ROMAN CATHEDRALS

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXV, Issue 3386, 23 November 1935, Page 5

ROMAN CATHEDRALS

ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS MISS PRIESTLEY'S ITALIAN TOUR ;. : Many of the architectural wonders of Italy were visited by Miss Jean Priestley, who recently visited Rome, in the course-Of her European tour, and in a further letter to her parents, Mr and Mrs C. H. Priestley, she describes their charm. "On the return journey we went to see the important church of Santa Croce, next vin importance to the: Cathedral. It is a fine Gf>tnic building, with marble sculptures and basreliefs, rare paintings;arid beautiful stained glass in the lalScfet windows. A number of famous men i are burie,4 inutile church, among them being Michaelangelo' and Dante,. "Next day I went to see the National Museum and. spent some hours enjoying the loveliest terracotta sculptures/by. the Delia Robbias, the fine brocades and, the ornaments belonging to the Florentines of the Italian Mediaeval age. In the late afternoon I visited the church of Santa Maria Novella, very long and Wl proportioned!, with more paintings and a finely carved lectern in wood, a most peculiar glass-fronted shrine containing terra-cotta figure's of the Virgin, etc., and good monuments. At the famous Alinari's shop I bought lovely tinted photographs of the principal ancient buildings of the city. , .

"One of the richest chapels in Florence contains the tombs of the Medici family, in fact one chapel is the richest in existence. The whole of the octagonal building is inlaid on the walls with hundreds of different coloured marbles and semiprecious stones, lapis lazuli, and mother-of-pearl, and the domed ceiling is a masterpiece of religious painting. The floor is all inlaid marble and the tombs of the "Medici" are surmounted by marble statues, each sacrophagus with a jewelled granite cushion holding a crown and sceptre. Michaelangelo was the designer of the Sacristy in the same building, and executed many of the marble groups.

'The Duqmo or Cathedral is very beautiful, having" ~an exterior pt' softly-tinted marbles most intricately inlaid, and the whole effect is intensified by a graceful campnile (bell tower) which is 276 ft high, the dome of the main building being second in size to St. Peter's at Rome. The Raptistry, detached from the Duomo, at the west end,,is in white and coloured marble, and has the most famous bronze doors in Italy. The Mosaics of the dome are real masterpieces.

"We passed Dante's house and came next to the city square or Piazza Signora in which we saw the ancient Palazza Yecchio (town hall) in front of which the monk Savonarola was burnt. There is an imposing Loggia nearby containing copies of world famous groups of statuary, such'as the Laocoon, and Michaelangelo's David.

"One day I took a tram from Florence to Pisa about an hour or so journey, skirting the hills. The. train was.a new type, neither electric or steam, but run«by benzine. Upon arrival I drove io the square with the beautiful Baptistry at one end, then the Cathedral with its dome at the other. The Leaning T©\ver, next to the Cathedral, certainly does lean —14ft out of alignment !

"I spent an hour examining the interior and exterior of the Cathedral, admiring the marble pillars, pulpit, and mosaic work, the softly tinted dome and the ceiling in gilded wood, intricately designed. Then I climbed the Leaning Tower, over 200 steps, with a fine view from each storey. The circular Baptistry has a very peculiar echo, but the early 13th century pulpit is the chief attraction. It was made by Giovanni Pisano in 1260 of marble, with eight pillars standing on sculptured lions, and well carved bas-reliefs round the top. "I went on to Bologna the same evening, and it is the busiest and largest city, with very noisy trams and clattering donkey carts. I wsa interested to make the trip out to Ravenna, an old town on the Adriatic, so accordingly the next morning set oW in a private car for the coast.'? On arrival we drove straight to the wonderful church of San Citale,. an octagonal building with a dome and the most gorgeous mosaic work in shades of green, brown and gold in the apse, and coming right down the arches of the columns, which have very fine capitals of the cushion variety. TJie whole of this chapel is about ten feet below the level of the street, and w r e had to descend by a stone staircase to the entrance.

"The Cathedral has a wonderful

detached Baptistry of St. Giovanni, which is noted for the best mosaic in the country. It is a circular building and the entire interior is a mass of mosaics, largely in dark blues and gold, from the top of the dome to the ground level. A peculiar old font for total immersion is in- the centre of the building. "We drove out to the coast for luncheon and admired the Adriatic which was a beautiful brilliant green, a lovely sight with sailing vessels with bright orange sails dipping along in the wind. Three miles from Ravenna, there is an ancient Christian bascilica, dating from the 6th century, a most curious oblong shape with two lines of marble columns. The entire wall. space above the column is covered with mosaics right up to the roof, the earliest type of wooden roof used. After visiting Dante's tomb and seeing more mosaics at the church of Sant 'Appolinare Nuovo we left for Bologna and arrived there that evening. ',- \

"In Bologna . there are two remarkable leaning towers, one over 300 ft in height leaning sft out of alignment, and the other less' than half that height, but it leans at a most fearsome angle, loft out of plumb! The Cathedral was thronged with people when I went inside, a service had just ended, but there . was not a great deal to note except the size. ' ..

; "I left for Venice the next day and. arrived in the late afternoon. A hotel porter met the train and put me and my luggage into a gondola—the gondolier, who" spoke a little English, pointing out the important buildings as we passed them. We glided along the Grand Canal and after twisting in and out narrow waterways eventually'reached the hotel. This is a most a-oman-tic city and the effect at night time is wonderful."