Mass and the Medicis

When in Florence, eat your first authentic Italian pizza in 10 years. Mmmmmm…

This morning, I attended Mass at the Florence Cathedral, one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen.

Because I showed up early, they allowed me to sit in the choir stalls near the high altar. All of the chairs were full in the nave by the time Mass began, making me feel rather lucky that I got to be up so close among a few hundred people.

The music during this Mass was absolutely glorious. Both the prelude and postlude were exciting, loud 20^th century organ pieces. This church was unique (as far as I know) because a lot of the music was sung by a volunteer choir which practices during the week. Yes, this is typical in US Protestant churches, but I figured that in a refined Roman Catholic church in Italy, that honor would be reserved for special choirs of monks or nuns. It was a very small choir. But because they sang only in unison and because in a cathedral, sound carries so well, they did not need amplification. I definitely felt the Holy Spirit’s presence in the music of today’s mass at the Florence Duomo.

For lunch, I enjoyed my first Italian pizza with some friends. Of course, it’s different than we’re used to in America, but in a GOOD way. J

In the evening, we took an art tour of Florence, when we learned a ton about the city’s history and artists during the Renaissance. The Renaissance began in Florence, so families like the Medicis and artists like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli literally changed the world from Florence. I got to see where Amerigo Vaspugi (whom America is named after) is buried, all the Medici’s residences in Florence, and Ghiberti’s Doors of Paradise.

The most interesting thing we saw today was the Church of the Holy Spirit, where Da Vinci and Michelangelo secretly learned human anatomy at night by dissecting dead bodies. Because their good friend was a friar in the church, they were illegally allowed them to cut up the bodies before they were buried in the crypt. It was horrible, but we would not have the brilliant, exceptionally proportional sculptures and paintings were it not for their unconventional, morbid practice. And besides, the only difference now is that the bodies are preserved.

I begin my language classes in the morning, so I should get to bed. Ciao!