The mystical triangle
As we are approaching the festive celebrations linked to the Western Christian calendar, a brief look at the religious architecture of the city of Rome gives us an insight into the way the political power in place uses art to develop a sophisticated narrative, not always obvious at first sight. In Rome, nothing is left to chance. Beyond the symbolism inherent to every individual work of art, a hidden meaning can be found in the urban design of the city.
The three churches of St John Latran, Santa Maria Maggiore and the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme), are some of the most important churches in Rome. Santa Maria Maggiore on the Esquiline hill, famous for its rare 5th century mosaics, and St John Latran, the cathedral of Rome at the start of the via Appia, are two of the four Papal basilicas (together with St Peter’s and St Paul-outside-the-walls). The church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme is said to hold the true relic of the cross, supposedly brought back to Rome by Emperor Constantine’s mother Helena, a great believer in Christianity. Her son Constantine, who ruled from 306 to 337, was the first Christian emperor of Rome.
However, the three churches are also linked by the symbolic triangle of the Trinity, the basis of Christian Faith. Seen on a map of the city, they actually form a triangle, that of the Trinity, but they also symbolize three major moments in the life of Jesus: the nativity (Santa Maria maggiore), the passion (Santa Croce) and the ascension (St John Lateran). The main arteries to connect the three churches were opened in the 18th century under Pope Benedict XIV, who was himself in charge of Santa Croce before being elected to St Peter’s throne. He was merely continuing the work started by Sixtus V, the first Pope at the end of the 16th century, to introduce a pre-establish urban design in Rome. During his short reign from 1585 to 1590, Sixtus V transformed the plan of the city, opening new roads and connecting together major points of relevance to enhance the catholic story and power of the Pope. Over the following two centuries, through the work of his successors, Rome became the set of a great urban theatre, where prospective views and plays on optical illusions came to distort the truth.
