S. Maria del Gesù

In the sober cloisters of S. Maria del Gesù, the structural story is told in stone and mortar. Vertical load-bearing walls of limestone, set in cement mortar, rise with a plain, functional dignity; the portico is carried on monolithic stone shafts, each a single hewn piece. The horizontal systems are a study in architectural sleight-of-hand: on the ground floor, real vaults, honest arcs of masonry; on the first floor, finte volte, false vaults, cast in a single pour, an illusion of weight and span. Above, the roof is a hybrid creature: part traditional wooden trusses and beams, part iron carpentry, a marriage of craft and industry. This is a monastery built not for show, but for endurance, a place where structure is its own ornament, and every joint and arch speaks of the builder’s pragmatic art.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.