religious revelation. The semantic axis of the complex but clear composition of this fresco is in the center - this is the Trinity: God the Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit, whose symbol - a dove in a sphere - descends to the altar with a host (Eucharistic bread, a small unleavened cake). The image of other events develops horizontally. Next to Christ, surrounded by radiance and glory, sit the Holy Virgin and John the Baptist, and on a semicircular cloud - the forefathers, prophets, Saints Peter, Paul and others. Below, symmetrically on the sides of the altar with the Holy Gifts, about which there is a dispute, the earthly Church is represented. Scientists, philosophers, pontiffs of the Roman Catholic Church, whose faith has left a mark on history, are arguing. Raphael gave the four men at the altar the features of Dante, Savonarola, Bramante and the artist - the monk Fra Beato Angelico. But, despite the disagreements of the arguing, the picture is filled with majestic calmness. This harmony and compositional unity is achieved through construction - a fresco is similar to an architectural structure and is inseparable from the room in which it is located.

Rafael Santi. Fresco "Parnassus"

The composition “Poetry” (it received the name “Parnassus” later) Raphael placed between the “Athenian School” and “Dispute” on the eastern side of Stanza della Senyatura. The plot of the painting was developed in the spirit of the humanistic teachings of its time, according to the ideas of Petrarch, Boccaccio, Salutati and personified the ideaBello- beauty, beautiful.

Raphael easily solved the problem of the visual representation of Poetry, which in the Renaissance was considered a "second theology" and "divine art." The artist depicted a hill with a grove symbolizing Parnassus, the famous Greek mountain, considered in ancient times the residence of the Muses.

In the center of the composition, Apollo, the god of music and poetry, plays the lyre da braccio. This lyre is an obvious anachronism (violation of chronological plausibility), because ancient music did not know bowed instruments at all. Raphael gave Apollo not an ancient instrument, but a modern lyre da braccio to Apollo in order to emphasize the main idea of ​​the entire cycle of stanzas - the continuity of ancient and modern cultures to Raphael.

Around Apollo are nine muses and poets, both ancient and Renaissance. On the left, the artist placed a powerful figure of the inspiredly singing blind Homer in a dark blue pallium (a long woolen cloak). To balance the figure of Homer, on the right, with his back to the viewer, the artist depicted the muse Urania in a red robe. To the right of Urania, a young dark-haired man with a sharply turned torso is staring at the viewer. This look, which speaks of a strong character, belongs to Michelangelo. Raphael was shocked by the poetic talent of Michelangelo, and boldly ranked him among the host of poets, with which many of his contemporaries agreed.

Rafael Santi. Fresco "Parnassus". Depiction of Michelangelo

Creation can outlive the Creator:

The Creator will leave, defeated by nature,

However, the image he captured,

Will warm hearts for centuries.

Michelangelo Buonarroti

It is impossible to define the purpose of art more precisely.

The fourth fresco is dedicated to the theme of justice and consists of three parts. Above the window, the artist placed three female figures, symbolizing Wisdom, Measure and Strength. To the left of the window is an image of Emperor Justinian with a code of civil laws, and to the right is an image of Pope GregoryIXwith a set of church rules. They symbolize the history of ecclesiastical and secular law.

The ensemble of frescoes Stanza della Senyatura Raphael is the embodiment of the humanistic dream of the Renaissance about the spiritual and physical perfection of man, his high calling and his creative possibilities.

Rafael Santi. Stanza d'Eliodoro

The dominant idea of ​​all the paintings and frescoes of Raphael of the Roman period is the power of the Church. Raphael's motto - All forces on earth are subordinate to the Church - is especially pronounced in the frescoes of Stanza d'Eliodoro. This stanza was the second of the rooms in the Vatican chambers of the Pope, which was decorated by Raphael in 1511-1514. By order of Pope JuliusII this stanza was reserved for private audiences, which the pontiff often granted to major political and religious figures and diplomats. The artistic design of the stanza was supposed to emphasize the importance of this place, which determined the theme of its painting.

The subjects for the frescoes of this stanza were legends and episodes from the history of the Church, when, allegedly, thanks to divine intervention, she got rid of the danger that threatened her. As a Catholic and the official painter of the papal throne, Raphael in four frescoes of this stanza depicted the greatness of the Church, her all-conquering power and the mighty wrath of God against her enemies and the pope.

Rafael Santi. Fresco "The Expulsion of Eliodor from the Temple"

In the fresco that gave the name to this station, Raphael depicted the expulsion of the Syrian leader Eliodor from the Temple of Jerusalem (3rd chapter, 2nd book of Maccabees). Eliodor came to the Temple of Jehovah to plunder it and steal the gold intended for widows and orphans. But the robber was overtaken by God's punishment in the form of an angel - a beautiful rider in golden armor. A crowd of people, women and children on the left side of the fresco, look with fear and amazement at the miracle. Some surprise is the appearance among this dynamic crowd of calm JuliusII, which is brought into the Temple by drabants (medieval German warriors), one of which is endowed with the features of the great German artist Albrecht Dürer. In this episode, Rafael sinned against the truth, but this false touch was quite natural inXVIcentury. The fresco was painted to glorify Pope JuliusII, therefore, the main themes of the painting are associated with historical or legendary events from the life of JuliusII: victory over the French, whom the pope expelled from the Papal States and his miraculous deliverance from captivity in Bologna in 1509. The frescoes of this stanza are also interesting because they show the true position of even such a genius as Raphael at the pope's court, the artist's dependence on the trends of his time and the inability to present his vision of a historical event. Raphael began work in this stanza in 1512, completing the painting 2 years later, and Pope Julius was able to see Eliodor's Expulsion before his death in February 1513, when work in the stanza was in full swing.

(Residenza Papale) is famous for its richly decorated halls, which contain the great treasures of a small state.

Perhaps the most famous are those where genuine masterpieces are located - the Sistine Chapel with frescoes made by Michelangelo himself, and Raphael's Stanzas, called the standard of fine art of the Renaissance. The Vatican during this period fought for both spiritual and secular power, and all the works of the Renaissance were supposed to strengthen the authority of the Catholic Church and its head.

The most visited place by tourists is the four rooms, painted by the great master. Stanze di Raffaello, located one after another in the old part of the palace, delight tourists with harmonious beauty and deep meaning.

Residence for the new pope

When Pope Julius II ascended the throne, he did not want to live in the apartments occupied by the previous supreme ruler, but chose a cozy room in the old palace. The head of the Vatican dreamed of turning his residence into a real work of art and in 1503 he invited the best Italian artists to fresco the interiors of his office.

True, the works did not please Julius II, and with annoyance he ordered the creations of the masters to be washed away. Five years later, the project manager, the architect Bramante, showed dad the sketches of the young painter Raphael, which led him to complete delight. The pontiff summoned a 25-year-old artist from Florence, who showed great promise, and entrusted him with painting future living quarters in the palace, which later became known throughout the world as Raphael's stanzas.

The Pope wanted to see images glorifying the church, including praising the activities of Julius II himself. It must be admitted that the painter brilliantly coped with the mission entrusted to him and created immortal masterpieces that have become real treasures of world art.

Stanza della Senyatura by Raphael

Majestic frescoes brought recognition and fame to the young talent, as well as the title of the founder of a new direction in art - "Roman classicism". Raphael, who received from the pope the right to paint apartments, began with a room called the Stanza della Segnatura (Signature Hall), and work continued until 1511. It is believed that in this hall, whose name is not associated with the work of the master, there was a pope's reception room or a library, and here Julius II wanted to see reconciliation between antiquity and Christianity.

Main fresco "School of Athens"

Raphael's stations are dedicated to the spiritual improvement of people and divine justice. The master created four frescoes, of which the best, according to art historians, is considered to be the School of Athens. Two ancient philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, are the central figures, symbolizing the world of ideas living in higher spheres, closely connected with earthly experience.

They argue about where the truth comes from and the various methods of reaching it. Plato, raising his hand up, stands for the philosophy of idealism, and Aristotle, pointing to the ground, explains the merits of the empirical method of knowledge. The fresco characters are extremely similar to the heroes of the Middle Ages, which emphasizes the close relationship between ancient philosophers and theology of that time.

Three works full of symbolism

The mural "Dispute" is a story about the heavenly church and the earthly one, and the action of the composition takes place in two planes. God the Father and his son Jesus, the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, as well as the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit, side by side with a whole army of priests and lay people, among whom one can recognize the Italian thinker Dante Alighieri. Raphael depicted the conversations that the characters have about the sacrament of the sacrament. And its symbol - the host (bread) - is in the center of the composition. By its beauty, this painting is recognized as one of the most perfect works in painting.

The fresco "Parnassus" flaunts the beautiful Apollo, surrounded by charming muses and great poets of that era. This is the embodiment of an ideal kingdom, where art is at the forefront.

The last fresco tells of justice, and it depicts in allegorical form Wisdom, Strength and Temperance, as well as a portrait of Pope Julius II himself, present at the founding of canon and civil law.

Stanza d'Eliodoro

After the artist finishes painting the first room, he proceeds to the second, dedicated to the theme of divine protection. Work on the Stanza di Eliodoro coincided with a period of political instability. And then he decides to create a whole cycle of frescoes that would inspire Christians and tell about the protection of the Lord through faith, inspired by Rafael Santi.

The pope liked the stanzas with plots on the theme of historical events and miracles so much that he renamed the room after the name of one of the frescoes - “The Expulsion of Eliodor from the Temple”, which depicts a heavenly horseman punishing the Syrian king who is trying to steal gold. On the left side, Julius II is depicted being carried to the criminal.

"Mass in Bolsena" tells of a miracle that shocked the parishioners. An unbelieving priest, who took the cake used in the rite of communion in his hands, found that it was the flesh of Christ, bleeding. The fresco also depicts the pope kneeling before the sign of God during the service.

The miraculous liberation of the disciple Jesus from captivity with the help of an angel is captured in the composition "Bringing Saint Peter out of prison". This is a very interesting work in terms of complex angles, as well as the play of light and shadow.

And the fourth fresco is dedicated to the meeting of Pope Leo I with the leader of the Huns, Attila.

Stanza Incendio di Borgo

This is the last room that Rafael Santi personally worked on. The stanzas in the Vatican were painted over several years (1513 - 1515), and the subjects of the frescoes are related to real events that took place in the history of the Holy See. After the death of Julius II, Pope Leo X was crowned. The pontiff liked the previous works of the painter so much that he ordered to paint the dining room, which later became known as Stanza dell "Incendio di Borgo.

The most significant fresco is the "Fire in Borgo". The territory of the district of the same name was completely engulfed in fire, and Pope Leo IV, who stopped the elements with the sign of the cross, saved the believing population of the Italian city.

Raphael's Stations: Constantine's Hall

It must be said that Raphael, busy with other projects, entrusted part of the work in the third hall to his students, who, after the death of the brilliant creator at the age of 37, painted the fourth apartment - Stanza di Constantino.

In 1517, the master received an order to decorate the last room used for lavish banquets, but the artist only had time to prepare sketches, and the frescoes on the theme of Emperor Constantine's victory over paganism were made by the master's talented followers. Four compositions tell about the power that the ruler, who made Christianity the official religion, received over the entire Roman Empire. Despite the fact that the stanza of Constantine was performed by Raphael's students according to his drawings, and not by himself, the hall still belongs to the works of the great master.

Masterpiece of world art

Raphael's stanzas delight visitors with talented performance, attention to detail and realism. This is a unique work of art, the plots of which touch upon extremely important topics - human activity, his spiritual perfection and self-knowledge.

To get acquainted with the works of Raphael, you need to visit the museum complex, the entrance to which is possible with a single ticket worth 16 euros.

Raphael's successes in Florence were so significant that they made his name widely known. In 1508, thanks to the patronage of his countryman, the great architect Bramante, he was invited to the papal court and left for Rome.

At that time, the papal throne was occupied by Julius II, who introduced his characteristic scope into the artistic policy of Rome. Under him, the best craftsmen were called to Rome, and the city began to be decorated with architectural monuments, paintings and sculptures. Bramante began the construction of St. Peter's; Michelangelo, previously busy with the design of the tomb of Julius II, began painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Around the papal court, poets and humanist scholars were grouped. In this atmosphere of creative creation, in communication with outstanding representatives of culture, Raphael's work entered a phase of the highest rise.

According to Vasari, Bramante, who was the chief architect under Pope Julius II, begged the pope to entrust the painting of the newly built halls to his distant relative and countryman. So the artist received an order to paint the pope's front apartments, the so-called stanza (stanza - room), which include three rooms on the second floor of the Vatican Palace and an adjacent hall. The painting of the stanzas was supposed to be the result of a strictly thought-out program dedicated to glorification of the church.

The Pope was so delighted with the skill of the young Raphael that he decided to cancel the commission already entrusted to such famous artists as Luca Signorelli, Pinturicchio, Perugino and Sodoma. Raphael began work on frescoes when he was only twenty-five years old. The stanzas were painted by Raphael together with his students. within 12 years in 1509-1517 (the hall was painted after the death of the master). The best of these frescoes belong to the greatest creations of Renaissance art. The murals amaze with the depth of conception, figurative richness, compositional clarity and orderliness, and general harmony. The choice of subjects for them is undoubtedly predetermined by the pope.

Stanza della Segnatura

The first room in which Raphael began his paintings in the Vatican was the so-called signature room - Stanza della Senyatura(Stanza della Segnatura), where papal decrees and decrees were sealed. This stanza was the papal office. It was painted by Raphael in 1508-1511. The theme of the paintings is the spiritual activity of man.

Interior of the stanza della Senyatura

The theme of the paintings is the spiritual activity of man: theology, philosophy, poetry and jurisprudence. In comparing and interpreting these plots, the desire of the papacy to demonstrate the unity of various areas of human spiritual activity was manifested. This was especially important at a time when the flourishing of a life-affirming secular culture led to the relegation of theology to the background and to a significant decline in the authority of the church.

Stanza della Senyatura was the hall where all the paintings were conceived and worked out in detail in cardboard and executed on the wall by Raphael himself.

The plot of the first of the frescoes made by Raphael, usually called " Dispute”, - the dispute of the fathers of the church about the sacrament of the sacrament. The action takes place in two planes - on earth and in heaven.

Theologians, possibly with the participation of Pope Julius II himself, determined the persons who must certainly be depicted in the heavenly and earthly hierarchy.

Below, in a clearly marked center, stands a simple-shaped altar with a tabernacle. It stores host (wafer)- a flat cake of unleavened dough, which is taken by Catholics who take communion (only priests partake of wine and host). On both sides of the altar on a stepped elevation, the church fathers, popes, prelates, clergymen, elders and youths settled down. Their figures are given in living, plastically finished turns and movements; the eye immediately captures their expressive silhouettes. Among other participants here you can find Savonarola, a pious monk-painter Beato Fra Angelico, architect Bramante, Dante. . . Dante twice depicted in this room: as a poet ascending Parnassus among other geniuses of poetic art and as an outstanding theologian in a select society in this fresco.

Above the whole mass of figures in the lower part of the fresco, like a heavenly vision, the personification of the trinity appears: God the Father, below him in a halo of golden rays is Christ with the Mother of God and John the Baptist, even lower, as if marking the geometric center of the fresco, is a dove in a sphere, symbol of the Holy Spirit. On either side of them, 12 figures sit on floating clouds, among which four evangelists stand out with books in their hands, the apostles Peter and Paul. And all this huge number of figures, with such a complex compositional design, is distributed with such art that the fresco leaves an impression of amazing clarity and beauty. The appearance of the characters in the fresco is so majestic, their postures and gestures are so inspired that the Debate appears before us not so much as a dispute about the host, but as a majestic triumph of Truth and Faith.

Dispute

in heaven

Angels

Holy spirit in the form of a dove and angels with the Gospels

Angels

Saint Peter, Forefather Adam, Evangelist John, King David, Saint Lawrence, Prophet Jeremiah

God the Father, Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist

Judas Maccabeus, Saint Stephen, Moses, Evangelist(?), Forefather Abraham, Apostle Paul

On the ground

Left-hand side

Right side

Beato Fra Angelico, Monk Painter

Ambrosius of Milan, Blessed Augustine

Thomas Aquinas, Pope Innocent III

Bonaventure, Pope Sixtus IV

architect Bramante

Gregory the Great, Saint Jerome with a lion

Savonarola (behind the man)

Dante Alighieri

The best of all the frescoes in the stanzas is unanimously recognized as " Athenian school"- one of the greatest creations of Renaissance art in general and Raphael in particular. The fresco glorifies the power of the mind, embracing the whole world. Representatives of different teachings, only formally united by a single architectural space, for the most part do not belong to a particular Athenian school, so the name of the grandiose fresco is conditional. There is no doubt that Raphael was familiar with the works of great philosophers and understood the essence of the philosophical method of cognition, which involves the manifestation of personal aspirations and principles of the thinker's life.

This composition is one of the most striking evidence of the triumph in Renaissance art of humanistic ideas and their deep ties with ancient culture. In a grandiose enfilade of majestic arched spans, Raphael presented a collection of ancient thinkers and scientists. Here are not only the Athenians (the philosophers Parmenides and his disciple Zeno were not citizens of Athens) and not only contemporaries, but also thinkers who lived in other times and in other countries (the Persian philosopher-mystic Zoroaster, who lived several centuries before Plato, or Muslim translator and commentator of Aristotle Averroes, who lived many centuries later). Thus the "School of Athens" represents an ideal community of thinkers of the classical era, a community of teachers and students. However, depicting these prominent people of the past, Raphael gives them the features of his outstanding contemporaries.

In the center, among the characters grouped at the powerful arched abutments, in the niches of which the statues of Apollo and Minerva are placed, are depicted Plato And Aristotle. They turned out to be the spiritual center of this collection not only due to their central position in the composition, but also due to the significance of the images. In their posture, in their gait, a truly regal grandeur is poured, just as on their faces we feel the seal of a great thought. These are the most ideal images of the fresco; No wonder the prototype of Plato was Leonardo da Vinci.

Athenian school

The artist set himself a task of incredible complexity. And his genius manifested itself in the very approach to its solution. He divided the philosophers into several separate groups. The right group at the bottom of the picture examines two globes: the earth in the hands of the geographer Ptolemy(in the crown) and heavenly - at Zoroaster(astronomer and mystic philosopher) with the face of the humanist Pietro Bembo. Two young men are talking with scientists (one of them has the facial features of Raphael himself (looks directly at the audience), the other is his friend the painter Sodomy who started to work in this station before Raphael).

Nearby, others are passionate about solving a geometric problem: surrounded by students, beautiful young men, Euclid(or Archimedes). Bending low, he draws with a compass on a slate lying on the floor. Euclid depicts an architect Bramante with his powerful, enlarged bald forehead.

Euclid (Bramante)

Zoroaster and Ptolemy

Rafael and Sodomo's friend

Peripatetics

Almost in the center of the fresco is immersed in deep thought dressed in the clothes of a bricklayer Heraclitus Ephesus is a philosopher lamenting the recklessness of man. In fact, this person Michelangelo. Shocked by the mighty talent of his elder brother in the shop, Rafael thus praised him. Like a beggar on the steps of the stairs, which symbolize the stages of mastering the truth, the founder of the school of cynics, the lonely Diogenes, removed from worldly fuss and discussions. Someone, passing by, points to him, as if asking a companion: is this not the lot of a true philosopher? But he draws his attention (and ours) to two figures that are in the center of the composition. This is the majestic old man Plato, whitened with gray hair, with portrait features of Leonardo da Vinci and the young inspired Aristotle. They are engaged in a dialogue - a calm argument in which truth is freed from the shackles of dogmas and prejudices.

Plato (with the book "Timaeus") represents abstract philosophy, and Aristotle (with the book "Ethics"), as if gesturing around the world around him, represents natural philosophy. Plato points to the sky, where harmony, grandeur and higher intelligence reign. Aristotle extends his hand to the earth, the world around people. There can be no winner in this dispute, because both the boundless cosmos and the native Earth are equally necessary for a person, the knowledge of which will last forever.

The unity of philosophies is in the diversity of individual schools and personal opinions. This is how the great symphony of human knowledge is formed. This is not hindered by the disunity of thinkers in space and time. On the contrary, knowledge unites everyone who sincerely strives for it... And it is no coincidence, of course, that people of all ages, including babies, are present in the picture, and their faces are not only focused and thoughtful, but also bright smiles.

Heraclitus (Michelangelo)

Diogenes

Plato and Aristotle

To the left of Plato Socrates, explaining to the listeners the course of his reasoning by the listeners, among whom the commander stands out Alcibiades in armor and helmet and young Alexander the Great whose teacher was Aristotle.

The figure of a young man is remarkable in the far left corner of the fresco. He swiftly enters this cluster of sages, holding a scroll and a book in his hand; fluttering folds of his cloak and curls on his head. The one standing nearby shows him the way, and someone from the circle of Socrates greets him. Perhaps this is how a new bold idea is personified, which will cause new disputes, inspire new searches ...

In the foreground, on the left, kneeling down with a book in his hands, the venerable Pythagoras, surrounded by students, explains another theorem to enchanted listeners. Young man with long hair Anaxagoras, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer; he is holding a slate board. Pythagoras personifies arithmetic and music. Behind him sits a philosopher Anaximander, student of Thales. To the left of this group is shown Epicurus with grape leaves on his head, behind him you can see the head of a small Federico Gonzaga. stands nearby Hypatia, woman mathematician, philosopher and astronomer, and philosopher Parmenides.

The appearance of some other philosophers and scientists is more endowed with features of life characteristic. So, magnificent in its laconic expressiveness is the image of a Stoic, a philosopher Dam, placed at the top on the right side of the fresco: already in one silhouette of his figure wrapped in a cloak, separated by intervals from other characters, the feeling of his spiritual loneliness is conveyed.

Although the fresco contains over 50 figures, Raphael's sense of proportion and rhythm creates an impression of surprising lightness and spaciousness.

Socrates with students

Pythagoras with students

Hypatia and Parmenides

Plotinus

The third fresco of the Stanza della Senyatura, " Parnassus”, - the personification of the idea of ​​​​Bello - Beauty, the Beautiful. The fresco - an allegory of the realm of poetry - depicts the patron of the arts, playing the viol (violin) of the god Apollo, at his feet the Castal key flows, giving inspiration to poets. Apollo sits surrounded by muses and poets, both ancient and renaissance. Homer, Pindar, Sappho, Anacreon, Virgil, Ovid, Horace reside in the bright world of inspiration and beauty, in the circle of muses; here are the great Italians Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio...

"Parnassus", like some other frescoes, is located above the window; wedged into the plane intended for the picture, it created additional compositional difficulties. Rafael showed ingenuity by placing the top of the mountain above the window, and on its sides gentle slopes running down.

Parnassus

The figures on the fresco are grouped in accordance with certain stylistic trends in literature - ancient and modern to Raphael.

On a fresco, ancient Greek poets Sappho(portrait of a Roman courtesan?) and Alcay(turned away from the audience) as if they begin that “arc” along which the eye moves. It was not by chance that Raphael placed these two figures close to each other. They are contemporaries, their fates are in many ways similar: both he and she came from noble families, lived in Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, experienced the hardships of exile, became famous for poetry that glorified love. Alcaeus is attentively listening to Corinne, Petrarch and Anacreon.

Corinna An ancient Greek poetess from Tanagra. The works are based on legends about native Boeotia. Her works have come down to us only in fragments.

petrarch- Italian poet (1304-1374), was recognized as one of the greatest scientists of his time. He wrote sonnets, ballads, madrigals on the life and death of Laura. In 1341 (on Easter) he was crowned in Rome, on the Capitol, with a laurel wreath. Petrarch's gaze is fixed on his ancient predecessor, Alcaeus, and this betrays his interested participation in the conversation.

Anacreon- Ancient Greek lyric poet, "singer of love." The motives of his poetry are the enjoyment of the sensual joys of life.Imitation of Anacreon gave rise toAnacreontic poetryLate Antiquity, Renaissance and Enlightenment. In Russia, examples of Anacreontic poetry are found in Derzhavin, Batyushkov, Pushkin...

Shown higher Dante Alighieri- the greatest poet of Italy. He is best known as the author of the epic epic poem The Divine Comedy.

To his right Homer, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Legends portray Homer as a blind wandering singer. Tradition dictated that Homer be depicted with an accompanying guide, who writes down his words on a waxed tablet with a stylus.

Behind Homer, Dante "exchanges glances" with Virgil. Publius Virgil Maro- Roman poet His heroic epic "Aeneid" about the wanderings of the Trojan Aeneas is the pinnacle of Roman classical poetry; glorifies the historical mission of Rome. The connection of the figures of Dante and Virgil is justified: in Dante's journey through Hell and Purgatory ("The Divine Comedy") Dante's companion was Virgil.

Next are Apollo and the Muses. To the right of them, Ariosto and Boccaccio stand side by side as representatives of Italian literature. Ariosto- the author of comedies of manners, his main creation is "Furious Roland". Giovanni Boccaccio- the author of poems on the subjects of ancient mythology. In the book of short stories "The Decameron" - the humanistic ideal of Renaissance literature.

Tibull And Propertius, Roman poets, have much in common (placed side by side): they came from the environment of Italian farmers, in the center of the work of both is the image of the only beloved - “lady”. She is sung under a conditional Greek name, chosen so that a real (rhyming) one could be inserted instead.

Looks at the audience (what are we doing there) Tibaldi- Italian writer He lived at the courts of Ferrari, Mantua and in Rome; left a description of the sack of Rome, during which he himself lost everything.

"Picking in the nose" Sannazaro- Italian poet His pastoral novel Arcadia was a popular monument of Italian literature.

Horace turned out to be the extreme figure on the right in the fresco and his place exactly corresponds to the position of Alcaeus (the extreme figure on the left); both are shown in profile. This, apparently, is not accidental: Horace imitated Alcaeus in his work. Raphael emphasized this with the similarity of their clothes.

Horace- Roman poet In the books of satires, odes, messages - discussions about the frailty of life, the immortality of poetry. Singing the affordable joys of being (solitary life, peace of mind, friendship, love), he affirms the cult of moderation - the "golden mean". The famous "Monument" of Horace gave rise to many imitations: (Derzhavin, Pushkin) ...

Pointing at the audience Pindar- Ancient Greek lyric poet. He wrote choral chants, hymns in honor of the winners at the Olympic and other sports games.

Alcaeus, Corinne, Petrarch, Anacreon, Sappho ("the tenth muse")

The young man is the guide of Homer, Dante, Homer, Virgil

Melpomene, Calliope, Terpsichore, Loligimnia, Apollo, Clio, Erato, Thalia

Euterpe, Urania, Ariosto, Boccaccio, Tibull, Propertius, Tibaldi, Sannazaro, Horace, Pindar

Why does Apollo need a bow? Then, to play the... lyre. We can see such a strange picture not only on the Parnassus fresco, but also on other works of Renaissance artists.

Dossy. Apollo and Daphne

Provencal. Orpheus

Henrik de Klerk. Midas Punishment

Giovanni. Dispute between Apollo and Marsyas

Lorrain. Landscape with Apollo and Hermes

These paintings depict Apollo playing a violin-like instrument. Actually, this is the lyre. That is how it was called in those days (XV-XVI centuries). Today, this tool, in order to avoid confusion, is called " lira da braccio", which means " shoulder lyre».

This instrument (was distributed throughout the Apennine Peninsula and was simply called the lyre. That is probably why the artists of that time “gave” it into the hands of Apollo. Maybe they did not know about the lyre that is known to us from the lyrics of the ancient Greeks?

But no, citharas and ancient lyres are sometimes found on the same canvases. The artists of the Renaissance did not forget what the ancient lyre is, because they “revived” precisely the ancient culture. And the modern instrument for artists, perhaps, symbolized the connection of times and the continuity of cultures. That is actually rebirth.

So on this fresco exactly reproduced cithara at the Muse Erato to the right of Apollo. We see lyre at the feet of Sappho. The object in her hand, resembling a horn, is used for tuning. Raphael was one of the very first to sketch a completely unfamiliar type of lyre before - an instrument made from a tortoise shell.

The lyre was made by Hermes from the shell of a tortoise, and the stands were made from the horns of an antelope. Hermes pulled the veins of the bulls of Apollo instead of strings. There were seven strings, in honor of the seven daughters of Atlas. After the lyre was ready, Apollo tuned it and presented it to Orpheus, the son of the muse Calliope. Orpheus pulled two more strings, and there were nine of them, in honor of the nine muses.

The violin and the lyre da braccio are close relatives to each other: in design (to a lesser extent in form), in the manner of playing (on the shoulder) and in the structure of the strings. There were several subspecies of the Italian lira: lira da braccio(soprano), lirone da braccio(alto), lira da gamba(baritone), lirone perfetto(bass), differing in the number of strings - from 5 to 10.

In the stanza della Senyatura, on the opposite wall from the "Parnassus" are depicted " virtues» (a group of three allegorical figures): Force holding an oak branch in her hands - a symbol of the family of Pope Julius II, Wisdom And Moderation. Their figures are full of grace.

On the left is the emperor Justinian presenting his codex to Trebonian. The fresco was made by Raphael's students. On the right, Gregory XI (beautiful portrait of Julius II) hands over decretals (papal decrees) to a lawyer.

Virtues: Strength, Wisdom, Temperance

On the vault above each fresco is placed in a round medallion an allegorical figure symbolizing each of these activities: Theology, Philosophy, Poetry And Justice, personifying the four spiritual forces - religion, science, law and beauty. In the corner parts of the vault there are small compositions, also related in their subject matter to the content of the corresponding frescoes: fall"("Adam and Eve"), " Apollo's victory over Marsyas», « Astronomy" And " Judgment of Solomon". All the work of a decorative nature was masterfully planned and executed.

Just as on the adjacent walls the Christian trinity and the Church Fathers in the fresco of "Disputation" side by side with the pagan ones - the gods and poets of "Parnassus", so in the compositions of the vault the biblical "Fall" is correlated with the "Victory of Apollo over Marsyas". The fact of combining images of the Christian religion and pagan mythology within the framework of a common artistic concept serves as an example of the true attitude of people of that time to issues of religious dogma. The official fresco program of the Stanza della Senyatura was a reflection of the ideas reconciliation of the Christian religion with ancient culture, common humanist scientists of the time. And the artistic implementation of this program in the frescoes of Rafael Santi became evidence unity of secular and ecclesiastical principles.