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55-504: Auditorium della Conciliazione , also known as Auditorio Pio , is an audience hall and concert hall on the Via della Conciliazione in the Borgo district of Rome. Conceived in the 1930s as part of a vast Mussolini -ordered redevelopment of the district, it was not completed until 1950 after post- World War II work by architects Marcello Piacentini and Giorgio Calza Bini. Surrounding it are wings of

110-506: A "closed" design, with a number of streets radiating from the central square, maintaining the "spina", or spine, of the structures of Borgo directly between the square and the Tiber. Neither approach moved beyond sketches and blueprints. Both open and closed designs were considered by the Vatican, but were ultimately discarded for reasons of expense. A thorough examination of the costs of constructing

165-518: A Franciscan like himself. One of the things that commended his candidacy to certain cardinals may have been his physical vigour, which seemed to promise a long pontificate. His papal coronation was held on 1 May 1585 and he was crowned by the protodeacon Ferdinando de' Medici . The terrible condition in which Pope Gregory XIII had left the Papal States called for prompt and stern measures. Sixtus proceeded with an almost ferocious severity against

220-581: A fortune that would otherwise have been lost in the failed campaign. Sixtus had Cardinal William Allen draw up the An Admonition to the Nobility and People of England and Ireland , a proclamation to be published in England if the invasion had been successful. The extant document comprised all that could be said against Elizabeth I, and the indictment is therefore fuller and more forcible than any other put forward by

275-483: A marked influence on his subsequent actions. He hurried back to Rome upon the accession of Pius V, who made him apostolic vicar of his order and then, in 1570, cardinal . During the pontificate of his political enemy Gregory XIII (1572–1585), Cardinal Montalto, as he was generally called, lived in enforced retirement, occupied with the care of his property, the Villa Montalto, erected by Domenico Fontana close to

330-591: A thoroughfare was made by the Vatican-approved St. Peter's Building Commission in 1651. Their conclusion was that "the cardinals ' proposal to demolish all the buildings between the Borgo Nuovo and the Borgo Vecchio for a greater and longer vista to the church" would be infeasible due to inordinately high expropriation costs and vested property interests. Further momentum was lost when Gian Lorenzo Bernini

385-503: A youth, he joined the Franciscan order, where he displayed talents as a scholar and preacher, and enjoyed the patronage of Pius V , who made him a cardinal . As a cardinal, he was known as Cardinal Montalto . As Pope, he energetically rooted out corruption and lawlessness across Rome, and launched a far-sighted rebuilding programme that continues to provoke controversy, as it involved the destruction of antiquities. The cost of these works

440-604: The Column of Marcus Aurelius (at the time misidentified as the Column of Antoninus Pius ) were made to serve as pedestals for the statues of SS Peter and Paul; the Minerva of the Capitol was converted into an emblem of Christian Rome ; the Septizodium of Septimius Severus was demolished for building materials. The spatial organization, monumental inscriptions and restorations throughout

495-599: The Papal States , to Francesco Piergentile (also known as Peretto di Montalto, from the city of origin Montalto delle Marche ), and Mariana da Frontillo. His father had taken refuge in Grottammare to escape the oppression of the Duke of Urbino , finding there a job as a gardener. Felice later adopted Peretti as his family name in 1551, and as a cardinal was known as "Cardinal Montalto" (to reflect his affection for his homeland). At

550-572: The bull Immensa Aeterni Dei which reorganised the Roman Curia into departments. In his larger political relations, Sixtus entertained fantastic ambitions, such as the annihilation of the Turks , the conquest of Egypt , the transport of the Holy Sepulchre to Italy, and the accession of his nephew to the throne of France. The situation in which he found himself was difficult: he could not countenance

605-538: The facades of the buildings lining this space did not align perfectly, in order to create the illusion of a perfectly straight causeway traffic islands would be erected along both sides, with rows of obelisks leading towards the Square, doubling as lampposts . These were also intended to reduce the effect that the funnel-shaped design would have on perspective when facing the Basilica. The wings of those buildings closest to

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660-695: The palace of the Governatore di Borgo and the Churches of San Giacomo Scossacavalli and Sant'Angelo al Corridore , were not rebuilt after their destruction. Facing into the cleared area are five other historical buildings, the Palazzo Giraud Torlonia , the church of Santa Maria in Traspontina , the Palazzo dei Penitenzieri , Palazzo Serristori , and Palazzo Cesi (which was mutilated). The construction of

715-557: The "greater excommunication ." Jaroslav Pelikan , without giving any more details, says that this edition "proved to be so defective that it was withdrawn". Sixtus V created 33 cardinals in eight consistories during his reign, which included his grandnephew Alessandro Peretti di Montalto and his future successor Ippolito Aldobrandini who would later become Pope Clement VIII. During his pontificate, Sixtus V beatified Ubaldesca Taccini (1587) and canonized one saint, Didacus of Alcalá (10 July 1588). In 1588, Sixtus V published

770-568: The Franciscan Magna Domus of Bologna on September 1544. Three years earlier he had been ordained as a deacon. About 1552 he was noticed by Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi , Protector of the Franciscan order , Cardinal Ghislieri (later Pope Pius V ) and Cardinal Caraffa (later Pope Paul IV ), and from that time his advancement was assured. He was sent to Venice as inquisitor general of the Venetian Holy Inquisition , but

825-498: The Roman community and among historical scholars due to the circumstances under which it was constructed. The area around the church was rebuilt several times following the various Sacks of Rome , and again after having deteriorated due to the loss of prosperity resulting from the Papacy's relocation to Avignon during the 14th century. Through all of these reconstructions, the area in front of

880-608: The Tiber and the Square at opposite ends. Proponents of a closed plan would usually suggest that the space between the two causeways be separated by a colonnade , or by a row of inhabited structures whose designs would be scrutinised and approved by architects employed by the Holy See . Variations on both themes were submitted time and time again. Proponents of an "open" plan included such architects as Giovanni Battista Nolli and Cosimo Morelli . A number of other architects, such as Carlo Fontana , and at least one Pope ( Sixtus V ) favoured

935-626: The Vatican City itself. At times, such as during the funeral of Pope John Paul II , it has acted as an extension to the square itself, allowing a greater number of visitors to attend functions conducted there. Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( Italian : Sisto V ; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile , was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death, in August 1590. As

990-509: The Vatican, in order to avoid any appearance of accepting the authority wielded by the Italian government over Rome as a whole. Initially, parts of the Italian government welcomed this, expecting the influence of the Papacy to fade to the point that enough political support could be gained to abolish it altogether. However, this failed to come to pass, and eventually a compromise acceptable to both states

1045-599: The age of 9 years, Felice returned to Montalto to join his uncle in the Franciscan Convent of San Francesco delle Fratte. At the age of 12, he was initiated as a novice of the Franciscan Order , assuming the name of Fra Felice (Friar Felix) in 1535, maintaining his birth name. From this year, he started philosophical and theological studies, moving between different convents of the Order. He finally completed his studies in

1100-598: The cardinal's beloved church on the Esquiline Hill , overlooking the ancient Baths of Diocletian . The first phase (1576–1580) of the building was enlarged after Peretti became pope and was able to clear buildings to open four new streets in 1585–86. The villa contained two residences, the Palazzo Sistino or "Palazzo di Termini" and the casino, called the Palazzetto Montalto e Felice . This clearance programme

1155-655: The city reinforced the control, surveillance, and authority that alluded to his power. The subsequent administrative system of the Catholic Church owed much to Sixtus. He limited the College of Cardinals to seventy. He doubled the number of the congregations and enlarged their functions, assigning to them the principal role in the transaction of business (1588). He regarded the Jesuits with disfavour and suspicion. He considered radical changes to their constitution, but death prevented

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1210-738: The completion of the dome of St. Peter's ; the loggia of Sixtus in the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano ; the chapel of the Praesepe in Santa Maria Maggiore ; additions or repairs to the Quirinal , Lateran and Vatican palaces; the erection of four obelisks , including that in Saint Peter's Square ; the opening of six streets; the restoration of the aqueduct of Septimius Severus (" Acqua Felice ");

1265-559: The comprehensive planning that had come to fruition during his retirement, bringing water to the waterless hills via his new aqueduct , the Acqua Felice which fed twenty-seven new fountains; laying out new arteries in Rome, which connected the great basilicas, even setting his engineer-architect Domenico Fontana to replan the Colosseum as a silk-spinning factory housing its workers. Inspired by

1320-476: The designs of those he considered as heretical princes, and yet he mistrusted King Philip II of Spain and viewed with apprehension any extension of his power. Sixtus agreed to renew the excommunication of Queen Elizabeth I of England , and to grant a large subsidy to the Armada of Philip II, but, knowing the slowness of Spain, would give nothing until the expedition actually landed in England. This way, he saved

1375-457: The designs submitted by Carlo Fontana, Piacentini came up with a plan that would preserve the best aspects of both the "open" and "closed" designs – a grand boulevard that would nonetheless obscure the majority of the Vatican buildings per Bernini's intentions. The vast colonnaded street would require the clearance of the whole "spina" of Borgo placed in between the Basilica and the Castle. Since

1430-498: The establishment of a new "Monti" and by levying new taxes, he accumulated a vast surplus, which he stored up against certain specified emergencies, such as a crusade or the defence of the Holy See . Sixtus prided himself upon his hoard, but the method by which it had been amassed was financially unsound: some of the taxes proved ruinous, and the withdrawal of so much money from circulation could not fail to cause distress. Immense sums were spent upon public works, in carrying through

1485-626: The execution of his purpose. In 1588, he established the 15 congregations by his constitution Immensa Aeterni Dei . In May 1587, the Sixtine Septuagint was published under the auspices of Sixtus V. In May 1590 the Sixtine Vulgate was issued. The edition was preceded by the Bull Aeternus ille , in which the Pope declared the authenticity of the new Bible. The bull stipulated "that it

1540-512: The ideal of the Renaissance city, Pope Sixtus V's ambitious urban reform programme transformed the old environment to emulate the "long straight streets, wide regular spaces, uniformity and repetitiveness of structures, lavish use of commemorative and ornamental elements, and maximum visibility from both linear and circular perspective." The Pope set no limit to his plans, and achieved much in his short pontificate, always carried through at top speed:

1595-620: The integration of the Leonine City in Rome as XIV rione ( Borgo ). Besides numerous roads and bridges, he improved the city's air by financing the reclamation of the Pontine Marshes . Good progress was made, with more than 9,500 acres (38 km ) reclaimed and opened to agriculture and manufacture. The project was abandoned upon his death. Sixtus had no appreciation of antiquities, which were employed as raw material to serve his urbanistic and Christianising programs: Trajan's Column and

1650-496: The large Palazzo San Pio X, a broadcasting facility also part of the 1930s conception. Both buildings open onto the long perspective from St. Peter's Basilica to the Ponte Sant'Angelo created by the redevelopment. The venue's role as a pontifical audience hall began when it was inaugurated by Pope Pius XII . But in 1971 it was replaced in this role by the new Paolo VI Audience Hall . As a concert hall it served from 1958 to 2000 as

1705-470: The latter would be that the soul of the unborn child would be denied Heaven. Sixtus also attempted in 1586 to introduce into the secular law in Rome the Old Testament penalty for adultery , which is death. The measure ultimately failed. Sixtus V died on 27 August 1590 from malaria . The pope became ill with a fever on 24 August which intensified the following day. As Sixtus V lay on his deathbed, he

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1760-430: The only edition of the event TEDxViaDellaConciliazone, dedicated to the dialogue between different religions. 41°54′10.0″N 12°27′49.1″E  /  41.902778°N 12.463639°E  / 41.902778; 12.463639 Via della Conciliazione Despite being one of the few major thoroughfares in Rome able to cope with a high volume of traffic without congestion, it is the subject of much ire both within

1815-575: The penalty of excommunication relating to the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on contraception and on abortion . While the Church taught that abortion and contraception were gravely sinful actions, it did not apply to all mortal sins the additional penalty of excommunication . Some theologians argued that only after proof of the "quickening" (when the mother can feel the fetus's movement in her womb, usually about 20 weeks into gestation) that there

1870-457: The peoples of the world; vast, orderly, powerful, as it was in the time of the first empire of Augustus . Construction of the road continued long after Mussolini's death and the abolition of Italian Fascism. The obelisks along the road were installed in time for the Jubilee of 1950. Since its completion, the road has acted as the primary access point to St. Peter's Square, and by extension to

1925-755: The performing home of Rome's main symphony orchestra, the Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia , and in February 2001 it hosted a unique week-long filmed residency by the Berlin Philharmonic and Claudio Abbado . When the Santa Cecilia orchestra too moved away, the building underwent a lengthy refurbishment before reopening on April 29, 2005, with the ceremony of the David de Donatello Awards presented by l'Accademia del Cinema Italiano . The Auditorium hosted

1980-408: The prevailing lawlessness. Thousands of brigands were brought to justice: within a short time, the country was again quiet and safe. It was claimed that there were more heads on spikes across the Ponte Sant'Angelo than melons for sale in the marketplace. And clergy and nuns were executed if they broke their vows of chastity. Next Sixtus set to work to repair the finances. By the sale of offices,

2035-411: The prospect of his conversion to Catholicism raised Sixtus V's hopes, and to a corresponding degree determined Philip II to tighten his grip upon his wavering ally. The Pope's negotiations with Henry's representative evoked a bitter and menacing protest and a categorical demand for the performance of promises. Sixtus took refuge in evasion and temporised until his death on 27 August 1590. Sixtus extended

2090-461: The reign of Pope Nicholas V , and formed one of the two perennial designs proposed for the area. Alberti envisioned an "open" plan, consisting of a single voluminous V-shaped boulevard, widest at St. Peter's Basilica itself and tapering as it approached the Tiber . The other scheme of designs submitted by architects was a "closed" plan that would consist of two roads arching outwards in an ellipse , with

2145-450: The relative darkness of the city into the vast open space and grandeur of the Square and its surrounding buildings – a sight calculated to inspire awe in first-time visitors to the Holy See's seat of power. Bernini had originally planned to demolish a square roughly 100 m to a side directly in front of the square, filling the space with a third colonnade (or "terzo braccio") to match

2200-539: The religious exiles, who were generally reticent in their complaints. Allen carefully consigned his publication to the fire, and it is only known of through one of Elizabeth's spies, who had stolen a copy. Sixtus excommunicated King Henry III of Navarre , who was the heir presumptive to the throne of France, and contributed to the Catholic League , but he chafed under his forced alliance with King Philip II of Spain, and looked for an escape. The victories of Henry and

2255-523: The road was only a small feature in the reconstruction of Rome ordered by Mussolini, which ranged from the restoration of the Castel Sant'Angelo , the clearance of the Mausoleum of Augustus , to the vastly more complicated site of the Via dell'Impero through Rome's ancient imperial remains. His plan was to transform Rome into a monument to Italian fascism . In five years, Rome must appear marvellous to all

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2310-612: The road's construction was primarily political. Borgo, along with the rest of the Papal States outside of the Vatican itself, was taken by the Kingdom of Italy during the Italian unification in the 19th Century – leading to Pope Pius IX 's declaration that he had become a prisoner in the Vatican and the formation of the Roman Question . For the next 59 years, the Popes refused to leave

2365-556: The short courtyard of Saint Peter's Basilica remained a maze of densely packed structures overhanging narrow side-streets and alleyways. Plans were drawn up several times over the years for the construction of a major link between the Vatican City and the centre of Rome; the number of submissions increasing dramatically with the onset of the Italian Renaissance . The first design was submitted by Leone Battista Alberti during

2420-418: The square would be preserved to form a propylaea , blocking the greater portion of the Vatican City from approaching visitors and framing the Square and Basilica at the head of a grand open space that would allow for easy vehicular access. Demolition of the spina of Borgo began with Mussolini's symbolic strike of the first building with a pickaxe on 29 October 1936 and continued for twelve months. Even at

2475-586: The time, the demolition proved controversial, with many Borgo residents displaced en masse to settlements ("borgate") outside of the city. Among the buildings dismantled, either totally or in part, and rebuilt in another position, were the Palazzo dei Convertendi , the house of Giacomo Bartolomeo da Brescia , the Church of the Nunziatina , and the palaces Rusticucci-Accoramboni and degli Alicorni (the latter had been already demolished in 1931). Other buildings, including

2530-597: The two still standing today. This would afford a longer vantage point to allow visitors a better viewing angle of the new Basilica. The death of his patron, Pope Alexander VII , put a halt to Bernini's work. The third set of columns was abandoned, and Bernini's piazza remained open-ended and incomplete. From the final major reconstruction of Borgo in the 15th century, the site which the Via della Conciliazione now covers remained occupied by residential, religious, and historical buildings for nearly 500 years. The final impetus behind

2585-468: Was an undoubted gain in the relief it brought to the congestion of the crowded medieval city. Clearly, however, Romans displaced by it were furious, and resentment was still felt centuries later until the decision was taken to build Roma Termini railway station , inaugurated by Pope Pius IX in 1863, on the site of the Villa, which became doomed to destruction. Cardinal Montalto's other occupation at this period

2640-428: Was commissioned to redesign the terrace in front of the Basilica in 1656. After discarding several sketches, Bernini settled on a colossal open space in the shape of an ellipse. With the potential expense of clearing Borgo, Bernini decided instead to make use of the warren of poorly maintained medieval buildings to obscure any view of the Vatican structures from any significant distance. In this way, pilgrims emerged from

2695-478: Was incontrovertible evidence that ensoulment had already occurred. Until Sixtus V, canon lawyers had applied the code from Gratian whereby excommunications were only given to abortions after the quickening. In 1588 the pope issued a papal bull, Effraenatam or Effrenatam ("Without Restraint"), which declared that the canonical penalty of excommunication would be levied for any form of contraception and for abortions at any stage in fetal development. The reasoning on

2750-448: Was loathed by his political subjects, but history has recognized him as one of the most important popes. On the negative side, he could be impulsive, obstinate, severe, and autocratic. On the positive side, he was open to large ideas and threw himself into his undertakings with energy and determination; this often led to success. His pontificate saw great enterprises and great achievements. About 5,000 bandits were executed by Sixtus V in

2805-497: Was met by heavy taxation which caused much suffering. His foreign policy was regarded as over-ambitious; he excommunicated King Henry IV of France and renewed the excommunication of Queen Elizabeth I of England . He is recognized as a significant figure of the Counter-Reformation . He is the most recent pope to date to take on the pontifical name "Sixtus". Felice Piergentile was born on 13 December 1521 at Grottammare , in

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2860-502: Was reached in the Lateran treaty of 1929. Dictator Benito Mussolini , who had signed the accord on behalf of the King, resurrected the idea of a grand thoroughfare symbolically connecting the Vatican to the heart of the Italian capital. To fulfil this vision, Mussolini turned to the prominent Fascist architects Marcello Piacentini and Attilio Spaccarelli . Drawing inspiration from a number of

2915-557: Was so severe and conducted matters in such a high-handed manner that he became embroiled in quarrels. In 1560, the Venetian government asked for his recall. After a brief term as procurator of his order, he was attached in 1565 to the papal legation to Spain headed by Cardinal Ugo Boncampagni (later Pope Gregory XIII ) which was sent to investigate a charge of heresy levelled against Bartolomé Carranza , Archbishop of Toledo . The violent dislike which Peretti conceived for Boncampagni had

2970-481: Was to be considered as the authentic edition recommended by the Council of Trent , that it should be taken as the standard of all future reprints, and that all copies should be corrected by it." "This edition was not to be reprinted for 10 years except at the Vatican, and after that any edition must be compared with the Vatican edition, so that "not even the smallest particle should be altered, added or removed" under pain of

3025-446: Was with his studies, one of the fruits of which was an edition of the works of Ambrose . As pope he would personally supervise the printing of an improved edition of Jerome's Vulgate . Though not neglecting to follow the course of affairs, Felice carefully avoided every occasion of offence. This discretion contributed not a little to his election to the papacy on 24 April 1585, with the title of Sixtus V to honour Pope Sixtus IV , also

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