Today in class, we did a huge overview of the birth and growth of the communes - a very interesting period for those who care anything about Renaissance history - and the effect that art, literature, and philosophy had on said growth. Wollesen is a great lecturer, I've said it before, but wow. As such, we focused a lot on Catholic history and theology - he managed to tie it in with such a secular subject somehow.
But once that was finished, after a nice lunch at a bar near my residence, Holly and I decided to go to the big Basilica in Siena - the Basilica of Saint Dominic. We did this winding path down to the basilica - where we literally ran into the house of St. Catherine.
We weren't allowed to take photos, but St. Catherine (1347-1380) of Siena's house is... well, its a beautiful shrine to her and her works. The paintings inside the chapel are beautiful, everything about it is serene. I managed to get a massive sculpture of her which will be below. It was a beautiful homage to a beautiful woman (yes, I wiki'd her story)
The basilica itself is absolutely amazing. First of all, its the only basilica I can think of right now that DOESN'T have a facade. It's built like a cross (surprise) but a small one. The windows inside are beautiful, but almost modern - not in the style of the famous French Gothic windows, but rather, almost Cezanne-esque. Again, pictures weren't allowed, but each Chapel was beautiful. One of the most amazing things about the place is the relics they have. I saw Catherine's finger and nail... and her head. It's remarkable how well preserved it is after apx. 700 years - the nose has caved in a bit, but all the skin is there!!!
Today was a very... thought-provoking day. Especially as someone who ISN'T Catholic, I'm.. mystified. I'll refrain from putting down my own opinion about Catholicism (those who know me well enough should know anyways), but regardless of belief and theology, what I saw today was beautiful.
IN OTHER NEWS! FLORENCE TOMORROW! We leave at 9:15, and I won't have my laptop - so expect a HUGE blog post on Sunday!!!
Ciao as always,
Barry.
A Sienese fountain. Clean drinking water, out of the mouth of a she-wolf (Symbol of Siena)
Yet another one of the beautiful shots of the Palazzo Pubblico
Left to Right - Holly, Busi, Alex, Casey
A statue of St. Catherine in her family home
Holly with a beautiful view of St. Dominic in the background
Tuscany
OMG THERE ARE LANES IN SIENA!!!
Two of the most famous sites of Siena - the Duomo (Right) and the Palazzo (Left)
Finally, a picture of me on my blog. I'm leaning against the Church.
Another great post, BT! Glad you're having such an amazing time. Tell us, are you going to get to Orvieto? The facade of the cathedral there is phenomenal...also, they make Orvieto there!
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