. Alps and sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino (Op. 6.) . nded the steps, we are at the mainentrance to the building—a massive Lombard door-way, evidently the original one. In the space abovethe door there have been two frescoes, an earlier and alater one, one painted over the other, but nothing nowremains save the signature of the second painter,signed in Gothic characters. On entering, more stepsmust be at once climbed, and then the staircase turnsat right angles and tends towards the rock. At the head of the flight shown p. 106, the naturalrock appears. The arch above it forms a r
. Alps and sanctuaries of Piedmont and the Canton Ticino (Op. 6.) . nded the steps, we are at the mainentrance to the building—a massive Lombard door-way, evidently the original one. In the space abovethe door there have been two frescoes, an earlier and alater one, one painted over the other, but nothing nowremains save the signature of the second painter,signed in Gothic characters. On entering, more stepsmust be at once climbed, and then the staircase turnsat right angles and tends towards the rock. At the head of the flight shown p. 106, the naturalrock appears. The arch above it forms a recess filledwith desiccated corpses. The great pier to the left,and, indeed, all the masonry that can be seen, has noother object than to obtain space for, and to support,the floor of the church itself. My drawing was takenfrom about the level of the top of the archway through io6 ALPS AND SANCTUARIES. which the building is entered. There comes in at thispoint a third small staircase from behind ; ascendingthis, one finds ones self in the window above the door,. STEPS LEADING TO THE CHURCH. NO. I. from the balcony of which there is a marvellouspanorama. I took advantage of the window tomeasure the thickness of the walls, and found thema little over seven feet thick and built of massive S. MICHELE. 107 granite blocks. The stones on the inside are so sharpand clean cut that they look as if they were not morethan fifty years old. On the outside, the granite, hardas it is, is much weathered, which, indeed, consideringthe exposed situation, is hardly to be wondered at. Here again how the wind must howl and whistle,and how the snow must beat in winter! No one whohas not seen snow falling during a time when thethermometer is about at zero can know how searching-a thing it is. How softly would it not lie upon theskulls and shoulders of the skeletons. Fancy a dulldark January afternoons twilight upon this staircase,after a heavy snow, when the soft fleece clings to thewalls, having dr
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidalpssanctuar, bookyear1882
