South by East: Notes of Travel in Southern Europe (page 1/3)

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The Columbarium.

It is a funeral procession: the mourners walk in line down the steps and into the columbarium where the ashes of the dead will be placed. The chamber is lit by torches carried by mourners and also by narrow shafts of sunlight from above. In the walls are niches for the ashes. The bereaved kneels ready to receive the ashes; on the righ, two musicians [...] [more...] [$]

Decorative Initial letter F

A decorative initial capial letter “F” used as a drop cap atthe start of a chapter. It features a Greek urn, a Minotoar or Bull mask, vine leaves, and, at the top, a naked woman riding a creature that has the front of a [...] [more...] [$]

Cathedral of S. Mark, Venice

“The centre of life in Venice is the Piazza of S. Mark, which is not altogether unlike the Palais Royal in Paris. It is surrounded on three sides by lofty houses, the lowest parts of which are shops or cafés, while on its east side stands the Cathedral of S. Mark, in front of which the three lofty masts which once bore the [...] [more...] [$]

The Catacombs of Naples

The Catacombs of Naples are of great interest even after those of Rome; they are said to extend for several miles underground; and they consist of broad arched passages hollowed out of the rock, containing on either side niches which once contained the bodies of the dead. They were without doubt [says Rodwell] excavated by the early Christians; many [...] original fresco has been covered with a coating of plaster, and a second fresco has been painted over the first, occasionally even a third. (p. 141) [more...] [$]

Decorative initial letter “M” – Roman military standard

This decorative initial letter “M” was used sa a drop cap at the start of the chapter; it is in the shape of a Roman standard that might have been carried by a legion of soldiers, and contains [...] [more...] [$]