As the father of three young children with bills mounting in the “need to pay” box, the odds of me and my family visiting the Vatican anytime soon are slim to none.

So, when we learned that the Vatican was coming closer to home in the form of a traveling art exhibit, my family and I jumped at the opportunity to go see “St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes” now at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

In its last stop on a North American tour — actually the last visit of a two-tour run that started in 2003 — the exhibit contains more than 300 pieces of art, rare documents and historical objects. These objects trace 2,000 years of the Catholic faith, beginning with the death of St. Peter.

Being a rather weak student of Church history, I always assumed that the home of the Holy Father had existed from the earliest Church as it is today: a massive basilica in the heart of Rome. I was intrigued to learn that the Vatican began humbly with a simple altar marking the burial site of St. Peter in the year 64 in a Roman cemetery on Vatican Hill. A small chapel was soon erected and the site became a place of pilgrimage for the early Christians.

This early Church history became clearer still with a detailed model of “old St. Peter’s Basilica” at the beginning of the museum exhibit. This basilica, begun under the reign of Constantine in 324, was an impressive wooden structure that contained 88 columns, 120 altars and 700 oil lamps. It took five years to construct with the main altar carefully placed over St. Peter’s tomb.

Ancient Art

The exhibit fills 12 galleries. Each gallery contains interesting historical facts and details. Holy art treasures that help develop specific themes hang on the walls of each gallery. For example, a stunning mosaic of St. Paul from the eighth century stood in the gallery of early Church history. Inside a dimly lit glass case sat the Mandylion of Edessa, one of the oldest images of Christ that exists. Tradition has it that the King of Edessa (now Urfa in Turkey) commanded that a portrait be made of Christ. Instead, he received a miraculous cloth or Mandylion (from Arabic meaning small cloth) containing the image of Jesus.

Time took its toll on the early St. Peter’s Basilica and the need for a larger and stronger structure became evident. Pope Julius laid the first stone for the new basilica in 1506 during the height of the Italian Renaissance. As the “new St. Peter’s” took shape, the artistry of Michaelangelo, Donato Bramante and Gian Bernini would make the basilica the grandest church in Christendom. More than a century would pass before the St. Peter’s as we know it today would be consecrated.

Lanterns flickered above scaled down scaffolding as I walked through a replica of the Sistine Chapel. It is hard to imagine that the magnificent work of Michelangelo, who painted the Sistine Chapel, was painstakingly completed using simple tools and lit by candle. This fact makes his grand frescos all the more glorious.

Biblical and historical cues lie behind many of the structures and architecture of the Vatican. For instance, the baldachin or the canopy with its massive twisting pillars rising above the high altar of St. Peter’s was modeled after Solomon’s temple of the Old Testament.

It has been said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. The obelisk, which stands 84 feet tall at the center of St. Peter’s Square, is a reminder of the supreme sacrifice made by early Christians. The obelisk was once in the circus of Nero, who is infamous for his torture and massacre of the early Christians including St. Peter himself. At one time, a large bronze globe sat atop of the obelisk. According to legend, it contained the ashes of Julius Caesar. This globe was removed in 1585 when the obelisk was moved to its current location.

In the area of the exhibit dedicated to papal liturgy, the royal nature of past papacies was made clear. On display were beautiful tiaras and fancy liturgical slippers worn by former popes. In light of the death last year of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI, many objects in the same area were quite familiar.

For example, the ceremonial silver hammer used to confirm the death of the pope and used to smash the papal ring is on display. Also present is the urn that burned the cardinals’ ballots and the canister that created the white smoke signifying to the world the election of a new holy father.

Catholic means universal. And missionary work certainly has been essential to spreading our faith around the world. Some fascinating examples of this work are on display at the exhibit. A letter written in 1840 in beautiful Chinese characters explains the martyrdom of St. John Gabriel Perboyre, a Vincentian priest who was canonized in 1996. As well, the first map of Australia used by early European missionaries was shown.

Of course, the Church’s involvement in world history and affairs extends well beyond missionary work. Surprising to me were the numerous diplomatic communiqués and decrees from the Vatican to improve relationships with other faiths throughout the centuries. I was intrigued with a document from 1741 that encouraged religious freedom in Tibet and a Buddhist thanka (devotional cloth), which the Dalai Lama presented to Pope John Paul II early in his papacy.

St. Peter and the Vatican closes with a bronze casting of the hands of Pope John Paul II. Visitors are encouraged to touch the hands of the man who extended his own hands to the far corners of the globe. It is a fitting tribute to the leader who made the Church so accessible during his pontificate.

As the ancient saying goes: All roads lead to Rome. However, if you are like me and the road you’re on won’t be leading you to the Eternal City anytime soon, make sure you at least make it to Milwaukee to see “St. Peter and the Vatican” in its final U.S. stop. It’s the next best thing to crossing the Atlantic.

Eddie O’Neill writes from

Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Information

Milwaukee Public Museum

(414) 278-2728

www.mpm.edu