Basilica of San Miniato al Monte, Florence

The Basilica of San Miniato al Monte in Florence is situated on one of the highest points of the city, above Piazzale de Michelangelo. San Miniato has been called one of the most beautiful churches in Italy and one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany. I reached the church about 15 minutes before closing time, so these photos really don’t do it justice! I didn’t get to the crypt or the famous “Cardinal of Portugal” chapel.

The earliest parts of the building date to 1018, although the upper parts of the facade were finished in the twelfth century or later.

The trussed ceiling of the nave (below) was decorated in 1322. The vivid colours, however, are a legacy of the restoration carried out in 1860-61.

Below, a view of the central nave with the tabernacle at the bottom of the photo. The gold altar panels, begun by Agnolo Gaddi in 1394, represent Saint John Gualberto and Saint Minias, the martyr to whose memory the basilica is dedicated (he is said to have been beheaded by the Romans and to have picked up his head, crossed the Arno River, and walked up to his hermitage).

Below is a detail of the Romanesque marble pulpit (1209), decorated with an eagle, a monk, and a lion. The pulpit and the rood screen (decorated wall below) were constructed at the same time.

The Christos Pantocrator mosaic in the apse is in the Byzantine style, artist unknown (ca. 1260).

These frescoes, in the sacristy, depict the life of Saint Benedict and are attributed to Spinello Aretino (1387 -1388). For a panoramic view of the sacristy, go to this site.

Side altar and frescoes at the end of the right aisle.

NDS Goes Out With a Bang

Flash mob, drummers, five songs from the Live@NDS band — all the stops were pulled out at the final NDS Annual Company Meeting at Binyanei haUma a couple weeks ago.

This year I was asked to photograph the flash mob rehearsals, create a presentation, and make a video recording of the band at the meeting itself. I had no idea that the band’s performance would be 25 minutes long. It’s a good thing I took a tripod! But that seriously limited my mobility because the room was so crowded.

Martine’s solo at the beginning of the flash mob (“Glad you came”) was unforgettable. I was lucky to get a clear photo in these conditions from the back of the room.

The rest of the photos were hit-and-miss. The fast movement and erratic purple and blue lights and spotlights made it very difficult to get clear shots.

The best way to get a sense of it is to watch the short video I made:

 
Here’s the dress rehearsal. I chose this angle because I didn’t fancy trying to get 200 model releases….

A professional drum ensemble performed:

They were followed by NDS drummers, one for each year of NDS, chosen by the year that they started with the company:

At the end of the performance the drummers came forward in groups and turned around so that their year was displayed (one of my office mates said, “1988? That was before I was born!”):

Here’s the drumming video:

 
The Live@NDS band was brilliant and their touching rendition of Auld Lang Syne received a standing ovation. Someone on Facebook said, “Not a dry eye in the room!,” which pretty much sums it up. I uploaded a video but  was asked to take it down, so you’ll have to use your imagination….