Nantes

While I was with the Dominicans, someone offered them a free piano. The catch was that it was in Nantes and they had to move it. I was recruited for this job and as a treat we got to go to the Cathedral there.

Here's the back view of the mansion that we moved the piano into.

Father is discussing the logistics with one of the teachers.

The cathedral of Nantes.

The interior. The French call this sort of cathedral a white cathedral. During WWII, many Cathedrals were bombed accidentally or not. As a result of that, the interiors are extremely plain and all the original stained glass is frequently gone. This particular cathedral also had a massive fire that destroyed parts of the roof as well, so the inside had been quite blackened. A restoration project has cleaned it up quite a bit.

Here's the main center door. There are three doors in front. The statues have been quite damaged by the revolution and bombing.

More of the Same

The church of the Dominicans has two doors. I'm not sure how old this one is, but the other is around a thousand years old. The sign is at about eye level, so they're pretty decent sized.

Before leaving, Fr. Marie-Dominique took me to see the Cathedral of Angers. It's absolutely massive as you can see from the fellow walking along side it. The main door is well-preserved and didn't suffer much during the revolution. You have to admire the French parking job!

A foyer has been constructed for the main church. The statue of Mary is between two confessionals and after Compline the monks process out to it singing "Salve Regina".

This is the path to the cemetery. It's quite peaceful.

To the left is the church/cloister complex and to the right is a boarding school complex for middle schoolers and the base of their publishing operations. I stayed in one of the unused rooms.

Avrille

The church of the Dominicans in Avrillé. The hamlet is close to the river Loire and the town of Angers.

The Dominicans recently purchased this mansion. It's used as a boarding highschool. The interior is really fascinating, but school was out so there were no lights working.


The monastery complex as a whole. The cloister is attached to the church and the smaller buildings closer to the camera are used as classrooms and a boarding middle school.

Here's a picture in which you can see the roof of the church. It was painted, but it was abandoned for years and that took its toll. The painting over the altar is best preserved and is loosely based on the ark of the covenant's design. It depicts Mary holding the child Jesus flanked by two angels.

Here's me studying in my room. It's a little cramped.

Handy Resource

I recently found a website containing hundreds of articles and lecture notes by Charles de Koninck, one of the last great orthodox Thomists. I don't know if I agree with everything he has to say, but there's certainly much worth-while information that he wrote, particularly as regards the philosophy of nature. Check it out here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/7847605/cdk-archive-outline

Schools and alleys

The water was up in the Tiber on one of my walks. It gets a lot higher, but it was just pleasant that day.


Here's my language teacher. He's an amiable Frenchman.


Here's the entrance to the Pontifical American College. It's located beside the offices for the propagation of the faith (that's what the sign is on the pink wall on the left.)


Here's the Pontifical American College itself. The complex is enormous and very peaceful. Visitors are required to be escorted at all times.


Another view of the same building.


Here's the locale of St. Luigi. It's actually a few blocks away, but a lot of construction is going on there which is ugly. You can see one of the many ubiquitous news kiosks in the background. In older central areas, the buildings in general look a lot like this. The road was blocked off by Carabinieri so I was able to get a nice photo.


A typical back street in the City Center a few blocks from the Tiber. Smaller streets exist, but they're only for pedestrian traffic and suicidal scooter fiends. Walking down streets like this is the most pleasant way to get around. No one uses them except locals unless you're in touristy areas.

My Locale and a normal fountain.

The fellow on the far left is my roommate. He and I are about as different as it is possible to be. However, he tries very hard to be considerate. The girl beside him is his girlfriend and the two people on the right are his friends.

There is a gym/junkyard across from where I live. The dogs were sleeping on that broken Fiat until I took a picture. Most non-pedigree dogs in Rome look like these


Below is a street fountain before the Appian way. They're all over the city and they're drinking fountains. It's possible to use them like a drinking fountain, but it's easiest to bring a bottle along.


The area where I live is safe but relatively inexpensive. The buildings are neither very old nor attractive. However, the cost of living is low. A good dozen cats live on my street. This one didn't run away when I got out my camera.


Here's my building. There's hundreds of 4 or 5 story buildings buildings that look like this around Rome. They are pretty sturdy though. Everything is gated here regardless of whether or not the area is dangerous. Fortunately, my area is safe.


Some buildings are only semi finished. people live in them though. An obnoxious German Shepherd barks at me every day from this house.


Another view of my street. People park wherever.

Sound and fury signifying....?

As an indication that the media's obsession with Obama is absurdly obnoxious, several Italians and a Frenchman (all liberal) complained to me that they were sick and tired of seeing Obama on the news-and they only view Italian and French newspapers/programs!

Appian Way

I made it out to the Appian way and walked there for a few hours. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died, so I only have a few pictures and some of them are too dark. Below is the old Appian way. It's wide enough for two cars and there is the occasional driver on it. I'll post some more pictures.

Villas are scattered here and there, but other than that it's quite uninhabited.


Below you can see a car, but I walked for walked minutes or more without seeing one. Some of the drivers know enough to slow down, but other's don't, which must do some serious damage to the suspension and undercarriage. A little white puppy followed me for ten minutes; he wasn't a stray, though. I met three dogs, all friendly.

Here it is as viewed from the center. The trees are simply magnificent. I only passed a half dozen people on my walk.

And the sun sets early now (4:30). It's hard to believe that there aren't sheep around; it seems like they'd fit the scene perfectly.

Relics and the Janiculum (Gianicolo in Italian)

Here's my last usable picture (so far) from the priory in Albano. They had a large number of relics out for a feast day.

One of my classes is held at the Janiculm hill, and I tend to get there a half hour early. A few blocks away is a decrepit monastery, and I go and sit in the garden outside because no one ever comes there and a fountain generates enough white noise to cut out the din of traffic (the church itself is always locked except for Mass in the morning). From the little bench, I'm able to say the rosary in peace. In the last two pictures, you can see the view from this spot.

This is just a picture of a typical confessional in Rome. People kneel at the side or stand in front of the door. Despite not completely enclosing the penitent, they're surprisingly quiet.

Here's one view from the garden of St. Onophrius [S. Onofrio in Italian] (the monastery of the American Friars of the atonement) in the Janiculum. The white building with twin turrets is the Villa Medici, which sits on the Pincio. I'm not certain which dome is to the immediate left because there are so many churches in that area and the streets are too narrow to get a good look at the domes from the street in that area.

That gigantic monument that looks like a monstrous marble typewriter with twin Apollo's is a monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, and a lot of riots and manifestations take place in and around the area there. It's a lovely area in general, though. I believe that the dome belongs to S. Andrea.

Albano

Here's some pictures from the priory in Albano. Some of the areas are in the shade so bear with me. The first picture is of the pines there. The little fenced in area is a tennis court, which gives you an idea of the size of the pines. Pines like these are scattered around the outskirts of Rome, including the old Appian Way (Respighi's "Pines of Rome" springs to mind). By the way, the reason I don't include photos of other people is because I feel uncomfortable putting them online, especially since I occasionally express unpopular opinions and I wouldn't want them put in an embarrassing situation.


Here's the guest house as seen from the roof of the priory. Citrus trees grow in front of it.

Here's a small part of the olive grove as seen from the roof. The trees are good sized standing 12-20 feet tall.


As you come up the drive, this is what the priory looks like. After the hustle and bustle of Rome, it's an oasis of tranquility.

Here's the gate leading out of the priory. Like pretty much every where in Italy, if it's not a business it's locked and gated and one needs buzzed in.

Views from the Tiber

Well, here's a few more views from the Tiber on my walk to classes on the Janiculum (except for the last one, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, where St. Catherine of Siena is buried). In the third picture, you can see the dome of St. Peter. I still don't understand why I'm the only one who walks here, but I'm certainly not complaining. Occasionally there are some vagrants on the opposite bank. By the way, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. I highly recommend doing this as it's much easier to get a sense of the size of the places. In the second picture, it's possible to make out some seated vagrants. Remember that the Tiber used to flood Rome regularly, so those retaining walls are necessary!

A Few Views of Rome

I'd been wanting to put a few pictures online for friends and family. I'll put a brief description with each one. The elephant obelisk thing is in front of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, just a few blocks away from the pantheon and St. Louis de France. After my class, I walk along the bank of the Tiber, which is in the second picture. On the opposite bank is the castel san Angelo, over which St. Michael appeared sheathing a sword after St. Gregory the Great prayed for the end of a tremendous plague. The plague ended that day. An underground passage leads from Vatican City to the Castle and various popes have had to flee to its defenses in times of great unrest.