Inside
The Vatican
de Bart McDowell
Book
Description
"I was given the rare opportunity to lift the veil
of privacy for a privileged look inside the Vatican,"
writes photographer James L. Stanfield in his foreword
to this book.
For
nearly a year, seven days a week, Stanfield photographed
virtually every corner of the 108.7-acre enclave that
is both the world's smallest nation and the center of
the world's largest religious body, the Roman Catholic
Church. Pope John Paul II, the Roman Curia, the color
and pomp of centuries-old ceremonies, the wondrous art
and architecture, the daily lives of ordinary citizens
-- all are part of Stanfield's unprecedented coverage.
Author
Bart McDowell guides you through this extraordinary
place. He begins with a historical perspective, going
back to ancient times when the area, known as the Vaticanus,
was a marshland infamous for snakes and malaria. In
the fourth century, Emperor Constantine built a great
basilica there, the first St. Peter's; around it grew
a settlement that would become home to the popes and
territorial base of the church for most of its succeeding
history.
In
subsequent chapters, McDowell explains the workings
of the Holy See, the church's labyrinthine government.
He introduces many of the people who make their living
in the Vatican. And he takes you into one of the world's
great collections of paintings, sculpture, manuscripts,
and other treasures. In a final chapter he presents
the modern popes, particularly the charismatic John
Paul II.
Through
beautiful and exclusive photographs and revealing text,
Inside the Vatican celebrates a small, dynamic community
unique in the world. --
