Day 8 - Baroque Beauty

This is the Chiesa dei Santi Nomi di Gesù e Maria ("Church of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary"). It was built in baroque style starting in 1633 and it was "finished" 41 years later, in 1674, though that's not counting the interior paintwork and decoration. The vault and the main altarpiece, depicting a Coronation of the Virgin were painted by Giacinto Brandi, and it wasn't entirely finished until 1690.

Buildings like these really makes you think of the quality work and care that was put into them. There is almost nothing like them being constructed nowadays - everything has to be as fast, and cheap as possible. I can see why we don't spend as much time and money on single buildings anymore, but at the same time, it's a bit of a shame that most modern architecture is so minimalist. I much prefer old buildings with a bit of decoration on them. But who knows, after this era of clean facades and huge blank windows, architectural "fashion" will take a u-turn and bring back the ornamentation... if only a little. One can only hope... :)

/MrsHjort