The most beautiful place of worship - Monte Cassino

And then we headed towards Abruzzo, where the first highlight was the legendary Monte Cassino.
The ascent up the mountain is blessed with great views all around, and you can read the history here rudimentarily
Battle of Monte Cassino - Wikipedia

It is the main house of the Benedictine Order and its foundations date back to the year 529. It was founded by St. Benedict of Nursia on the site of an old temple of Apollo.

The abbey was completely destroyed in 1944 during an Allied air raid, even though there were no German/Italian soldiers there.

It was faithfully rebuilt according to the Latin saying
“ubi erat, quomodo erat”
“where it was, how it was”

The abbey

The view outside

The exterior is built in a very geometric way around three courtyards, with colonnaded corridors.

The first courtyard

The second courtyard

View towards the third courtyard, which is behind/above the second one

Sculptures of saints everywhere

View from the stairs

Then the church, it is one of the most beautiful and elaborate places of worship we have ever seen.

When you enter, it is completely silent and only a little light falls inside

View towards the altar

The view back towards the door reveals where the soft yellow light comes from

High above the entrance is a yellow window, which is oriented to capture the soft afternoon sun

The altar

The small chubby golden angels

The nave

The dome above the altar

Behind the altar, the organist sits and on carved benches on the left and right sits the choir

Next to the altar is the entrance to the crypt

Thousands of tiny mosaic tiles

Interior views

The view is fascinating

The courtyard

We spend the night a little below on a forest parking lot