Above are the popes, starting from Peter. All in a row. There are a lot of them! I like the windows up there...they are not stained glass...but rather, thin sheets of amythyst.
The woodwork on the portico which encloses the garden courtyard.
For lovers of good woodwork, these shots are priceless!
The little courtyard. With a few tourists....
The base of a rather larger pillar. Don't quite know how old it is, but there are soldiers in chain mail carved midway along it. There is a lot of pagan influences on this pillar. It sits pretty much above the tomb where St. Paul is buried.
A light shines on the current Pope.
A good shot of the ceiling. Beatifully coffered. Not ancient....likely no more than a couple hundred years old.
The pillars are all robbed from existing Pagan Roman temples, probably from Rome, but some must have come come from Hadrian's Villa.
The apse. All gold mosaic tiles.
3 comments:
Great pics,
there is so much to see whenever we look up and all around - magnificent ceilings, great courtyards, and the great canopy that is the night sky.
Hope you are enjoying your Sunday!
Gorgeous!! So the portraits are amethyst? Wow, very cool!
Bronwynn and I agree that it's a waste, putting the amethyst windows up so high! They should be where you can see the world through some totally awesome rose coloured glasses. But they NEED to be high enough they will not get nose prints on them.
Judy
Post a Comment