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Time of India
14-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Inside Pope Leo XIV's new home: What life is like in the Apostolic Palace
Image credits: Getty Images After the death of late Pope Francis in April, the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace were sealed, as a part of a ritual that symbolises the papal throne is empty and secures his personal papers. With the election of the new Pope of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV , the seals on these apartments were removed on Sunday, signalling that he is ready to move in. It's been a decade since the apartments in the palace have been occupied. Francis himself lived in a modest Vatican guest house rather than the traditional residence. While Pope Leo could follow in his predecessor's footsteps, he could also prefer residing in the palace in the Vatican City . How is the Apostolic Palace? Image credits: Getty Images The Apostolic Palace, also called the Papal Palace, is considered to be the traditional residence of the Pope and is a building that dates back to the 15th century, when it was created by architect Donato Bramante in the High Renaissance style. However, it became the official residence of the popes in the 17th century. Image credits: Getty Images The palace holds many offices of the pope, museums, the Vatican Library and chapels, including the famous Sistine Chapel . It is located just above the colonnade of St Pete's Square and includes the iconic window from which the Angelus is traditionally delivered. In total, the palace has a whopping 1,000 rooms, including a sitting room, a study bedroom, and a medical clinic. Image credits: Getty Images In newly released photographs of the Apostolic Palace, taken when the apartments were reopened on Sunday, people got to see new areas such as the third floor, also known as the Third Loggia, the pope's future living quarters, the library, and the private chapels in the apartments. Where will Pope Leo reside? Image credits: Getty Images Pope Leo seems to have a similar view on his residency to that of his predecessor Pope Francis, who valued a humble life in a Vatican guest house rather than a grand one at the palace. In a recent interview with the Vatican News, Pope Leo said, "bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them and to suffer with them. " Thus, there could be a higher probability of him also residing in the Vatican guest house.
New York Times
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Hidden Above a Trap Door, 17th-Century Frescoes Come to Light
Imagine mounting a scaffold in the atrium of a historic Roman estate. You spy a small trap door in the vaulted ceiling; on inspection the hatch opens into a cavity between the new ceiling and an older one. In the older ceiling is a second trap door. When you shine a light into the darkness, broad frescoes appear, of cherubs floating amid rolling hills and thistledown clouds in a summery blue sky. This is what Davide Renzoni, an electrician in Rome, experienced last year when he climbed up into a rabbit hole while inspecting cables in the Pompeian Hall of the Villa Farnesina, a sumptuous suburban mansion in the district of Trastevere. The villa, which dates to the 16th century, is perhaps best known for its erotically-charged frescoes depicting Cupid and Psyche designed by Raphael, the High Renaissance painter supreme. Researchers have since determined that the frescoes Mr. Renzoni happened upon were most likely created by Carlo Maratta, one of the last masters of Baroque classicism, along with two of his students, Girolamo Troppa and Francois Simonot. Apparently executed during a late 17th century restoration of Cupid and Psyche, the forgotten works were in pristine condition and had been hidden for nearly two centuries. 'My first feeling was astonishment, immense astonishment,' Mr. Renzoni said. Image The frescoes were discovered by Davide Renzoni, an electrician checking some cables in an area of the Villa Farnesina known as the Pompeian Hall. Credit... Filippo Monteforte/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The villa was built from 1506 to 1510 for Agostino Chigi, a banker for popes and princes and moneylender to both Borgias and Medicis. Credit... Filippo Monteforte/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images His feeling was shared by Virginia Lapenta, the curator of the Villa Farnesina. Dr. Lapenta said that she was 'overcome with emotion' when Mr. Renzoni brought her up onto the scaffold and showed her the bas-relief coat of arms of the Farnese family, the noble clan that once lived at the estate. In 1579, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese the Younger purchased the property, which was renamed Villa Farnesina to distinguish it from the Palazzo Farnese across the Tiber. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
