The Vatican

The Vatican PDF

Author: Michael Collins

Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13:

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Vatican City is the world's smallest sovereign state, and the spiritual heart of one of the world's great religions; the Vatican's worldwide influence is out of all proportion to the tiny physical area it occupies. Through the inside knowledge of the author, Father Michael Collins, and by means of stunning original photography, The Vaticanoffers a privileged insight into the unique history, traditional ceremonies, priceless treasures, and spectacular architecture of the Vatican. The book is organized into six sections. The Vatican Yeartakes a spectacular visual journey through the great festivals of the Christian calendar, as well as other annual events in the Vatican. The History of the Vaticantraces the chequered story of the papacy from the Crucifixion of St Peter, through the glorious artistic achievements of the Renaissance, to the solemn spiritual messages and moral concerns of the popes of the 21st century. Architectureexamines the legacy of the popes as patrons of architecture, most strikingly in the glories of St Peter's and the Vatican Palace, but also in a photographic tour of the beautiful Vatican Gardens, as well as other churches and buildings connected with the papacy. How the Vatican Worksexplains the hierarchy of the Vatican, the cardinals, priests, and lay people who assist the Pope in the administration of the city and in giving direction and guidance to the vast congregation of Roman Catholics around the world. A Day in the Lifefocuses on the men and women who spend their working day within the walls of the Vatican, from the churchmen who advise the Pope on matters of faith to the colourful Swiss Guards, who have been responsible for the Pope's safety since the early 16th century.

God's Bankers

God's Bankers PDF

Author: Gerald Posner

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2015-02-03

Total Pages: 703

ISBN-13: 1439109869

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New York Times Bestseller: A “deeply researched” exposé of the money and the clerics-turned-financiers at the heart of the Vatican (Chicago Tribune). From a master chronicler of legal and financial misconduct, a magnificent investigation nine years in the making, God’s Bankers traces the political intrigue of the Catholic Church in “a meticulous work that cracks wide open the Vatican’s legendary, enabling secrecy” (Kirkus Reviews). Decidedly not about faith, belief in God, or religious doctrine, this book is about the church’s accumulation of wealth and its byzantine financial entanglements across the world. Telling the story through two hundred years of prelates, bishops, cardinals, and the popes who oversee it all, Gerald Posner uncovers an eyebrow-raising account of money and power in one of the world’s most influential organizations. God’s Bankers is a revelatory and astounding saga marked by poisoned business titans, murdered prosecutors, and mysterious deaths written off as suicides; a carnival of characters from popes and cardinals to financiers and mobsters to kings and prime ministers; and a set of moral and political circumstances that not only clarify the church’s aims and ambitions, but reflect the larger tensions of more recent history. Posner also assesses Pope Francis’s potential to overcome the resistance to change in the Vatican’s Machiavellian inner court and rein in the excesses of its seemingly uncontrollable financial quagmire. “As exciting as a mystery thriller” (Providence Journal), this book reveals with extraordinary precision how the Vatican has evolved from a foundation of faith to a corporation of extreme wealth and power. “Reads like a sprawling novel, full of complex characters and surprising twists. . . . Readers interested in issues involving religion and international finance will find Posner’s work a compelling read.” —Library Journal “An extraordinarily intricate tale of intrigue, corruption and organized criminality. . . . Posner’s gifts as a reporter and storyteller are most vividly displayed in a series of lurid chapters on the American archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the arch-Machiavellian who ran the Vatican Bank from 1971-1989.” —The New York Times Book Review

The Vatican

The Vatican PDF

Author: Michael Collins

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2011-08-15

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0756691826

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Written by a Vatican insider and accomplished church historian, this book is a unique behind-the-scenes look at the world's smallest nation and the spiritual center of the Catholic Church. Produced with the full cooperation of the Vatican, this is a beautifully illustrated insiders guide into the 2,000-year-long history of the Vatican and papal influence, daily life and governance of the world's largest religious body, and the art collections and other priceless treasures rarely seen by the public. In addition to a unique photographic tour, the book includes personal interviews with various Vatican employees and insiders who make their home there, from a Swiss Guard to a singer in the Sistine Chapel choir. This book is an unparalleled look into life inside the Holy City.

In the Footsteps of Popes

In the Footsteps of Popes PDF

Author: Enrico Bruschini

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2009-04-25

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 0061853682

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A unique look at the treasures of the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and the Basilica of Saint Peter from an official guide of the Eternal City. In a tiny enclave in the heart of Rome lies the world's smallest independent state—the Vatican. Over the course of fifteen hundred years, successive popes have commissioned and assembled an extraordinary collection of artistic works within Vatican walls. Eminent expert Professor Enrico Bruschini takes readers on a fascinating personal tour through the Vatican's magnificent sacred halls, vividly bringing to life works by Raphael, da Vinci, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, and many others, while sharing interesting curiosities about the artists, their art, and the historical context in which they worked. Bruschini's unprecedented access to areas rarely open to the public enables him to offer a unique behind-the-scenes tour that reveals the Vatican's most intimate secrets and hidden treasures. With maps and rare photographs from the Vatican archives, In the Footsteps of Popes is an extraordinary excursion that is not to be missed.

The Art of the Vatican: Being a Brief History of the Palace, and an Account of the Principal Art Treasures Within Its Walls

The Art of the Vatican: Being a Brief History of the Palace, and an Account of the Principal Art Treasures Within Its Walls PDF

Author: Mary Knight Potter

Publisher: Palala Press

Published: 2018-02-14

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 9781377475929

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Vatican: All the Paintings

The Vatican: All the Paintings PDF

Author: Anja Grebe

Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal

Published: 2020-03-31

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780762470655

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Discover the artistic wonders of the Vatican, from the Sistine Chapel to Raphael's frescoes, with the New York Times bestselling book The Vatican: All the Paintings; now in a practical and elegant paperback format. The Vatican is one of the most visited sites in the world. It encompasses numerous museums and palaces, and houses one of the finest art collections known to man. Amassed by popes throughout the centuries, including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world, the Vatican is a perennial source of awe and fascination. From Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and his Pieta, to the Raphael frescoes, to the works of Giotto, Fra Angelica, Titian, and Caravaggio, The Vatican: All the Paintings is an unprecedented celebration of this great collection. The book is organized into 22 sections representing the museums and areas of the Vatican, including the Pinacotea, the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, the Borgia Apartments, the Vatican Palaces, and St. Peter's Basilica. Each one of the 976 works of art represented in this book -- including the 661 classical paintings on display in the permanent painting collection and 315 other masterpieces -- is annotated with the name of the painting and artists, the date of the work, the birth and death of the artist, the medium that was used, the size of the work, and the catalog number (if applicable). In addition, 180 of the most iconic paintings, sculptures, and other pieces of art are highlights with 300-word essays by art historian Anja Grebe and bestselling author Ross King. Here you will find information such as the key attributes of the work, what to look for when viewing it, the artist's inspirations and techniques, biographical information on the artist, and the artist's impact on history.

Treasures of the Vatican Collections

Treasures of the Vatican Collections PDF

Author: Alan Levy

Publisher: Plume Books

Published: 1983

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13:

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Written to complement the 1983 U.S. exhibition of Vatican treasures, this also shows and tells about the other works of art that had to remain in the Vatican Museums.