Vatican: La cité qui voulait devenir éternelle

The documentary deals both with the storied history of Vatican City and with the numerous religious and secular treasures to be found on its territory. In many respects it's a good documentary, which allows the viewer to see and study a multitude of interesting places and objects. For instance, there's a walk through a series of chambers usually closed to the general public : watch the documentary and you will feel like a foreign monarch on a state visit to the Pope himself. The documentary also includes a series of "virtual reality" reconstructions of earlier buildings now long gone. What's most interesting about this, is the way in which the passage of time both honors and obscures the connection with the earliest history of Christianity.

However, the documentary lacks something. That "something", perhaps, is the presence of a painter, a mystic or a poet whose words could provide a new insight or an unusual angle. Or it might have been a good idea to reconstruct the beliefs, experiences and visits of simple pilgrims somewhere around, say, anno Domini 900 or anno Domini 1400. This would have added not only an additional historical perspective, but also a welcome dose of spiritual depth and human warmth.

Anyway, the documentary is sure to provide food for discussion, for instance about the way in which various civilizations and religions influence each other, both from an artistic and a theological point of view. And of course one can discuss the stunning opulence of the whole. If he were to return to our world, would a Saint Peter approve, disapprove, bend over laughing ? Shake his head in confusion ? Throw a brick at some baroque crown ?

A final note : the Vatican owns a rather impressive website, which covers a wide variety of topics. People interested in the arts can take a virtual tour and look at local collections, museums and monuments.