The birth of a Christmas Card

I just mentioned over on Rachel's blog, how H.I.and I have a fantasy about spending the last years of our lives living in one (each) of the lovely little monk's cells in the monastery of San Marco, Florence. They are behind the arched doors in this corridor, but there are hardly any good photos of the interiors, probably because they are too small to focus on when inside.

They each have a little window overlooking the cool cloisters below. You can see three of them here. They have a bed, a chair and a desk for reading, and that's it.

Just down the corridor, Fra Angelica kindly painted his 'Annunciation' on the wall. The wings of the angel subtly sparkle because he mixed mica with the paint. This is something you never see in the reproductions, but it is wonderful when you look at the picture up close.

One of the Medici family decided to become a monk, but was reluctant to give up the trappings of wealth completely, so he had this enormous cell built for him in an elevated position above the corridor, with its own altar, a lofty skylight, a large bed and several lavish murals and icons for him to contemplate while he ate his meals away from his fellow brothers in the refectory.

I suppose he should be forgiven for his weakness and indulgence. Without him and his money, I doubt if Fra Angelica would have painted the 'Annunciation' for the rest of us to use on countless Christmas cards for the next few hundred years.