The Capella degli Scrovegni

Before I get started on the Chapel, I wanted to post this photo I took.

I saw this when I first got to my hotel because it's just catty-corner from my hotel.  I thought at the time "gee, kind of a strange and very modern building for being in the historic center of Padua, but there it was.  At some point after walking past it almost every time I sent out, I saw somewhere an explanation of it.  It is a memorial to the people killed on 9/11.  And even typing that now gives me goose bumps.  Here's this little city that I'm sure the majority (or close to) of Americans have never heard of and they have what may seem weird at first but is a lovely monument in a lovely setting.  I had hoped to get over to it because I feel pretty sure that the low wall going out from the right side of the building has the names on it like our wall of Viet Nam vets in DC.  I saw a few people crouched down low like they were searching for something...

But now on to Scrovegni - maybe exhaustion left me in an emotional state.  While we were waiting in a special room that does something to lessen the possibility of damage to the interior of the chapel, they played a fairly lengthy video of what we would see.  I tried to look at it as little as possible because I wanted to see the actual first, but it was actually in English and the way he spoke of each scene and described what was going on in it made me kind of teary-eyed here and there.  I decided I would see if they sold copies of the video, but, of course, they didn't.  Just as I think I reported earlier, they didn't have an English print book of the interior which they had in numerous other languages.  And having just said that made me wonder - why did they build a memorial to 9/11?

Anyway, here we go.  The guide who spoke English very well, said that Giotto painted these and the ceiling and everything else in the chapel in 2 years with 40 assistants.  Even with that many assistants it still seems astounding.  If you'd like to try and identify what part of the story of Jesus's history (including pre-birth, life, and death) each panel presents, you might see better if you hit enlarge although when I do it while editing, the pictures are not as crisp at that size.  At any rate, the story

presents Jesus's history from pre-birth, thru life, to death - each panel representing some aspect of the story.  I've tried to make sure that they are in the same order I took them which from beginning through end.

The one below is the left wall at the break for the altar...and the one below it is the right wall.

Each side had that little almost wind chime looking thing painting and the guide when I asked her about it came up with the word perspective although I'm not sure why.

And the one below now is the wall behind the altar showing folks waiting for salvation and the ones already in a horrific scene of damnation.

 I have no idea what the one below represents and neither did the guide, but I really liked the door - the whole thing kind of reminded me of a child's story book.

Scrovegni is buried in the casket above - I don't know who the three women are.

I'm not really sure where this painting fits in.  But I think it was at the opposing end to the altar we just passed.

And this one above shows Scrovegni giving the chapel to, I think, Mary in the hopes of ensuring his salvation.  He was a banker and loaning money was considered a sin so he might have had a little trouble. 

These were wood benches and even they got painted.  They've not held up as well as the frescoed walls.

This is the entry and exit from the chapel.  It's attractive enough in its way.  I guess they ddidn't want to take away from the impact of walking into the chapel.

And, folks that is it for Padua, thank heavens!  If I remember correctly I didn't do anything for the very short time I was in Verona (my stop after Padua).  After walking all over Padua to find my bus stop and then walking a long ways in Verona to get to my hotel there, I wasn't feeling very ambitious.  But I may have a few pictures that I've forgotten about.