The Abbey at Monte Cassino

Sadly, this is what society chooses to produce these days. This is a church down the street from where I live in Naples.

With rare exception (and nothing really comes to mind that can rival the architecture from a few hundred years ago), today's world doesn't build anything of real beauty and I'm not talking just about churches or monuments to God. Nothing, as an article of philosophy is allowed to be truly beautiful anymore.

Beauty is not to be afforded because it's wasteful.  It's especially wasteful because according to the present mythos (Aristotelianism; see About This Blog on my other website Todd Wright Now for more details) beauty is not an accurate reflection of the world.  According to the present mythos, the world is neutral at best and more likely completely ugly.  And so we are building a world that is a reflection of that philosophy.

And it isn't that we can't build beautiful buildings anymore.  Quite the contrary, its a conscious choice, as evidenced by the Abbey at Monte Cassino, which was completely rebuilt from the ground up after its destruction during World War II.

High above the little town of Cassino . . .

. . . towers Monte Cassino.  On top of Monte Cassino is the famous Abbey of Monte Cassino.

Beautiful scenery along the steep road up to the abbey.

The view as you walk up the hill to the entrance.

A closer view of the entrance area.

Inside the entrance.

Maintain silence.

A courtyard inside the abbey. . . 

. . . with a statue of St. Benedict.

He's facing a beautiful mosaic of Jesus.

Steps inside the abbey that lead up to the courtyard for the chapel.

View from the steps.

The steps.

Another view from the steps.

Another courtyard with a fountain.

Beautiful views from inside the abbey.

A view of me to prove I was actually there.

Entering the courtyard to the chapel.

A view of the chapel facade.

Statues inside the courtyard to the chapel.

The sanctuary.

The alter.

A side chapel.

A view of the detail.

A side aisle.

A haunting painting of St. Benedict on the rear wall of the sanctuary.