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St. Maria im Kapitol: Rood Screen

Posted by MadScientist (Düsseldorf, Germany) on 7 February 2009 in Art & Design.

Looking eastwards, in direction of the Renaissance rood screen from 1523. Behind that (and here not visible) is the Triconchos, a cloverleaf structure similar to the architecture of St. Aposteln we've been looking at some days ago. St. Maria im Kapitol was built in the 11th century, though its name suggests much older roots, as the name affix im Kapitol (on Capitol hill) says: its predecessor building was a church built in 690 on the former location of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva from the 1st century. So the spot we're standing at has been a place of divine service for almost 2000 years.

Marie LC from Voiron, France

Light is magnific. Love organs.

7 Feb 2009 9:14am

@Marie LC: Sometime I must revisit this church when they play the organ. Acoustics must be good in this large building.

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

We really don't build 'em like we used to.

9 Feb 2009 5:46pm

@Twelvebit: Yes, we do. Did I mention that also this church was completely destroyed.

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

But that's probably because it was a restoration, not a commercial project. We "can" build anything, but we build on the cheap for the short term. For example, I can look at any house from about 1910 around here and it will be far more substantially built and well crafted than just about anything new. I've just been reading a book called "The World Without Us," that speaks to the longevity of modern buildings as opposed to the stone architecture of the past. We've got some real world laboratories, such as the part of Cyprus shut down during the war in the 80's, that demonstrates that most of these modern buildings are unusable after merely ten years without constant maintenance.

10 Feb 2009 10:21pm

@Twelvebit: Many residences in the Mediterranean attest local corruption, the absence of architects, and building without any building standards. Under 'normal' conditions you will get a house that will persist for maybe 100 - 150 years. Do you know Tacy Kidder's book "House"? He describes the construction of a house in 'New Greek Revival' style and it's an impressive example for American craftsmanship. Wooden buildings are advertized in Germany because of their environmental compatibility, this is quite new.