June 6, 2016.Queen Christina, Part II.Christina left Sweden in the summer of 1654; she was 27 years old.She converted to the Catholic faith while in Brussels, and the event was celebrated several weeks later in Innsbruck, under the auspice of Archduke Ferdinand.The festivities, which lasted a whole week, included a performance of L’Argia, an opera by a then very popular composer, Antonio Cesti.Christina’s journey to Rome, with a large entourage and accompanied by cardinals, felt like a triumphal procession. She arrived in Rome just before Christmas of 1655; the Pope Alexander VII received her as if she were a reigning Queen: a royal convert from Protestantism to Catholicism was a big catch for the Papacy. Festivities followed Christina’s arrival, and operas, still new as a genre and very popular in Rome, were at the center: Marco Marazzoli’s Vita humana, dedicated to Christina, an opera by Antonio Tenaglia, and Historia di Abraham et Isaac by Giacomo Carissimi.The staging venues were private palazzos: Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Pamphilj – as there were no public opera theaters in Rome at the time, those were for Christina to establish.
Christina herself was initially installed inside the Vatican but a few weeks later moved into one of the most magnificent palazzos of Rome, Palazzo Farnese.Immediately she became the center of the intellectual life of Rome.She established Wednesdays as a day when the palazzo was opened to the nobility and artists to enjoy conversation and good music; a circle of friends that was formed early in 1656 eventually became the Accademia degli Arcadi, a literary academy which survives (as Accademia Letteraria Italiana) to this day.Over the following three and a half centuries, Popes, heads of state, musicians and poets were members.Christina stayed in Rome till September of that year, when she departed for France: France and Spain were contesting the control of Naples, and Christina, whose income was cut by the Swedes since her conversion, needed money.Her goal was to become the Queen of Naples, become financially independent and acquire a role in European politics.She stayed in France for almost two years, first greeted warmly by both Mazarin, the Chief Minister to King Lois XIV and the King himself but eventually wearing out her welcome.Without achieving anything politically, she returned to Rome in 1568 to a much cooler welcome.
She eventually settled in Palazzo Riario (now Corsini) in the Trastevere section of Rome, next to Palazzo Farnesina.She remained there for the rest of her life, save for short trips to Sweden again and Hamburg.She continued collecting art and her collection of Venetian masters was considered unsurpassed.She created a theater in her palace, and in 1667 helped to rebuild Teatro Tor di Nona, which became the first public opera theater in Rome.Her friends included the best painters (Gian Lorenzo Bernini among them) and poets of Rome, and above all, musicians.Major composers dedicated operas to her (Bernardo Pasquini, for example, and Alessandro Stradella), Giacomo Carissimi led her orchestra for a while, Arcangelo Corelli became one of her musicians (and also dedicated several of his compositions to her), and the 18 year-old Alessandro Scarlatti attracted her attention and became her Maestro di Capella. Christina wrote an autobiography (unfinished) and many essays on history and arts.She continued to be active in politics, proclaiming, for example, that Roman Jews were under her protection.In February of 1689 she fell ill and died on April 19th of 1689 at the age of 62.The Pope (Innocent XI, the fourth Pope during Christina’s time in Rome), ordered an official burial.Her body laid in state for four days and then was buried in the Saint Peter Basilica.Her books became part of the Vatican library; her collection of paintings became part of the famous Orleans Collection, which was eventually dispersed around Europe.
The engraving above (by Orazio Marinari) depicts her first, triumphal, entrance into Rome in 1655.She’s flanked by cardinals Orsini and Costaguti.
Queen Christina, Part II
June 6, 2016. Queen Christina, Part II. Christina left Sweden in the summer of 1654; she was 27 years old. She converted to the Catholic faith while in Brussels, and the event was celebrated several weeks later in Innsbruck, under the auspice of Archduke Ferdinand. The festivities,
which lasted a whole week, included a performance of L’Argia, an opera by a then very popular composer, Antonio Cesti. Christina’s journey to Rome, with a large entourage and accompanied by cardinals, felt like a triumphal procession. She arrived in Rome just before Christmas of 1655; the Pope Alexander VII received her as if she were a reigning Queen: a royal convert from Protestantism to Catholicism was a big catch for the Papacy. Festivities followed Christina’s arrival, and operas, still new as a genre and very popular in Rome, were at the center: Marco Marazzoli’s Vita humana, dedicated to Christina, an opera by Antonio Tenaglia, and Historia di Abraham et Isaac by Giacomo Carissimi. The staging venues were private palazzos: Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Pamphilj – as there were no public opera theaters in Rome at the time, those were for Christina to establish.
Christina herself was initially installed inside the Vatican but a few weeks later moved into one of the most magnificent palazzos of Rome, Palazzo Farnese. Immediately she became the center of the intellectual life of Rome. She established Wednesdays as a day when the palazzo was opened to the nobility and artists to enjoy conversation and good music; a circle of friends that was formed early in 1656 eventually became the Accademia degli Arcadi, a literary academy which survives (as Accademia Letteraria Italiana) to this day. Over the following three and a half centuries, Popes, heads of state, musicians and poets were members. Christina stayed in Rome till September of that year, when she departed for France: France and Spain were contesting the control of Naples, and Christina, whose income was cut by the Swedes since her conversion, needed money. Her goal was to become the Queen of Naples, become financially independent and acquire a role in European politics. She stayed in France for almost two years, first greeted warmly by both Mazarin, the Chief Minister to King Lois XIV and the King himself but eventually wearing out her welcome. Without achieving anything politically, she returned to Rome in 1568 to a much cooler welcome.
She eventually settled in Palazzo Riario (now Corsini) in the Trastevere section of Rome, next to Palazzo Farnesina. She remained there for the rest of her life, save for short trips to Sweden again and Hamburg. She continued collecting art and her collection of Venetian masters was considered unsurpassed. She created a theater in her palace, and in 1667 helped to rebuild Teatro Tor di Nona, which became the first public opera theater in Rome. Her friends included the best painters (Gian Lorenzo Bernini among them) and poets of Rome, and above all, musicians. Major composers dedicated operas to her (Bernardo Pasquini, for example, and Alessandro Stradella), Giacomo Carissimi led her orchestra for a while, Arcangelo Corelli became one of her musicians (and also dedicated several of his compositions to her), and the 18 year-old Alessandro Scarlatti attracted her attention and became her Maestro di Capella. Christina wrote an autobiography (unfinished) and many essays on history and arts. She continued to be active in politics, proclaiming, for example, that Roman Jews were under her protection. In February of 1689 she fell ill and died on April 19th of 1689 at the age of 62. The Pope (Innocent XI, the fourth Pope during Christina’s time in Rome), ordered an official burial. Her body laid in state for four days and then was buried in the Saint Peter Basilica. Her books became part of the Vatican library; her collection of paintings became part of the famous Orleans Collection, which was eventually dispersed around Europe.
The engraving above (by Orazio Marinari) depicts her first, triumphal, entrance into Rome in 1655. She’s flanked by cardinals Orsini and Costaguti.