The Cathedral of St Andrew, Amalfi

[endlessrarities]

Back to the magnificent Cathedral of St Andrew in Amalfi now, and a post devoted to the Chiostro del Paradiso - The Cloister of Paradise.

Built in1266, the Arab influences are clearly apparent in the style of the arches:

 

There's a good view of the campanile from this cloister:-

 

Much of the interior has been whitewashed, but some frescoes still survive.  According to Sorrento & The Amalfi Coast, by Conti et. al. (Bonechi, 2009), these date to the 14th century.
 

 

Sadly, time and human agency have taken their toll on these artworks, which have been extensively mutilated throughout the centuries.  But some fragments survive which indicate just how colourful the structure would have been in its heyday.

And then there's the mosaics.  Not Roman mosaics, but medieval ones, which in my opinion are even better:-

 

There, I told you it got even better!! Never has a Chiostro del Paradiso been more aptly named...  Once again, I'm seriously impressed!

Comments

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Any idea what happened to those missing faces from the frescoes? I would hope they're being restored somewhere and not hanging on someone's wall...

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I would guess they've been chipped away by over-zealous religious types who were trying to reduce levels of idolotry in the church. We've had similar instances in the UK where the heads are hacked off statues or whatever. The reformation never took hold here, but I can't help thinking that the pre-dominance of white-washed interiors in the churches reflects a similar attitude regarding imagery and painting.

But balance this against the richly decorated Baroque interior of the main church building... The jury is probably still out.