Three Magnificent Churches

Today, I was intending to go and see the Pappa and his stuff at the Vatican. Unfortunately, the line was quite literally half a kilometre long and the average wait to get in was over an hour. There was no chance at all I was going to hang around that square in the heat when there were three other perfectly good churches backed full of stuff and probably even more history just half an hour’s walk away.

So I visited St Maria di Angeli, St Maria Maggiore and St Giovanni Laterano. These are three early churches that are interesting for the evolution the show…

Well, let’s just say they were on my list because they were the favourites of an author who I read in the early days of my architecture degree.

The walk took me through the upper end of town near the rail terminus, which had a bit of an edge to it and was not nearly as picturesque as the rest of this city so far. But still… as far as boroughs go, this was a pretty orderly one, and it was interesting in its own right (Sorry, Janelle, I know you said avoid this bit).

Anyway, here are the pictures. 

The local market. I just discovered this today on the way to the Vatican. I was wondering what Roman's did for fresh food, and this is it; it had everything from fish, to meat to cheeses, to vegetables. The lot. 

Yup, no chance.

First stop after aborting the Vatican run was St Maria di Angeli which had some pretty striking sculpture on the front doors.

There was also this woman, dressed in scarlet and begging with a bowl at the threshold.

The cupola over the dome at St Maria di Angeli.

The nave at St Maria di Angeli. No painted ceiling here...

This woman made a real study. I was very sorry I was shooting with the LX100 and not the K3 with a fifty.

The back end of St Maria Maggiore. Actually more impressive than the front end, in my view. 

This is simply a side chapel at St Maria Maggiore.

Looking toward the rear of St Maria Maggiore.

The portico, St Maria Maggiore.

Interior, St Giovanni Laterano. This was the original cathedral of the Popes, before they moved to the Vatican. 

The alter at St Giovanni Laterano.

Nave, St Giovanni Laterano

My daily shot of the Pantheon.