The Crypt of the Cathedral of Amalfi

Went on a coach trip along the Amalfi coast today and set out with the intention of blipping a shot of the cliff top houses, the dramatic sheer cliffs and the ocean, but then decided that was too obvious. The coast is stunning, but difficult to photograph, especially from a moving bus. We drove through Positano, stopped in Amalfi, went on to Scala and ended the afternoon with a walk around Ravello.

I chose a picture from inside the crypt of the Cathedral of Amalfi for two reasons. Firstly because of the frescoes and secondly because of the Scottish connection. The Basilica was constructed in 596 AD and the Cathedral in 1100. The cloister was built between 1266 and 1268.

The Cathedral is dedicated to St Andrew due to the claim that St Andrew's skull and other bones are kept there. Apparently a bit of the skull is brought out on 'special occasions'! According to the leaflet I picked up, the other bones are kept under the altar.

The Baroque style of the crypt was due to Philip III, King of Spain in the 17th century with the vaulted ceiling frescoes added in 1660. The statue of St Andrew is by Michelangelo Naccherino (1604), is 2.36m high and weighs 800kg.