A Card from Genoa

This card is special not only because it is one of the very first postcards I received since I joined Postcrossing, but also because it reminds me of the grand cathedrals I've seen during my trip to Italy a few years back. Mi manca l'Italia! (I seriously hope my Italian is correct.)

The postcard features Genoa's black-and-white stripped St. Lawrence Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Genoa. The cathedral houses the urn of what is believed to be the ashes of St. John the Baptist which were reported stolen during the time of the Crusades. The urn is taken out and paraded throughout the city every 24th of June in observance of the feast day of the Saint.

It is interesting to note that Cattedrale di San Lorenzo had narrowly escaped complete destruction in 1941 when the entire city was being bombed by the British as part of Operation Grog during the Second World War. It is said that due to crew error, the British battleship HMS Malaya mistakenly directed an armour piercing shell into the cathedral, but the bomb miraculously failed to detonate. The said bomb shell is currently placed on display at the church's nave.

This card travelled approximately 6,551 miles for 17 days. One of the stamps used features Leonardo Sciascia, an influential Italian writer, novelist, essayist, playwright, and politician.

Grazie, Davide! I hope I'd be able to personally marvel at the beauty of Cattedrale di San Lorenzo one day.

Credit: Interesting facts were lifted from a Wikipedia article on Cattedrale di San Lorenzo.


Wishing you happy journeys...

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