endlessrarities | A Medieval Interlude...

And now for something completely different....

For what seems like eternity, I've been wittering on about Romans. Roman this, Roman that, Roman something else. Every time I've thought I'm about to make a break from Matters Roman, I go and visit another Roman site and - hey presto!!- yet more Romans...

So...

I'm taking a well-earned break now.

We went to Naples and Sorrento with the purpose of visiting Pompeii, Heculaneum and Vesuvius. But.... I must admit that I was just as blown away by the Medieval and Baroque buildings as I was by the Roman stuff. I had my particular favourite, which I'll introduce to you in due course, but I think that all of these ecclesiastical buildings were pretty awesome in their own right.

My first featured church is the cathedral in Sorrento. The first day we paid this particular structure a visit, we didn't get inside. A performance of Mozart's Requiem was being held there the following weekend, and the choir and orchestra were in rehearsal. So we did get a free (though rather quiet) performance of Mozart's Requiem, but... I kind of wanted to see the cathedral...

Here's the west front, which is plain, austere and rather beautiful:-

I love our Romanesque, Gothic and Perpendicular churches and cathedrals, but... I must admit I've got a soft spot for Italian ecclesiastical architecture, with its Classical touches.

And just to remind us that we're dealing with the medieval world, here's some heraldry:-