One of those places, I think it was a cafe, had the delightful bathroom seen above. While not uncommon in Italy, this type of bathroom always scares me when I come across one. The reason is that it brings back memories of an uncomfortable experience in a Vatican Museum bathroom which I will not go into. Suffice it to say that I don't care for these holes in the floor. But I used it and it was fine. Moving on...
The first church we went into was the Chiesa dei Santissima Filippo e Giacomo agli Eremitani. I don't know what that means (something about two most holy hermits named Phil and Jack, I think) or anything else about it because I didn't look it up. Sorry, but these postings are going to have to be a little streamlined due to our broken computer.
I like the ceiling. I think it looks like an upside-down really old wooden ship, named Diversity.
The church, like the Arena Chapel, was hit by bombs during WWII.
So you can see that a lot of the art work that survives only survives in fragments that are being painstakingly restored.
Here is an image of the church after the bombs hit.
On a side note, there is a very interesting documentary about art during WWII (and talks about the consideration of art during the bombing of Italy's towns) called The Rape of Europa. My brother-in-law Charles bought it for Sarah for Christmas. Maybe he'll buy it for you too.
This isn't a great picture but it talks about the Mantegna Project, which is amazing. Imagine taking the rubble from a bombed building and trying to re-create the works of art that it once held.
I just like this picture because there is a man on the right holding a giant leg. You can see some of the jigsaw puzzle of pieces that are left for restorers above.
Later we walked to the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua. On the way, Prof. Hatfield, Sarah, Lara, and Kellin did a terrible job re-creating the Abbey Road album cover.
The good news is that I thought this was one of the most amazing and beautiful churches I've seen in Italy. The bad news is that, not only do they not allow pictures inside, but I couldn't find any good images on the web either. It may be for the best. I don't think that random images would relay the total package. You have to see the whole thing. So I guess you should just come on over and see it for yourself.
Though not the cathedral in town, it is Padua's largest church. It is known locally as "il Santo" and was begun not long after the death of Saint Anthony (good ole' San Antonio died in 1231, like you didn't already know that). The building is an odd assortment of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and Byzantine styles. Outside, the domes are reminiscent of San Marco in Venice.
I can't properly describe the inside. It's huge and beautiful and amazing. That's the best I can do. Sorry.
In front of the basilica is a statue of Gattamelata. No, not Schuyler (the name means honeyed cat) but the famous condotierri, or mercenary, Erasmo of Narni. He fought for quite a few different Italian cities during the Renaissance era, including Venice and Florence, and the Pope. This statue was made by Donatello in 1453, was modeled after the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, and was the first full-size equestrian bronze cast since antiquity. So I hear.
I have no idea who this Martian is.
So here's a statue of St. Anthony throwing a baby. Okay, it's actually St. Anthony acting as intercessor to Jesus.
I meet my intercessor.
I'm not sure what he said, but it must have been profound. Sarah is thrown off balance by the words of Prof. Hatfield.
This image is from inside the baptistery of the Cathedral of Padua.
And this is from inside the Palazzo della Ragione, which was the town hall building. This is the great hall on the upper floor (the lower floor has shops) which is covered in allegorical frescoes. This building supposedly had the largest roof unsupported by columns in Europe. I guess they mean when it was finished in 1219, not now. There is also a large wooden horse inside. Why not?
No comments:
Post a Comment