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#BUILDINGS LOST TO TIME WINDOWS#
The lower floor begins with the arched ways then continue with smaller windows as you go up towards the roof, opening the lower floors towards the inner courtyards. This new renaissance look can be seen on outside facades of the living quarters were windows are arranged in order to gain a symmetrical effect. The arches were made cylindrical to correspond to the renaissance notion of balance and symmetry.
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The cloister was completely redone with classical elements, columns and statues. It was also on of the few monasteries of the 11th century renovated in a renaissance style. The abbey itself had witnessed and survived many moment of Italian history, the Italian wars, French revolutionary wars, the Italian unification and so on. The abbey was rebuilt and reconsecrated in 1964, most of its art collection and library was saved before the battle, the Panzer Division Herman Goering helped transfer the collections to the Vatican at the start of the battle. Now that the monks were gone, the bombing did the exact opposite because German paratroopers moved inside the abbey and turned the rubble into a fortress and observation point, which was what the allies were trying to prevent in the first place. Ironically, as long as the abbey was intact, the german forces did not enter it because it was being occupied by the Benedictine monks and would not want to upset the Holy See. The bombing was blunder no just because it destroyed an abbey that stood there for over 1000 years but also because it killed many civilians that hid inside to escape the battle in the town. Since the abbey was built to sustain a siege, like most medieval monasteries, it was left a ruin that now could be occupied by German forces. The monastery was turned to ruble, the church was utterly destroyed, but some walls and some parts of the abbey were still standing. On februsme 229 medium and heavy bombers bombed the abbey with about 1000 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs. Fifth Army but under the great pressure, Marshal Harold Alexander the commander of the entire Mediterranean Theater sided with Freyberg and the commanders in field and the bombing run was going to happen. Not knowing this every divisional commander on the spot recommended that the monastery should be bombed, opposed to this was Mark Clark, the commander of the U.S.
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The xiv panzer corps and the German 1st parachute division were present on the lower slopes of the hill leading into the town and the town of Cassino itself but had not entered the monastery. The bombing of the abbey was a difficult decision since most of the enemy fire came from the slopes below the monastery. It was directly on top of the hill and provided German forces with an intact structure which could have bee used as a fortress to hold the hill. The destruction of the monastery came in the end because it happened to be there. After the american and free-french troops failed to take the hill, new zealand 2nd division and 4th indian division were brought in to help in the struggle. After two consecutive battles american forces failed to take the hill which was defended by elements of german Xth army. The german Xth army moved to occupy and defend the town and hill which controlled access to the Liri valley. Located atop the hill that dominated the valley below and the town it became a strategic position. And so it came that a fierce battle was to be fought in and around the place where the Benedictine order formed and built its first monastery.