What shape should a church have, and how should it be decorated? What symbols or scenes from the Bible would you feature, and how would you portray Jesus? What do your answers to these questions say about your understanding of Jesus and theology? Attempting to answer these questions will take us deep into the study of Christian art.

In this course we will study buildings, paintings, and sculptures in Italy and France that artists over the centuries have created to embody their understanding of the Christian faith. We'll situate the works across various eras of art and architecture, ask what they reveal about how the artists understood the gospel, and consider their influence on our understanding of the Christian faith.

We will go from studying the earliest Christian art in the catacombs to the radically new way of seeing ushered in by the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Our primary texts will include some of the most famous churches and museums in the world: the Duomo and the Uffizi in Florence; St. Peter's and the Vatican Museums in Rome; Notre Dame and the Louvre in Paris. Additional areas of study will be the art of the Early Church (the catacombs and Ravenna), Gothic architecture and stained glass in France (Chartres, Bourges, Paris), the Italian Renaissance (Ghiberti and Brunelleschi) and High Renaissance (Michelangelo and Raphael), and the flowering of the Baroque in Rome (Caravaggio, Bernini, Borromini), besides days spent studying art in wonderful towns like Assisi, Siena, and Orvieto.

Don't mistake this course for merely a guided tour. A thorough knowledge of the sites and texts will be required for papers and examinations. In addition, each student will design their own review of the masterpieces of the Christian faith.

Week 1

• Monday, Jan. 4: Depart from SFO
• Tuesday, Jan. 5: Arrive in FLR (Florence) via AMS (Amsterdam)
  Activities: Check in at Hotel Rosso 23; Family-style dinner at Osteria de’ Pazzi.
• Wednesday, Jan. 6: Florence
  Morning:  San Marco & Fra Angelico
  Afternoon:  The Uffizi, Part I
  Evening: Dinner for half of us at Osteria della Enoteca
• Thursday, Jan. 7: Florence
  Morning:  Museo Nazionale del Bargello
  Late Morning:  Chapel of the Magi
  Mid-Afternoon: Climbing the dome of the Duomo (No backpacks are allowed, but lockers are available.) 
  Late Afternoon: Museum of the Duomo 
  Evening: Dinner for half of us at Osteria della Enoteca
• Friday, Jan. 8: Florence
  Morning:  Museo Nazionale del Bargello
  Early Afternoon:  the Accademia -- Squadra Uno
  Late Afternoon:  the Accademia -- Squadra Due
• Saturday, Jan. 9: Siena
• Sunday, Jan. 10: Florence
  Morning: the Uffizi, Part II -- Squadra Due 
  Afternoon: the Uffizi, Part II -- Squadra Uno
  Here are some places in Florence you might want to see, especially if we haven’t slipped any of them into our itinerary:  the Palazzo Vecchio (especially to see the Capella di Eleonora by Bronzino, but also the death mask of Dante featured in Dan Brown’s Inferno. Donatello’s Judith is here too, etc.); inside Orsanmichele (especially to see the tabernacle designed by Orcagna); Santa Maria Novella;  San Miniato (with the walk there being part of the adventure); the Baptistery; the Duomo

Week 2

• Monday, Jan. 11: Depart from Florence, Arrive in Assisi via Ravenna (via private coach)
  Late Morning:  Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and San Vitale 
  After Lunch:  The Arian Baptistery, Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo, and Dante’s Tomb
  Late Afternoon:  Depart Ravenna for Assisi
  Check In: Hotel Posta Panoramic
  Evening:  Full group dinner at Il Menestrello
• Tuesday, Jan. 12: Assisi
  Morning:  Study the Basilica of St. Francis on our own
  Afternoon:  Formal tour exploring the Lower Basilica
• Wednesday, Jan. 13: Depart from Assisi, Arrive in Rome (via private coach)
  Morning:  The Basilica of Santa Chiara and the Upper Basilica of St. Francis
  Afternoon: Possible wine tasting at Scacciadiavoli
• Thursday, Jan. 14: Depart Assisi, Arrive in Rome
  Late Morning:  Depart Assisi for Rome (via private coach)
  Mid-Afternoon: Catacombs of Priscilla (Rome)
  Late-Afternoon: Transfer luggage to three mini vans
  Check in: Hotel Accademia
  Evening: Group dinner at Il Chianti at 7:30, possibly followed by a walk by the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Piazza Navona 
• Friday, Jan. 15: Rome
  Morning:  San Pietro in Vincoli, San Clemente
  Afternoon: S. Ignazio; S. Maria sopra Minerva; plus Caravaggio walk (S. Luigi and S. Agostino)
• Saturday, Jan. 16: Rome
  Morning:  S. Maria Maggiore
  Afternoon: S. Giovanni Laterano; The Vatican Museums, Part I 
• Sunday, Jan. 17: Rome
  Free Day: This is a great day to visit the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Capitoline Museum, and oh, so many more including the nearby Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in the Palazzo Barberini to the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna on the far side of the Villa Borghese.  

Week 3

• Monday, Jan. 18: Rome
  Morning:  Santa Maria del Popolo, S. Maria della Vittoria; S. Andrea; San Carlino
  Afternoon: S. Giovanni Laterano
  Evening: Cooking class at Enoteca Corsi, where we eat what we cook! Probable menu: stuffed zucchini blossoms; fettuccine al pomodoro; tiramisú
• Tuesday, Jan. 19: Rome
  Morning:  S. Pietro
  Afternoon: Vatican Museums, Part II
• Wednesday, Jan. 20: Rome
  Morning:  Papal Audience (if the Pope is in town)
  Afternoon:  Borghese Gallery
  Evening: Group dinner at L’Orso 80, possibly followed by a walk by the Piazza Navona.
• Thursday, Jan. 21: Depart from Rome, Arrive in Chartres via Paris
  Leave the Hotel Accademia
  Depart FCO (Rome), Arrive in CDG (Paris)
  Depart from Paris, Arrive in Chartres (via private bus)
  Check-in at the Campanile Chartres Cathèdrale Hotel
  Initial tour of the Cathedral
• Friday, Jan. 22: Chartres
  Activity: Chartres’ Cathedral
• Saturday, Jan. 23: Depart from Chartres, Arrive in Paris via Bourges
  Morning:  Depart the Campanile Chartres Cathèdrale Hotel, Arrive in Bourges 
  Late Morning and Early Afternoon: The Cathedral in Bourges
  Late Afternoon: Depart from Bourges, Arrive in Paris
  Early Evening: Check in at the Hôtel Central Saint-Germain (Paris)
  Opening Walking Tour
• Sunday, Jan. 24: Paris
  Free Day—A few suggestions: Versailles; Montmartre & Sacre Coeur; more time in the Louvre; time in the Musée d'Orsay; Sainte-Chapelle; Musée de l’Orangerie (to see Monet’s Waterlilies); La Madeleine; Le Petit Palais; Musée Carnavalet
  Evening: Dinner at L’As du Falafel (literally, “The Ace of Falafel”; L’As du Falafel is a Kosher restaurant in the Pietzl or Jewish Quarter of the Marais)

Week 4

• Monday, Jan. 25: Paris
  Morning:  Saint-Germain-des-Pres (and perhaps Saint-Severin and Saint-Sulpice)
  Afternoon:  The Louvre, Part I
  Evening:  Group Dinner at Georgette (for half of us)
• Tuesday, Jan. 26: Paris
  Morning: Saint-Severin, Saint-Étienne-du-Mont (and perhaps Saint-Sulpice)
  Afternoon: Perhaps Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur, though perhaps La Madeleine and Le Petit Palais
  Evening: Group Dinner at Georgette (for half of us)
• Wednesday, Jan. 27: Paris
  Morning: The Musée d'Orsay
  Afternoon:  The Louvre, Part II
  Evening:  Group Dinner at Bouillon Racine
• Thursday, Jan. 28: Paris
  Morning: Mass at Notre Dame, followed by a tour
  Afternoon: The Musée Maurice Denis
  Evening:  Group Dinner at La Jacobine
• Friday, Jan. 29: Depart from CDG (Paris), Arrive in SFO

Course Fee: $5,550
Learn about the Jan Term Travel Scholarship for additional funding.

This fee includes:
Airfare, Local Transportation, Lodging, Excursions (e.g., museums, tours, etc.), Travel Insurance ($35/student - international classes only), Most everything is included except for lunch, dinner, and souvenirs. That means all transport related to the class (such as airfare, charted buses, public transport to sites, etc.), all lodging, all breakfasts, and all admission fees are covered along with several coffee breaks. The fee also includes mandatory evacuation insurance. There will be several full group dinners and even more small group dinners, typically on alternate evenings, since it is easier for many restaurants to accommodate smaller groups, so we can all order off the menu rather than have a pre-set meal.

Estimated cost outside of course fee:
Souvenirs and some meals. Circa $500