Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's

If you love art history, the Italian Renaissance and the glorious architecture of the masters... this book is for you.

I read R.A. Scotti's book on the left of Mona Lisa and found it fascinating. This book, Basilica is proving to be informative and fascinating as well. Her writing is clever, giving lots of information, but not making it like a university text book, which can be so boring. She makes it all very interesting. She obviously has studied her subjects deeply and puts the information forth in a way that's enjoyable to read. I love history and this is a wonderful way to learn it. I will read more of her books!

This book was more than I had hoped for, and it made a very easy read. I couldn't put it down and hated for it to end. I will buy more books from this author.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Basilica, (see my review) I can't let A. McDonald's remarks pass unanswered. As Basilica explains, St. Peter's was constructed with concrete masonry, the same method that ancient Roman architects used to build their monumental edifices. McDonald may be thinking of Portland concrete which dates to the 18th c. As to the question of the Reformation, A. McDonald seems to have completely missed the nuances in Scotti's writing. The author never says that the excessive cost of building St. Peter's caused the Reformation. Rather, she sees it as the straw that broke the camel's back, prompting Martin Luther to post his theses. In fact, Scotti makes the further point that Luther's theses did not cause the Reformation so much as start the conversation and that the causes of the Reformation were as much political as theological. The historical "what if" that Basilica asks is a fascinating question to think about: What if there had been no excessive Basilica costs and no outrageous clerical behavior in Rome to raise the dander of the young monk? An equally intriguing question to ponder after reading Basilica: From the perspective of 500 years, was St. Peter's worth the incalculable cost?

"Basilica" is a rare find -- an intriguing account of some of the foremost figures in the history of the Church and leaders of the Renaissance. The construction of St. Peter's was an immense undertaking -- the scope of the project was unparalleled, as were the egos of many of those involved. Working from a trove of research, including several first-party accounts, the author spins a delicious tale of intrigue, strife, power-mongering, corruption and waste which, amazingly, culminated in the completion of one of the most acclaimed and recognizable architectural monuments of all time.

"Basilica" is a densely written, thoroughly researched, and dramatically protrayed account of the building of St. Peter's Church. In this thoughtful and sweeping account, Ms. Scotti covers over 120 years of Church history and the reign of several Popes, discusses the political and other forces which both drove and stalled the construction of what is now one of the most recognizable sites in the world, and examines the fierce competition among the master artists (Bernini, Raphael, Michaelangelo and others) to gain artistic control over the project. Despite its' somewhat overwhelming scope, Ms. Scotti deftly weaves together all of these factors in a compelling narrative. "Basilica" is in no way a dry account of the construction of St. Peter's. Rather, Ms. Scotti (who I believe is a novelist) has imparted a truly human element to this true-life drama. She discusses at length Michaelangelo's conflicted feelings about the project, his anguish over the abandonment of what he felt was to be his signature work (a planned marble tomb for Pope Julius II), his banishment to the Sistine Chapel and his triumphant completion of what many (including Michaelangelo) thought was an impossible assignment -- the fresco which covers the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to this very day! Ms. Scotti also clearly discusses the political effects that the proposed construction had on the Church and on Europe as a whole. She correctly identifies the project as one of (if not the seminal) financial "abuses" Martin Luther used as justification for the posting of his famous "Thesies" which, as we all know, led to the Reformation and the creation of the Protestant Churches and pulls no punches when describing the lack of fiscal responsibility exercised by the Medici Popes. Her description of one dinner party where the host casually tossed the dirty gold (real gold!) dishes into the river echoes recent newspaper accounts of some of the galas thrown by certain high-level executives in days before the recent corporate scandals! She also describes, in vivid detail, the competition between the prominent Italian families of the day to gain the papal seat, the fierce rivalry among now-legendary artists and their patrons, and how the construction of St. Peter's led to the rebuilding of Rome into the city that we know today. For those "Da Vinci Code" fans out there, it is also worth noting that many of the sites referenced by Dan Brown (such as the Pantheon) and their relation to modern-day St. Peter's are described in vivid detail by Ms. Scotti. I HIGHLY recommend "Basilica"!!