Monday, July 24, 2017

San Pietro extra Moenia, Spoleto, Italy

The church of St. Peter outside the Walls near Spoleto was built in the 11th century. This spot had long been a cemetery, and a shrine in the cemetery held what were said to be St. Peter's chains. (Photo by Paolo Monti, 1967)

View of the church from a distance. The old church was burned in 1329 during one of those endless fights between Guelphs and Ghibellines, and it was then rebuilt. The interior was completely remodeled in the 17th century. But the sources I have found say that the facade is "an almost completely intact example of the Umbrian Romanesque style."

The famous facade.






Details. Top to bottom: Jesus, from the water, speaks to his apostles; the torments of hell; a lion gnaws on a fallen gladiator; a peasant plowing with two oxen; a mother antelope saves her kid from a snake; scenes from the life of Jesus.

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