There can be no doubt that the Florentines are immensely proud of the complex of San Marco. When I went to pick up my tickets for a number of attractions in the city, the man in the ticket booth explicitly spoke of “the beautiful San Marco”. The complex comprises a…
A beautiful location, a church stripped to the bone. I think that would be a good summary of the current state of the Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore on the Piazza Navona. The church was one of two Spanish national churches. In the past it was known as San Giacomo…
It is not easy to say when exactly modern Spain came into existence. Was it in 1469, when Isabella of Castile married Ferdinand II of Aragon? Or perhaps in 1479, when Ferdinand inherited the throne of Aragon from his father John II and the two spouses Isabella and Ferdinand jointly…
I have procrastinated the gargantuan task of writing a post about the Santa Maria Maggiore for far too long. I have mentioned this major basilica several times now in other posts, and have visited it at least half a dozen times. The church is one of four major basilicas in…
This post is not just about the abovementioned church in the Via del Corso, the modern name of the ancient Via Lata. It is also about the six rooms beneath the church that are together known as the ‘House of Saint Paul’. Since most of the artistic treasures that used…
The church of San Pietro in Montorio is located on the Gianicolo, an ancient hill north and west of Trastevere which was named after the Roman god Janus. The church is dedicated to Saint Peter, the apostle who needs no further introduction. An old tradition dictates that Peter was crucified…