Art/Church

In both Rome and Istanbul we have spent a lot of time visiting churches and mosques that are famous throughout the world. Both countries and their religions have a gorgeous aesthetic all of their own, that is unique. Looking at our pictures now, from the very beginning, it's fun to reflect upon the differences and enjoy each.

The churches in Italy are heavily adorned - period. The craftsmanship of the different elements in every church is mind blowing. There is also alot of sculpture and statues. Christianity has, at its heart, a person, Christ - and in their sacred spaces, congregants are reminded of him and his story and other Biblical parables through artistic representation in form of frescoes, statues, stained glass windows, embroidery, architecture and mosaics. 

While walking through the Vatican museum's impressive collection and the Villa Borghese also (a collection of art founded by a Cardinal), I was struck by how closely aligned religion and art are in the Roman Catholic tradition. All the great artists from Italy, they all contributed art and architecture depicting or representing religious scenes and stories - Michelangelo, DaVinci, Raphael, Carravaggio, Botticelli, Bernini - often commissioned by the Pope or religious official. Not to mention the actual floor plan of virtually every church - a cross. 

So much of the great art I saw in Italy I was not allowed to photograph but I can say that as we walked through these spaces (galleries or just simple churches) we were moved by the artistic depictions of suffering, devotion and faith we saw.