Florence, Michelangelo & Catholic Culture – Podcast

Podcast by Dr. Italy on Florence, the Renaissance city, and what the art of Michelangelo teaches us about Catholic Culture and life.  With images of sites and churches of Florence that he will visit on his upcoming Italy pilgrimage.

Everyone visits Florence for its rich culture, especially its architecture and art.  People, regardless of their nationality, culture, or religion, can appreciate the masterpieces of human creativity found there.

On his pilgrimage to Italy, Dr. Italy focuses on the story that Florentine art and culture tells us about humanity’s search for God and about Catholic Culture.

Above image of Michelangelo’s David in Florence, Italy by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash. Public domain.

The artists of Renaissance Florence, such as Michelangelo, were generally people of faith who endeavored to express their faith in their art.  For instance, the Dominican Church of Santa Maria Novella, the oldest of Florentine Churches, had Dominican friars as its architects.  And in the masterpiece of sculpture, David, Michelangelo depicts the serene audacity of faith which refuses to submit to evil and instead courageously withstands it, in defense of God’s honor.

Above image of Santa Maria Novella in Italy by George Coletrain on Unsplash. Public domain.

Yet one can’t get to this finished masterpiece of faith and virtue without passing by numerous unfinished statues of Michelangelo that appear to be struggling to emerge from the prison of a marble block.  Many simply ignore these unfinished masterpieces.  But not us.  We recall the powerful lesson that Michelangelo understood so well and wishes to teach us.  We are like those less than lovely hunks of stone.  We are works in the making.  God wants to make a masterpiece of us, if we will let him.  Many more chips must be removed.  Many more strikes with hammer and chisel will be required.  But if we surrender to the Divine Artist, we can become something beautiful for God.  The glorious statue of David at the end of the corridor tells us of the glorious destiny that is ours if we but submit to God’s mighty and skillful hand.

Above image of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy by ruevue on Unsplash. Public domain.

We conclude our meditation on the life and work of Michelangelo in his parish church, the Franciscan Church of Santa Croce, where the incomparable artist is buried.

For more, listen to the podcast on this page, view the images below, and sign up for our upcoming pilgrimage at www.RomeTrip.info.

Dr. Italy appears weekly on the Sonrise Morning show, a production of Sacred Heart Radio.  You can listen to this show broadcast live Monday through Friday via the EWTN Global Catholic Radio, a network of over 120 local affiliate stations in the US.  You can find podcasts from the Sonrise Morning on both Sacred Heart radio site and www.crossroadsinitiative.com.

To learn more abnout pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Dr. D’Ambrosio, visit the PILGRIMAGE SECTION of the Crossroads Initiative Website.

To subscribe to Dr. Italy’s weekly podcast and never miss an episode, visit http://crossroadsinitiative.libsyn.com/ or visit Catholic Heritage with Dr Italy on Apple Podcast.

Banner/Featured image of Florence, Italy by Jeff Ackley on Unsplash. Public domain.