Sitting in a church right on the Piazza Navona. There's something about Catholic churches and their beautiful art - when I came in here, I was hit with the overwhelming urge to cry. How can it be that works of art this beautiful exist? I feel like my eyes are open for the first time and I am cursing my immaturity for not allowing me to appreciate - or even remember - standing in front of Van Gogh's paintings in Amsterdam. Granted, I was about ten but still. Who knows when I'll see those again?
But now it's different. Now I'm old enough to stress out about not getting to see enough museums! It's crazy. Either way, this church (St. Agnes) is breathtaking. Every wall, every panel, every inch of the inside is decorated and beautiful. It almost makes me want to convert, except I get enough of a guilt trip from my mom (sorry, mom! I still love you); I don't need one from God too.
Actually, places like this make me kind of sad. It'll sound weird, maybe, but it's almost too bad that God is at the root of all this artwork. Without him, this art wouldn't exist. Most of my favorite music wouldn't be around either. And get God has also been the reason for countless deaths for millennia. Is it worth it? Do the benefits outweigh the costs? I don't think so - but then how do we live n a world without churches and frescoes - without the Sistine Chapel or The Last Supper? It seems wrong. But I guess if I had the answer to this dilemma, I would be the Pope. Or President.
New location: outside the Pantheon a couple streets away. The temple to the Roman gods that lies under the church is something like 2000 years old. Apparently this is a sort of anti-religious day because I think it's terrible how the Christians took all the old pagan sites and built churches on top of them. Seriously, couldn't they find their own sites?
It is beautiful though, and the dome inside is probably one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. By contrast to St. Agnes' and even the rest of the Pantheon, the dome is simple and relatively unadorned. It doesn't need to be fancy though, the sheer size and the incredible view of the sky and the sun shining through does it all. It's beautiful.
All of Rome is beautiful. I think it is the most gorgeous city I've ever been to. Everything is as it should be - cobblestone streets, fountains and sculptures everywhere, colorful, artsy apartment buildings with bright wooden shutters and potted plants. For right now, this is probably my favorite city on Earth.
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