SICILY: Last stop, earthly paradise

In the 1490s. Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain were in charge of Sicily. They pursued their policy of 'convert or get out' and the Jewish and Islamic populations were part absorbed and part exiled.

But before then, in the time of Norman rule of Sicily (11^th to 12^th centuries), there had been a dialogue between different cultures, producing some of the most stunning holy buildings.

In our last days in Sicily, we have visited Cefalu Cathedral, then Monreale duomo, near Palermo, plus the Capella Palatina. Roman-style cosmati floors are topped by acres of golden Byzantine mosaics and panels of Islamic geometric motifs.

The different elements combine not only visually, but m

ore importantly culturally.

In every way, these Norman churches are more beautiful than Ferdinand and Isabella’s policy to Make Spain Great Again.

More mysterious than Rosslyn?

In my last post, I recounted a fascinating trip to mysterious Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh but I didn't disclose the surprise I received when I arrived there.

'SO it's not triangular?' I asked

Pascoe looked at me strangely.

'No. Chapels aren't usually triangular. '

But I had a vivid mental picture of a small triangular building covered in mystical signs and numbers.

So if that wasn't Rosslyn, then where was it?

I'd love to say I poured over arcane documents in dusty archives, but actually I googled. 

Rushton triangular lodge turned out to be near Kettering, one and a half hours from us. However, it was time for my annual birthday outing so I forced my family to undertake the long drive with me.

Rushton triangular lodge was built by Thomas Tresham during the reign of Protestant Elizabeth I . As an ardent member of the then banned Roman Catholic faith he expressed his belief in the Catholic mass through the architecture of this lodge. The triangular plan and the trefoil windows and the three storeys all express the Holy Trinity. 

Nigel and I stood in awe attempting to find all the numbers and letters with which the building was peppered, and to decipher the Latin inscriptions, while Perran and Carenza ran around the outside and up and down the stairs inside whooping like nine year olds.

Clearly my awe for this coded building was not contagious.  

However, one of the most mysterious questions was why there was no public loo at Rushton Lodge. Although our visit may have lacked awe, it certainly lent it a little tension.