Heroes Not Zombies

I am really a fan of courtyards and cloisters. I love the churches or monasteries which have a garden in the middle. Sometimes I’ve wandered around a church or cathedral and found it quite oppressive, then I’ve noticed the sunlight shining through an open door and I step out into the courtyard with its arches and covered walkways. It feels delightful and appealing.

I do enjoy the Japanese aesthetic of asymmetry but I find the symmetry of these arches around courtyards like these especially engaging.

Riads in Morocco also have this design of an inner courtyard and I like them just as much.

Is it that they are comfortable in the heat of the sun? Or is it that they somehow compel you to wander along the passageways viewing the garden, which often contains a central fountain, from every angle?

They feel safe. They feel secret. And they feel sacred.

I’m sure that was the intention of the builders.