Today I spent the whole day in Padova, Italy. It was nice to walk around the Airbnb apartment and explore the town. While in Padova, I knew I had to visit the Cappella degli Scrovegni.
The Cappella degli Scrovegni, is a church in Padova, Italy. It contains a fresco cycle by Giotto, completed about 1305 and considered to be an important masterpiece of Western art.The chapel is medievil chapel covered with frescoes which narrate events in the lives of the Virgin Mary and Christ. On the wall opposite the altar is the grandiose Universal Judgement, which concludes the story of human salvation. The chapel was originally attached to the Scrovegni family palace, built after 1300, following the elliptical outline of the remains of the Roman arena.I was super-excited about visiting this chapel. On the left side of me, is Giotto’s “Cruxifixion” and on the right is the infamous “Lamentation of Christ”. Prior to this visit, I had only seen these panels in art history books.I was so happy and inspired to be here, that I made another postcard to send to a friend back home.Giotto’s Cappella degli Scrovegni is on the grounds of the Eremitani Museum, a Roman & pre-Roman artifact museum which also houses artwork from the 14th-18th century.The Death of the Virgin Mary is a common subject in Western Christian art, the equivalent of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Eastern Orthodox art. This depiction became less common as the doctrine of the Assumption gained support in the Roman Catholic Church from the late Middle Ages onward. Although that doctrine avoids stating whether Mary was alive or dead when she was bodily taken up to Heaven, she is normally shown in art as alive. Nothing is said in the Bible about the end of Mary’s life, but a tradition dating back to at least the 5th century says the twelve Apostles were miraculously assembled from their far-flung missionary activity to be present at the death, and that is the scene normally depicted, with the apostles gathered around the bed.After a day of looking at beautiful art, I walked to the local Farmer’s Market in the Piazza dei Frutt and bought some fruit.At the end of the day, I met up with my cousins and we had dinner at Caffè Patavino in the Piazza dei Frutt. I have to say that this was the BEST PIZZA I EVER ATE IN MY WHOLE LIFE!!! It was so good, that I ordered another one to go.
