Cosmati Pavement at Westminster: Hidden Art Guide

The floor is a manuscript; the ceiling, an illuminated page.

Cosmati 101

• Inlaid marbles and porphyry; geometry framed by prophecy inscriptions.
• Site of coronations—centuries of footsteps embedded in polish.

What Else to Seek

• Weathered effigies; marginal creatures in capitals; mason marks on aisles.

Bottom Line

Slow seeing turns decoration into discovery.