The 16th century church across the road from us has been non-funtioning for decades. Molly was disappointed to learn that mass hasn't been celebrated there for years and years. Although the bells do ring long and loud every hour and half hour from 8:00am until 7:oopm each day.
The church door is kept unlocked, so we decided to pay a visit yesterday afternoon. Walking into that church was like stepping back in time. The stairs to the belfry have rotted away. Cobwebs cover everything. The air is stale.
But what a sight to see!
What is truly amazing about this church are the frescoes painted on the walls. They were painted in the 1500s, covered up at some point during the following centuries, then re-discovered in 1938. They have not been restored, so they look very faded and old.
When we've previously seen medieval frescoes in art museums, we've only been able to see them from a distance, or behind glass, or a rope. But here in this ghost-town of a church, we can go right up to them and touch them.
It is pretty amazing to be able to run your finger over a brush stroke an artist made 500 years ago.
So, if the church is not used, who rings the bells every 30 minutes? It is always an awe-inspiring moment when you stand and experience something that you know was created to many years ago. It is even more of an intense experience when it is centuries that separate you and the original people. How wonderful that you had this time here.
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