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S. Alessio, Aventine Hill, Rome
. . . THIS MAY TAKE A MOMENT OR TWO . . .
This is the front exterior of S. Alessio, showing the 17th century church fascade (lighter material) with an older, darker Campanille (belltower) in the background. Virtually none of the decorative architectural structure of this important Premonstratensian house survives. However, the cloister garden is still in existence and the walls abuting it are clearly older than the remodelled church. |
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Main portal into the front churchyard. | |
Turning to the left in the front churchyard, one sees a residence building which has clearly been remodeled after Premonstratensian times, but which also -- due to space limitations -- occupies the same site as the original Norbertine building. | |
The very colorful interior of the church. | |
Choir area. | |
Dome area directly above main altar (a sliver of which appears at the bottom of this photo). | |
Very old gravestone in the floor of the church, clearly showing a name very common in the Premonstratensian Order -- Hugo -- and which mentions the term "Canonicus", but which shows no Order affilliation! | |
The remains of the cloister garden area are now open to the public and used as a secluded park. The wall in the background as well as the building are part of the Sta. Sabina church complex. S. Alessio is situated in back of the photographer in this picture. | |
Another view of this nice, small park | |
This area is a favorite one for families to come and have lunch and spend the afternoon. Again, Sta. Sabina appears at left in this photo, while S. Alessio would be to the right. | |
Here is a view of S. Alessio taken from the area of the "cloister-park." | |
One can clearly see Romanesque architecture from the exterior of S. Alessio, and the wall behind the church building complex is clearly very old. | |
Almost unnoticed by guests in this cloister-park is an old medieval door which connects what is now the private church property to the cloister park itself. | |
At the western edge of this cloister-park is a waist-high wall, and some of the most spectacular views of Rome west of the Tiber. Here is the dome of St. Peter's in the background, and Travestere in the foreground. | |
Another view, this time a bit to the northwest. There is a most delightful breeze here at all times, as well as plenty of water. | |
This is a very old black-and-white photo of some of the original hewn-stone ornamentation of S. Alessio, from the Premonstratensian period. It is hung in the private cloister walkway of the church, and not normally available for public viewing. |