In the coat of arms of the Vatican, we see, on a field of gules, two crossed keys tied with a cord; one is made of gold and the other of silver, and they represent the dual power, spiritual and earthly, of the Church. But what interests us here is the element above them: the […]
Popes
Posted inMiddle Ages
Passetto di Borgo, the fortified passage that was the escape route for the popes
The Passetto di Borgo is a fascinating historical construction that connects the Vatican City with Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. Stretching approximately 800 meters, this fortified passage has witnessed countless events and occurrences over the centuries, serving as an escape route for the popes, as it includes a long escape tunnel. Its construction dates back to […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Celestine V, the pope who resigned and was imprisoned in a castle for the rest of his life
Times have changed, and social evolution makes it possible that, if in the past access to the throne of St. Peter was in the hands of a dominant caste formed by families of ancient lineage linked to a series of class privileges and economically well-off, today that situation has been democratized, and it is no […]
Posted inArt
Cesare Borgia, Machiavelli’s model for his Renaissance prince and alleged inspiration for Leonardo’s face of Christ
Cesare Borgia, commonly known as the Duke of Valentinois, gained his state through his father’s fortune, and lost it with that same fortune, despite employing every imaginable means and doing everything that a prudent and skillful man should do to establish himself in a state acquired with the help of arms and the support of […]
