Digging Deep – Haiku 2024 #ThursdayDoors

Posted bySuzette BenjaminPosted inThursday DoorsTags:
**FEATURED DOORS** Main Entrance, Sacra di San Michele Saint Michael’s Abbey Turin Italy. Image credit: eli | iStock

digging deep within

Faith built a cornerstone

raised a mountain

**

With its 27-meter (90 ft)-deep basement dug out of mountainous rock— and serving as its “foundation” —Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Abbey) in Turin, Piedmont, Italy rests on the tip of Mount Pirchiriano. Its construction (1099–1131 AD) was and still is today considered an architectural marvel.

**Featured Door: After 243 grueling, footstep-sapping, and circuitous stairs, visitors arrive at the top and entrance to Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Abbey) in Turin, Piedmont. There, the featured doors greet them!

The Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Abbey)’s Main Entrance left door closeup is below:

Details Entrance of the Sacra di San Michele Abbey. Image credit: emmic74 iStock

The entrance is Romanesque architecture with Gothic columns in gray, green, and red carved stone. The main columns are white granite with green floral capitals.

The wooden walnut-carved doors are dated to the 19th century, depicting Saint Michael (Archangel Michael) with his battle weapons (shown in the image above).

An aerial view of Saint Michael’s Abbey, Turin Italy is below

Aerial view: Sacra of Saint Michael, Piedmont, Turin, Italy.

Trivia #1: According to author Umberto Eco, Saint Michael’s Abbey, Turin Italy was one of the inspirations for his book: The Name of The Rose (1980).

Trivia #2: At the entrance to the hill to Saint Michael’s Abbey are the ruins of what looks like a small Romanesque-style church, “Sepolcro dei Monaci.” Some believe these ruins are the original Church building of this Abbey and that the original structure was modeled after The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Fun Fact: The original publisher of Umberto Eco’s book, The Name of The Rose, is reportedly quoted as having remarked that he did not believe the book would have a wider appeal beyond Europe; therefore, at best, he thought the book might sell 3000 copies. Be that as it may, at last count and coming in at the tail-end of the top 25 fiction books by sales worldwide— Umberto Eco’s novel, The Name of the Rose has sold a staggering 50 million copies!

Panorama view, Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Abbey). Image credit: maforke | Stock

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Published by Suzette Benjamin

Positive thinker, inspirational, writer, faith

40 thoughts on “Digging Deep – Haiku 2024 #ThursdayDoors”

  2. Pingback: Digging Deep – Haiku 2024 #ThursdayDoors | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  4. I’m still trying to wrap my head around digging through 90′ of rock before building up. Not to mention bringing all the building materials up to that site.

    The trivia is very interesting, and your haiku is the perfect introduction to the story.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Thanks for this post, Suzette. Your haiku is inspiring. The details about the place are truly interesting. I wasn’t familiar with the book, but I remember the film version with Sean Connery. Wonderful.

    The featured door is terrific. I love the different colors of stone. Hugs.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You are very welcome, Teagan! An interesting place is right. Me too. I remember the .movie with Sean Connery. Thank you for your lovely comment. Have a great Thursday!

      Like

    1. Yes, thank you for your insight. I actually did wonder why green was included. But the setting around the builders may well have inspired their color decisions. As alawys, thank you, Kerfe, for your insights. A pleasure.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. My eyes saw brown and olive bricks at first that formed the columns – two of my favourite matching colours – surrounding the doors until I read grey, red and green in your fascinating notes you gathered for this mysterious abbey. Maybe it is the light that gives the red brick a biscuit brown colour.

    Walnut wood sparked the featured door.

    An architectural marvel indeed with the majestic aerial view

    The audio version of the book is a consideration

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You know the red fully weathered does look brown, and the green with the same time traveled hue can appear olive. So you are not wrong in your first impressions at all, I say.
      The door is so unique its carvings are have a delicate floating aura to them.

      Yes, I am listening to the audio version of The Name of The Rose…slowly but surely I will get through it.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Oh I’m so happy that my lazy eyes didn’t actually deceive me. A weathered red could find itself on the spectrum of brown. And I am most certainly confident that the green is olive.
        Absolutely, you describe the carvings on the door accurately.
        Enjoy the audio, something I should consider for the future.

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  10. What a stunning place and exactly what I imagined when reading the name of the Rose, many years ago. The carvings on the doors are beautifully crafted. Great post.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The doors are the perfect wood grain and color to offset the stone even as the original colors of the stone age, The whole setup looks awesome.
      Yes, that is so true Keith. The higher the rock..there they built. Pretty amazing,

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  13. Such a beautifully carved wooden door in a gorgeous abbey in a spectacular setting. I was in Turin for the 2006 Paralympics but didn’t have time to visit. If I only knew how spectacular it was I may have tried harder. Maggie

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  14. The word “amazing” applies, I think. I cannot imagine how they accomplished that. The stone around the featured doors, with its broad colored markings, to me gives the impression of movement. Very weird optical illusion! That view with the mountains in the distance gives a good understanding of its prominence. Again: amazing.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Maureen, I totally agree with you. I cannot fathom how they accomplish digging in stone today much less those faithful builders in the Middle Ages…just amazing.
      Now that you mention it the doors and stone work (color scheme) does give off a spiral effect/vibe! How cool is that!! Thank you for your insight!
      Have a good one Maureen!.

      Liked by 1 person

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