Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff

Vatican (Le Vatican)

Also known as: Vatican (Le Vatican), Le Vatican, Vatican

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Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2026-02-10 Diary Coverage: References during Rome visits and political discussions

Overview

The Vatican, the seat of the Catholic Church and residence of the Pope, was a site of both spiritual and artistic significance during Marie Bashkirtseff's Italian travels. In the 1870s, the Vatican was in the midst of a political crisis: the loss of the Papal States to unified Italy (1870) had left Pope Pius IX a self-declared "prisoner of the Vatican," creating a standoff between the papacy and the Italian state that would not be resolved until 1929.

Historical Context (1870s-1880s)

  • Loss of temporal power: Italian troops entered Rome in September 1870, ending over a thousand years of papal temporal sovereignty
  • Pius IX: The Pope refused to recognize the Italian state, declaring himself a prisoner of the Vatican
  • The Roman Question: The unresolved status of the papacy in Italy was a major diplomatic issue
  • Leo XIII: Succeeded Pius IX in 1878, continuing the self-imposed confinement
  • Cultural treasures: Despite the political crisis, the Vatican's museums and art remained accessible to visitors

Art Collections

The Vatican held some of the world's greatest art:
  • Sistine Chapel: Michelangelo's ceiling (1508-1512) and Last Judgment (1536-1541)
  • Raphael Rooms: The frescoes of the Stanze di Raffaello
  • Vatican Museums: Ancient sculpture, Egyptian antiquities, maps, tapestries
  • St. Peter's Basilica: Michelangelo's dome and Pieta, Bernini's baldachin

Significance for Marie

  • Artistic pilgrimage: The Vatican's art collections were essential viewing for any aspiring artist
  • Political awareness: The Roman Question was a topic of conversation in the salons Marie frequented
  • Religious context: As a Russian Orthodox believer, Marie's relationship to the Catholic Vatican was that of an interested outsider
  • The romance connection: Her Roman love interest Pietro was the nephew of a cardinal, connecting her to Vatican circles

Related Entries

  • #Rome - The city
  • #Salon - Where Marie would exhibit art informed by her study of the masters

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