Chapter XXXV: From Architecture to Antiquities
From the personal diaries of Cardinal Alberto Pala
Saturday 12th of July 1879
Turin seems to be prosperous under our new administration and things remain quiet even with most of the soldiers off in the East caught in their struggle with the Austrians. In my introductory tour of the city, I was shown a great many of its beauties and there was no lack of Italian flags waving and curious crowds gawking at the new papal legate. I was even honored with a vision of the Holy Shroud and given the possibility to gaze into the face of Our Lord; while I have seen many relics in my time, it is truly an honor to see one of Christ himself.
Now that I am a little more settled in my quarters I have begun to deal with my official roles. I need to remind myself to be gentle with the pride of these people who long thought themselves masters of Italy but are now left in wait of a verdict on their ultimate fate. I briefly met king Amedeo and he seems to be a good Christian ruler, innocent of his brother's treachery; despite him being defeated I must do my best to treat him like the king he is.
As for more ground-level matters, I've had a conversation with architect Alessandro Antonelli about how to continue his oeuvre. This building seems to have had a troubled past since it was started by Turin's Jewish community as a synagogue until they ran out of money and sold it to the city itself a few years back. Now, I'm called to choose which direction is best for this structure as the representative of the new administration. The past few years have set Antonelli on the path of constructing the tallest unreinforced masonry building in the World, even surpassing the great pyramids of Egypt. The passion that this architect has for his work despite his over eighty years of age is both remarkable and commendable, with such a man at the head, I'd be happy to provide the funds to complete the work while he still lives. As of now, the building is about half its final size and construction is underway on the second order what has been dubbed a "little temple" in the Greek style; past that, I've agreed with the architect that a spire to the top would be the most striking conclusion to the work. We had a bit of a discussion about what should go at the summit of this spire, Antonelli was partial to a star but I disagreed with the idea due to its more Savoyard connotations. As a counter, I suggested that the peak be topped by a bronze statue of Saint John the Baptist who can better represent the union between Rome and Turin in his dual role as patron of the city and as a prophet of Our Lord. I expected some significant pushback from him but he took off almost as if it were his own idea, sketching like a man possessed a model that I was most pleased with.
Finishing up the building will cost us 33.000 dramme but it's well within what the Pope allowed me to use and it's well worth it since the economy is in excellent health despite our engagement in the Austrian war. Speaking of Italy, I will soon ready myself for a night of Opera at the Teatro Regio where I have been honored with a seat at the king's box, just beside Verdi himself. I think that my choice of Nabucco will be appreciated by the attendants, sure it's a bit of an old play but I think that it's the best way to exemplify Italian unity and freedom from foreign oppression. I must remember to properly praise King Amedeo and make sure to not insult his and his people's pride accidentally but I have full confidence that it will be an amicable and jovial affair.
I'm looking forward to the performance.
Thursday 7th of October 1880
Firstly, it is with great happiness that I can note the end of the Austrian War and the final confirmation of the unity of Italy. I have read that the conflict was quite hard-fought but we've managed to humble the Austrians who derided us for centuries and free the Dalmatian people from their oppressors. I need to plan out some formal celebration in Naples as I'm sure that there will be plenty of goodwill for Italy's first united success and the return of her brave sons.
With that out of the way, these days have also been eventful for my visits to the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. I had of course read of the story of the place and Pliny the Elder's untimely fate but I had not truly understood the magnitude of the site itself. The preliminary studies I commissioned have given an estimation of one-tenth of the size of modern Rome which is astonishing in terms of the treasures that we could uncover as the digs proceed. I must note that we have proceeded far beyond the mere grave robbing done decades or even centuries ago as we have begun to use modern scientific methods to properly understand the life of the local population when some of the apostles still lived. The head archaeologist here is the native Neapolitan Giuseppe Fiorelli and he has been painstaking in his explanations to me as to why it is important that the position of each artifact is meticulously reported and how we can learn much not only from artifacts made of gold and jewels but also from the mundane tools that the common folk use every day because they are what truly connects us to that time. I was given a grand tour of the exposed areas of the city and I even looked on as a new insula was being uncovered bit by bit, but Fiorelli was most excited to present me with his brainchild, about which I had some reservations. He supposed that the bodies of the wretched inhabitants of the city will have wasted away under the ash but the space that their frames once occupied should be empty; following this train of thought, he decided to fill these cavities with plaster to extract the shape of the deceased. I was presented with one of these gruesome statues when it was first extracted and I confess that I held tight to my crucifix because, despite these people being all presumably pagans, this process feels oddly sacrilegious. I voiced my apprehensions but Fiorelli explained that human forms are not the only ones that are privy to this treatment but also plants and wooden artifacts that would have otherwise been lost; all in the service of producing as clear a picture of the past as possible.
The rest of the day proceeded much as it had started among the buildings of a lost world and, as we were about to take our leave, Fiorelli asked me if I would be amenable to opening the site to the public, for a fee of course. I told him that I had no particular opposition to that development but, in exchange, I would like him to help me with my development of the new National Museum in Rome; the project is in an advanced state but I could do much worse for a curator of Classical Antiquities. Fortunately, I received a gracious acceptance and now I only need to decide the broader details of how the collection should be set out.
I am mainly concerned about the so-called Secret Cabinet that King Francesco seemed quite eager to give over to us. When I visited the place, I soon came to realize that this eagerness was due to the room being exclusively filled with pornographic material extracted from earlier digs at Pompeii and Herculaneum. And when I say pornographic I do not merely mean the depiction of sexual acts between men and women but with members of the same sex, men and animals, and grotesque individuals with monstrous proportions in their pudenda; this, more than anything, shows how far we've come since the time of pagan debauchery. I felt faint at this display and ready to relegate these obscenities to the obscurity to which the Bourbons had chosen to consign them but today's visit with Fiorelli has given me a change of heart. I want to be clear that these objects should not be freely available to the public but it would not be unreasonable to allow access to scholars of mature age and respected morals with the purpose of granting a clearer picture of the distant past. I know that some may object to this categorically but there must be a reason if these artifacts have survived the millennia and hiding them for everyone would be as good as destroying them, and it is always a great sin to destroy art, no matter how objectionable. One hopes that the museum in Rome will have simpler decisions and less questionable material.
Having said this, my day is not yet done as I must visit the Vesuvian Observatory that we recently refurbished and I will be told how exactly these people intend to predict future eruptions of the volcano. I am quite fortunate to have such an eventful assignment.
Monday 21st of February 1881
I could not have hoped for a better inauguration to the National Roman Museum. The amount of work involved in the preparation was quite significant but I'm happy to see that the effort has been recognized and this evening was a pure celebration with the most influential people in Rome. The pope himself attended and thanked me profusely for the work before giving his compliments on the organization of the various exhibits. I was also accosted by a number of other cardinals and emissaries of the kings in Italy who asked my opinions on the state of the nation in a way that made me think each expected a precise answer in their own direction. I tried my best to brush these probes off because I have no intention of having my good work be co-opted for a cause that I do not believe in, but I'm unsure whether I succeeded in my neutrality.
Speaking of the work, I have the greatest appreciation for the help of Giuseppe Fiorelli from Naples and Giovanni Battista de Rossi from here in Rome. With one curating the Roman antiquities and the other the Apostolic ones, I could not have hoped for better collaborators in this endeavor. Fiorelli has gotten plenty of experience back South but, while de Rossi was a relative novice in the field, he managed to bring his immense experience to bear with only some gentle guidance to stop him from constructing a temple to epigraphy. In the end, we managed to construct an exhaustive timeline from the foundation of Rome itself to the Donation of Sutri, with each room after Peter's arrival displaying the parallel lives of the emperors and the popes. I'm especially proud of the Constantinian chamber where enlightenment, at last, arrived to the ancient city and, it can be argued, began the temporal power of the Papacy that we can see today.
Now, with peace rampant in all of Italy, I'm sure that this grand display will be properly appreciated and visited from every corner of the country as we realize the magnitude of what joins us. I wish a thousand of these years on our young country!
Saturday 12th of July 1879
Turin seems to be prosperous under our new administration and things remain quiet even with most of the soldiers off in the East caught in their struggle with the Austrians. In my introductory tour of the city, I was shown a great many of its beauties and there was no lack of Italian flags waving and curious crowds gawking at the new papal legate. I was even honored with a vision of the Holy Shroud and given the possibility to gaze into the face of Our Lord; while I have seen many relics in my time, it is truly an honor to see one of Christ himself.
Now that I am a little more settled in my quarters I have begun to deal with my official roles. I need to remind myself to be gentle with the pride of these people who long thought themselves masters of Italy but are now left in wait of a verdict on their ultimate fate. I briefly met king Amedeo and he seems to be a good Christian ruler, innocent of his brother's treachery; despite him being defeated I must do my best to treat him like the king he is.
As for more ground-level matters, I've had a conversation with architect Alessandro Antonelli about how to continue his oeuvre. This building seems to have had a troubled past since it was started by Turin's Jewish community as a synagogue until they ran out of money and sold it to the city itself a few years back. Now, I'm called to choose which direction is best for this structure as the representative of the new administration. The past few years have set Antonelli on the path of constructing the tallest unreinforced masonry building in the World, even surpassing the great pyramids of Egypt. The passion that this architect has for his work despite his over eighty years of age is both remarkable and commendable, with such a man at the head, I'd be happy to provide the funds to complete the work while he still lives. As of now, the building is about half its final size and construction is underway on the second order what has been dubbed a "little temple" in the Greek style; past that, I've agreed with the architect that a spire to the top would be the most striking conclusion to the work. We had a bit of a discussion about what should go at the summit of this spire, Antonelli was partial to a star but I disagreed with the idea due to its more Savoyard connotations. As a counter, I suggested that the peak be topped by a bronze statue of Saint John the Baptist who can better represent the union between Rome and Turin in his dual role as patron of the city and as a prophet of Our Lord. I expected some significant pushback from him but he took off almost as if it were his own idea, sketching like a man possessed a model that I was most pleased with.
Finishing up the building will cost us 33.000 dramme but it's well within what the Pope allowed me to use and it's well worth it since the economy is in excellent health despite our engagement in the Austrian war. Speaking of Italy, I will soon ready myself for a night of Opera at the Teatro Regio where I have been honored with a seat at the king's box, just beside Verdi himself. I think that my choice of Nabucco will be appreciated by the attendants, sure it's a bit of an old play but I think that it's the best way to exemplify Italian unity and freedom from foreign oppression. I must remember to properly praise King Amedeo and make sure to not insult his and his people's pride accidentally but I have full confidence that it will be an amicable and jovial affair.
I'm looking forward to the performance.
Thursday 7th of October 1880
Firstly, it is with great happiness that I can note the end of the Austrian War and the final confirmation of the unity of Italy. I have read that the conflict was quite hard-fought but we've managed to humble the Austrians who derided us for centuries and free the Dalmatian people from their oppressors. I need to plan out some formal celebration in Naples as I'm sure that there will be plenty of goodwill for Italy's first united success and the return of her brave sons.
With that out of the way, these days have also been eventful for my visits to the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. I had of course read of the story of the place and Pliny the Elder's untimely fate but I had not truly understood the magnitude of the site itself. The preliminary studies I commissioned have given an estimation of one-tenth of the size of modern Rome which is astonishing in terms of the treasures that we could uncover as the digs proceed. I must note that we have proceeded far beyond the mere grave robbing done decades or even centuries ago as we have begun to use modern scientific methods to properly understand the life of the local population when some of the apostles still lived. The head archaeologist here is the native Neapolitan Giuseppe Fiorelli and he has been painstaking in his explanations to me as to why it is important that the position of each artifact is meticulously reported and how we can learn much not only from artifacts made of gold and jewels but also from the mundane tools that the common folk use every day because they are what truly connects us to that time. I was given a grand tour of the exposed areas of the city and I even looked on as a new insula was being uncovered bit by bit, but Fiorelli was most excited to present me with his brainchild, about which I had some reservations. He supposed that the bodies of the wretched inhabitants of the city will have wasted away under the ash but the space that their frames once occupied should be empty; following this train of thought, he decided to fill these cavities with plaster to extract the shape of the deceased. I was presented with one of these gruesome statues when it was first extracted and I confess that I held tight to my crucifix because, despite these people being all presumably pagans, this process feels oddly sacrilegious. I voiced my apprehensions but Fiorelli explained that human forms are not the only ones that are privy to this treatment but also plants and wooden artifacts that would have otherwise been lost; all in the service of producing as clear a picture of the past as possible.
The rest of the day proceeded much as it had started among the buildings of a lost world and, as we were about to take our leave, Fiorelli asked me if I would be amenable to opening the site to the public, for a fee of course. I told him that I had no particular opposition to that development but, in exchange, I would like him to help me with my development of the new National Museum in Rome; the project is in an advanced state but I could do much worse for a curator of Classical Antiquities. Fortunately, I received a gracious acceptance and now I only need to decide the broader details of how the collection should be set out.
I am mainly concerned about the so-called Secret Cabinet that King Francesco seemed quite eager to give over to us. When I visited the place, I soon came to realize that this eagerness was due to the room being exclusively filled with pornographic material extracted from earlier digs at Pompeii and Herculaneum. And when I say pornographic I do not merely mean the depiction of sexual acts between men and women but with members of the same sex, men and animals, and grotesque individuals with monstrous proportions in their pudenda; this, more than anything, shows how far we've come since the time of pagan debauchery. I felt faint at this display and ready to relegate these obscenities to the obscurity to which the Bourbons had chosen to consign them but today's visit with Fiorelli has given me a change of heart. I want to be clear that these objects should not be freely available to the public but it would not be unreasonable to allow access to scholars of mature age and respected morals with the purpose of granting a clearer picture of the distant past. I know that some may object to this categorically but there must be a reason if these artifacts have survived the millennia and hiding them for everyone would be as good as destroying them, and it is always a great sin to destroy art, no matter how objectionable. One hopes that the museum in Rome will have simpler decisions and less questionable material.
Having said this, my day is not yet done as I must visit the Vesuvian Observatory that we recently refurbished and I will be told how exactly these people intend to predict future eruptions of the volcano. I am quite fortunate to have such an eventful assignment.
Monday 21st of February 1881
I could not have hoped for a better inauguration to the National Roman Museum. The amount of work involved in the preparation was quite significant but I'm happy to see that the effort has been recognized and this evening was a pure celebration with the most influential people in Rome. The pope himself attended and thanked me profusely for the work before giving his compliments on the organization of the various exhibits. I was also accosted by a number of other cardinals and emissaries of the kings in Italy who asked my opinions on the state of the nation in a way that made me think each expected a precise answer in their own direction. I tried my best to brush these probes off because I have no intention of having my good work be co-opted for a cause that I do not believe in, but I'm unsure whether I succeeded in my neutrality.
Speaking of the work, I have the greatest appreciation for the help of Giuseppe Fiorelli from Naples and Giovanni Battista de Rossi from here in Rome. With one curating the Roman antiquities and the other the Apostolic ones, I could not have hoped for better collaborators in this endeavor. Fiorelli has gotten plenty of experience back South but, while de Rossi was a relative novice in the field, he managed to bring his immense experience to bear with only some gentle guidance to stop him from constructing a temple to epigraphy. In the end, we managed to construct an exhaustive timeline from the foundation of Rome itself to the Donation of Sutri, with each room after Peter's arrival displaying the parallel lives of the emperors and the popes. I'm especially proud of the Constantinian chamber where enlightenment, at last, arrived to the ancient city and, it can be argued, began the temporal power of the Papacy that we can see today.
Now, with peace rampant in all of Italy, I'm sure that this grand display will be properly appreciated and visited from every corner of the country as we realize the magnitude of what joins us. I wish a thousand of these years on our young country!
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