Trastevere
Mon Dec 04, 2017 7:10 amWe spent the morning exploring Trastevere, beginning with Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Moon sets over Tiber as we approach Trastevere via Ponte Fabricio constructed in 62 BC.
It’s really cool to see all this authentic, ancient Christian iconography. Prior to 333 AD, Christians met in a home at this location, where Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere now stands.
The mismatched columns in the nave of this Medieval Romanesque Basilica supposedly are salvaged from the Baths of Caracalla.
Like Classical Architecture, Romanesque uses arches and columns, but the materials are more common, and the designs are less sophisticated but more stout. Use of the Basilica form in Churches are an adaptation of the secular Basilicas of Ancient Rome.
The authentic, original, and spectacular apse mosaics demonstrate the typical attributes of medieval Gothic art, with 2-dimensional, expressionless, haloed figures set in a flat golden landscape. The floor of the Basilica is also mosaic.
Trastevere translates to beyond the Tiber, and is generally more residential. I don’t think it is grittier in comparison, but that’s just my opinion.
