Main theme: the world of 15C Rome and Michelangelo's work for the pope.

Part 2. 15C Rome

• Michelangelo's arrival in Rome. Five years had gone since Michelangelo had made the Pietà. He was now one of the most sought after artists in Italy and it was therefore only natural that Julius II should summon him in 1505 to build a tomb worthy of a great pope. Julius had big plans for Rome included the founding in 1504 of a pleasure garden which extended from the Vatican Palace to the Palazzetto del Belvedere, which in itself was converted into a sculpture gallery. Here he placed the Laocoön (discovered in 1506) and the Apollo del Belvedere (transferred from his private collection to the Belvedere in 1511). The Laocoön's portrayal of failing struggle influenced Michelangelo and is reflected in his statues for the Julius tomb.
• 15C Rome. Even though the cityscape was changing rapidly there was still a rural air to Rome by the late 15C. At nights wolves came down from the hills to roam the streets of Rome. This did not mean that the city was devoid of luxury and pageants. In fact a certain decadence had long since taken residence at the papal court, the carnivals of pope Paul II (1464-71) a good example. Rome had been neglected by the papacy for many years. During the 14C the pope resided in Avignon or elsewhere. It was not until 1420 that a pope, Martin V, resumed permanent papal residence in Rome, installing himself in the Castel Sant'Angelo. A few decades later in 1468 pope Paul II completed the Palazzo Venezia, one of the first Renaissance buildings in Rome, which was to work as a papal residence until 1564. A great quantiry of the building blocks came from the nearby Colosseum.
• Pope Julius II (1503-1513). With a good appetite for food and women Pope Julius II (Sixtus IV's nephew) was determined to assert the authority of the papacy. Also known as the Warrior Pope he started several campaigns and as for his plans for Rome's greatness he took steps to build a new St Peter's, the founding stone laid in 1506. New roads were widened and restored too, such as Via Magistralis, which became Via Giulia, one of Rome's most beautiful thoroughfares. He spent huge sums on the decoration of Santa Maria del Popolo where he also placed the magnificent tombs of cardinal Girolamo Basso della Rovere and cardinal Ascanio Sforza with Sansovino as the architect. Julius felt it important to build monuments to his family members.

A look at Rome during the reigns of the most recent popes:

• Rome under Sixtus IV (1471-84). Despite his nepotism and its bloddy consequences, such as the Pazzi conspiracy (1478), Sixtus did a lot for Rome. The Cancelleria was begun by his nephew Cardinal Riario. By means of heavy taxation of foreign churches and sale of ecclesiastical offices, Sixtus was able to initiate several public buildings. Streets were paved and widened. The churches SS. Nereo Achilleo, S. Maria del Popolo and S. Maria della Pace were rebuilt. In 1475 the pope laid the founding stone for the Ponte Sisto. His greatest legacy, of course, is the Sistine Chapel, decorated by the finest artists of the time, including Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, Perugino and Pinturicchio (see below).
• Rome under Innocent VIII (1484-92). When Sixtus IV died in 1484 a mob ransacked the Riario palace. Things didn't get much better under Innocent VIII's reign, Rome subject to anarchy and armed gangs roaming the streets. The one important event during his reign was the fall of Granada in January 1492. The gift of a hundred Moorish slaves he distributed among the Curia and his friends.
• Rome under Alexander VI (1492-1503). Alexander's second year on the throne, 1494, was seriously marred by the French King Charles VIII's invasion of Italy and occupation of Rome, during which time the pope sought refuge in Castel Sant'Angelo. In 1495 an epidemic of Syphilis which had arrived with the French troops, broke out. At the end of the year a flood hit Rome as well. From Florence Savonarola announced that it was God's wrath, condemning the Church as a Satanic institution. Alexander VI nevertheless began a number of important public building programmes such as the Tempietto of San Pietro Montorio which was designed by Bramante, a defining moment in the High Renaissance. He also also patronised Pinturicchio's frescoes in the Borgia Apartment, executed between 1492 and 1494. Under his patronage Andre Bregno executed a splendid altar, now in the sacristy of Santa Maria del Popolo. Alexander VI also built the loggia in front of the old basilica of St Peter's, a crenellated tower for the Borgia apartments. Still, Rome was not a sprawling metropolis and the only really exclusive part of the city was the Florentine quarter.

Sights and art works:

Apollo del Belvedere

Museo Pio-Clementinio

The Laocoön; Vatican Museum

Castel Sant'Angelo

Palazzo Venezia

Via Giulia

Santa Maria del Popolo

Ponto Sisto, 1474, Baccio Pontelli

San Pietro Montorio, 1502, Bramante

Florentine quarter

Altar, Andre Bregno

Santa Maria del Popolo