Chapel of Silence

Having stated that photographs are banned from this blog, I must promptly post one. This is probably my favorite photograph I've ever taken. It was taken in Rome, either 1969 or 1971 which is when I lived there. I was just a teenager but in those days it was more or less safe for a young female to wander about the city alone by day. That would not be true any more in our era. I took lots of photos of antiquities and beautiful old buildings. This is an abandoned chapel near a monastery in a rather isolated part of the city. I still remember the summer heat, the bright sun, the sounds of crickets and cicadas which seemed like monks praying in the silence of the afternoon. I took a lot of shots of other parts of the building but this one with the court and the stairsteps was the best one. I wonder what happened to that little courtyard and chapel. I doubt that it still exists but you never know. Some connoisseur or architectural historian might be able to identify it. I wish I was there, but not now.

Half 35 mm frame color slide taken on "Olympus-Pen" miniature camera, probably Ektachrome, 1969 or 1971. Click for larger view.

Blogger's note: I was easily able to identify this place through Google and a collection of stock photographs. Not only do these buildings still exist, but they've been nicely restored and planted about with gardens. It is the "Oratory of Sant' Andrea al Celio" built on the peaceful Caelian Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome.