Album Church Ships from Martin M. Miles

Kykkos Monastery

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:32:14 +0000

The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded at the end of the 11th century by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). The monastery lies at an altitude of 1,318 m on the north west face of the Troodos Mountains.

According to legend the hermit monk Isaiah was disturbed in his solitude by the governor of Cyprus, who had strayed from the path while hunting. The monk was maltreated when he refused to show him the way. Upon his return home, the governor, who had fallen ill, begged the monk's forgiveness. The monk healed him at the behest of the Virgin Mary, who appeared to him in a dream, and in return received a miracolous Marian icon, belonging to the Emperor of Constantinople. Over the centuries, the monastery was repeatedly destroyed by fires and earthquakes, so the current complex dates from the 19th and 20th centuries.

For centuries, the locals venerated the icon of the Virgin Mary, that according to Orthodox tradition was painted on a wooden panel by the Evangelist Luke during the Virgin's lifetime. Many miracles are attributed to it and it served as a model for countlessr Madonna images in the Eastern Church. It is covered with silver and gold and set in a precious frame. The always veiled image of Mary cannot be viewed nowadays.

The Virgin of Kykkos was highly venerated by shipowners and sailors. Numerous miracles refer to the salvation of ships and shipwrecked sailors following an invocation to the Virgin for help. A token of their appraction and respect the faithful would dedicate mock up ships and left them in the monastery, near the icon.

Kykkos Monastery

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:18:58 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Kykkos Monastery

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:06:18 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Kykkos Monastery

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:34:53 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Kykkos Monastery

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:43:35 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Kykkos Monastery

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:15:26 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Moulins - Sacré-Cœur

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 15:55:05 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

In 1232, Archambaud VIII, Sire de Bourbon granted a franchise to the village's inhabitants. At that time the village had existed already at least three centuries.

Moulins experienced its golden age in the 15th century, when the Dukes of Bourbon resided in the town and when the nearby monasteries, especially Souvigny, developed into spiritual and cultural centers alongside the political center of Moulins.

The parish of Saint-Nicolas was founded in 1751 in the heart of the riverboatmen's quarter. Its church is the former Dominican monastery, built at the beginning of the 15th century. In 1839, Abbot Martinet decided to build a new church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Initially, a Romanesque-style design was proposed, but in the end, a neo-Gothic style was chosen. The vault reaches a height of 24 meters, while the two towers on the façade rise 74 meters

The river boatmen, in whose quarters the original church stood, donated this votive ship.

Kirkwall - St Magnus Cathedral

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 21:55:59 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Kirkwall was first mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga in 1046, when it was recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason, Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn Sigurdsson (aka Thorfinn the Mighty) on the island of Stronsay.

St Magnus Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in Scotland and the most northerly cathedral in the United Kingdom - an example of architecture built when the islands were ruled by the Norse Earls of Orkney.

In 1137 the cathedral was founded by Jarl Rögnvald Kali Kolsson. The church was entrusted to the patronage of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, an uncle of the founder. Before the Reformation, the cathedral belonged to the Archdiocese of Trondheim. After Orkney had become part of the Scottish kingdom, the cathedral was handed over to the burgh of Kirkwall in 1486. During the Reformation worship was reformed in 1560. However, unlike many churches in Scotland, there was no iconoclasm. Today, the cathedral is used by the Church of Scotland.

The oldest parts of the cathedral are the transept, the choir and the east side of the nave. The cathedral was built in a mixture of northwest European, Romanesque-Norman and early Gothic styles. The east side ended in an apse in the 12th century. Only speculation is known about the west building. A double-towered facade is said to have been planned in the 13th century. The most recent parts of the cathedral are in the west.

Behind the altar in the middle stands the figure of Jarl Rögnvald Kali Kolsson, the founder of the cathedral. He came from Norway to successfully claim the earldom of Orkney in 1137. After returning from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1153, he was murdered in 1158. He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

On the left is an architect, on the right a bishop - and on the altar is a model of a Viking ship.

Canterbury - Cathedral

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 22:15:21 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

According to legend, Canterbury was founded by Rudilibas in 900 BC and called Caerkent by the ancient Britons. From 43 AD, the Roman Durovernum Cantiacorum was built here and developed into an administrative centre. From 200 AD, the city was surrounded by city walls. Æthelberht of Kent, who ruled from 568 AD, made Canterbury his residence.

After the Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity, the city became the seat of the archbishop. In 842 and 851, Canterbury suffered great loss of life in Danish raids. In 1011, the city was besieged by a Viking army, culminating in the sack of the city.

The people of Canterbury remembered this destruction and offered no resistance to the invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066.

In 1363, during the Hundred Years' War, a commission found that the Roman wall had eroded due to dilapidation, stone theft and ditch filling. Between 1378 and 1402, the wall was virtually rebuilt and new wall towers added. In 1448, Canterbury was granted city charter, which gave the city a mayor and high sheriff.

In the mid-16th century, many Huguenots, facing persecution fled and resettled. The first Huguenot church in Canterbury was founded around 1548. With the accession of Mary I, the Huguenot inhabitants of Canterbury were forced to flee in 1553, but after the accession of Elizabeth I, a number of Huguenots returned. In the 17th century, French-speaking Huguenots made up two-fifths of Canterbury's population.

Canterbury was not only the starting point of the historic Via Francigena, which leads to Rome, but also the destination of many pilgrimages. One of these is described by Geoffrey Chaucer, author of "The Canterbury Tales".

The cathedral towers over all the buildings in the city and can be seen from everywhere.

In 597, missionaries led by the monk Augustine arrived in Canterbury. Remains of this first cathedral were found under the removed floor slabs during renovation work in 1993, including remains from Roman times. . In 950, the building was renovated by Archbishop Bodo. The church burnt down shortly after the Norman conquest in 1067. Begun under Lanfrank, a confidant of William the Conqueror, it then took several centuries to create what can be seen today: a very complicated and extensive spatial structure with Romanesque, early Gothic and late Gothic sections.

A votive ship

Selby - Selby Abbey

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 24 May 2024 12:23:07 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Selby´s origins date from the establishment of a Viking settlement on the banks of the River Ouse. It is believed that Selby originated as a settlement called Seletun, which was referred to in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of AD 779.

Selby Abbey was founded by Benedict of Auxerre in 1069 and subsequently built by the de Lacy family. Archbishop Walter Giffard visited the monastery in 1275 by commission, and several monks and the abbot were charged with a list of faults including loose living: many complaints referred to misconduct with married women. Just four years later Archbishop William de Wickwane made a visitation, and found fault with the abbot as he did not observe the Rule of Saint Benedict. Things had not improved much in 1306 when Archbishop William Greenfield visited, and similar visitations in later years resulted in similar findings.

The community rebuilt the choir in the early 14th century, but in 1340 a fire destroyed the chapter house, dormitory, treasury and part of the church. The damage was repaired and the decorated windows in the south aisle of the nave were installed.

In 1380 there were the abbot and twenty-five monks. In 1393 Pope Boniface IX granted an indulgence to pilgrims who contributed to the conservation of the chapel of the Holy Cross in the abbey.

Between 1069 and 1539, the year of the dissolution of the English monasteries under King Henry VIII, there were 34 abbots, many of whom made structural alterations. The church is built on sandy ground and has suffered from subsidence. Many areas collapsed in the 17th century, but these were rebuilt. Between 1871 and 1873, the church was restored. Further damage was caused by a fire in 1906.

Bristol - St Mary Redcliffe

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 14:13:21 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The town of Brycgstow already existed at the beginning of the 11th century and was given one of the strongest castles in southern England under Norman rule. In the 12th century it became an important harbour town, especially for trade with Ireland. A new bridge was built in 1247 and the town expanded considerably. It became a county in 1373. Bristol developed into the centre of shipbuilding.

Until its dissolution in England under Edward I, the Knights Templar used Bristol as the main harbour for pilgrimages and for exporting wool to the continent. In the 14th century, shortly before the arrival of the plague in 1348, Bristol was the third largest city in England after London and York, with a population of around 15,000 to 20,000.

The plague caused a long-lasting population decline. However, the population remained stable in the 15th and 16th centuries and totalled between 10,000 and 12,000 inhabitants. In 1497, Bristol was the starting point of John Cabot's voyage of exploration to North America. In 1542, Bristol was granted city rights and the former Abbey of St Augustine became a cathedral. During the Civil War from 1643 to 1645, Bristol was occupied and devastated by royal troops.

With the establishment of the English colonies in America in the 17th century and the slave trade in the 18th century, Bristol grew again. Alongside Liverpool, Bristol became the centre of the slave trade. From 1700 to 1807, over 2000 slave ships called at the harbour, transporting over half a million people from Africa to America.

St Mary Redcliffe is located on an island on the River Avon in the Redcliffe district. Smaller predecessor buildings from Anglo-Saxon and Norman times already existed on the site of the present church. The present church was built largely on the initiative and with the financial support of the town's merchants and traders between 1292 and 1370.

In 1446, lightning struck the stone spire, causing considerable damage to the building when it collapsed. The building suffered considerable damage during the English Civil War (1642-1649).

The church, built on a Latin cross plan, has three naves and a transept with three portals. The lack of a crossing tower is unusual; instead, the tower rises above the western bay of the side aisle, making it part of the façade. Both Decorated Style and Perpendicular Style elements can be found, particularly on the windows and the vaults of the church, which are stabilised on the outside by buttresses.

Bristol was an important harbour for a long time, so to find a church-ship is no surprise.

Ourense - Museo Catedralicio

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 23:11:22 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Romans were already here and utilised the hot springs. They built a bridge over the river, the Ponte romana, creating an important communication route, which was of course secured by fortifications.

In the 5th century, Ourense became the seat of a bishopric. As the capital of the kingdom of the Suebi, Ourense flourished in the 5th and 6th centuries. The Suebi king Teodomiro († 570) built the first cathedral in Ourense after converting from Arianism to Catholicism.

Constant raids by the Moorish conquerors and the Normans devastated the city to such an extent that it remained almost uninhabited for several centuries. It was rebuilt in 1071 under King Sancho II of Castile. In the following centuries, the city gained importance as a bishop's see, but also as a trading centre. In the 13th century, Ourense was an important trading centre in Galicia due to its geographical location and its large Jewish community. The economic decline began after the expulsion of Ourense's Jews in 1492 by the Catholic Monarchs. In the centuries that followed, Ourense's importance steadily declined.

The earliest cathedral appears to have been a church dedicated to Santa María la Madre. In 550, the Suevian king Chararic built a second church here dedicated to St Martin of Tour. The cathedral was however repeatedly destroyed over the centuries by the Moors and the Northmen who invaded the city. Today's building was constructed as a Romanesque church in the 12th and 13th centuries. Gothic additions followed until the early 16th century. The consecration of the high altar was already in 1188.

The museum is connected to the cathedral.

A church ship

Avila - Ermita de Sonsoles

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 11:28:11 +0000

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There are many votive offerings in this church.

One of the miracles described dates back to the time of the Spanish Armada. A sailor was hit by a great storm. He confided in the Virgin and asked her to take him to the port. As a thank you, the man gave a model of the ship.

Liepāja - Svētā Jāzepa Katedrālē

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 14:08:22 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The settlement was first mentioned as "Lyva" in 1253. It was a small unfortified harbour town in the state of the Livonian Order. In the 14th century it was burnt down several times by the Lithuanians.

As a result of the Reformation, two Lutheran parishes emerged in Libau. One congregation was formed by the Protestants of Latvian language, the other one for German speaking Protestants.

The granting of the town charter took place in 1625. Soon after the construction of the harbour began. In 1698, a major fire destroyed most of the town's wooden buildings. The Great Plague of 1708 to 1714 claimed the lives of a third of the citizens.

The Svētā Jāzepa Katedrālē (St. Joseph Cathedral) is the episcopal church of the Roman Catholic diocese of Liepāja. The neo-Romanesque church was built between 1894 and 1900.

Gdańsk - Kościół św. Jana

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 20:08:42 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Gdańsk is mentioned the Vita of Saint Adalbert of Prague who baptised the inhabitants of "urbs Gyddannyzc" in 997.

Later the site was a duchy of Poland. In 1224/25, merchants from Lübeck were invited Significant German influence did not appear until the 14th century, after the takeover of the city by the Teutonic Knights.

In 1300, the town had an estimated population of 2,000. Low on funds, the Pomeranian Samborides lent the settlement to Brandenburg, although they planned to give it to Poland. Poland threatened to intervene, and the Brandenburgians left the town. Subsequently, the city was taken by Danish princes in 1301. The Teutonic Knights were hired by Polish nobles to drive out the Danes.

In 1308, the town was taken by the Teutonic Knights. Primary sources record a large massacre carried out by the Knights against the population.

In 1358, Danzig joined the Hanseatic League.

After a series of Polish-Teutonic Wars, the Order had to acknowledge that it would hold Pomerelia as a fief from the Polish Crown. The city thrived as a result of increased exports via the Vistula River trading routes. While under the control of the Teutonic Order German migration increased. A new war broke out in 1409, culminating in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. The city came under the control of the Kingdom of Poland. Only a year later, with the Peace of Thorn, it returned to the Teutonic Order.

In 1440, the city participated in the foundation of the "Prussian Confederation", an organisation opposed to the Teutonic Knights. Upon the request of the organisation King Casimir IV of Poland reincorporated the territory to the Kingdom of Poland in 1454. This led to a war between Poland and the Teutonic Order.

Casimir IV of Poland granted the town the Great Privilege. With this, the town was granted full autonomy and protection by the King of Poland. The privilege removed tariffs and taxes on trade within Poland, Lithuania and Ruthenia.

Gaining privileged access to Polish markets, the seaport prospered while simultaneously trading with the other Hanseatic cities. Being the largest and one of the most influential cities of Poland, it enjoyed voting rights during the royal election period in Poland.

In the 1575 election of a king to the Polish throne, Danzig supported Maximilian II in his struggle against Stephen Báthory. Stephen became monarch but the city shut its gates against him. After the 6 months siege of Danzig in 1577 the city's army was defeated. A compromise was reached: Stephen confirmed the city's special status and its privileges. The city recognised him as ruler of Poland and paid the enormous sum of 200,000 guldens in gold as payoff.

During the Reformation, most German-speaking inhabitants adopted Lutheranism.

The "Battle of Westerplatte" was the first battle of the German invasion of Poland, marking the start of WW II in Europe.

The historic city centre of Gdansk was 90% destroyed at the end of WWII. It was reconstructed by Poles at great expense and today attracts tourists.

The construction of the three-nave Gothic church started around 1360. The building was completed in the 15th century. There was space for the tower to be built later, as well as for the vaults, which were temporarily replaced by the beamed ceiling.

The construction of the vaults and the tower was completed around 1465.

In the following centuries, artisan guilds and brotherhoods founded 13 altars, but after the Reformation, most of the altars disappeared.

In 1543 the church tower was consumed by fire. Soon there was a problem with the stability of the building. The church was too heavy, the foundation was too weak on unstable ground. In the 17th century, the chancel was on the verge of collapse and the gables were falling away from the east wall. In 1679, huge buttresses were erected on the east wall to keep it from collapsing. The structure was reinforced from the end of the 16th century, several times during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Gdańsk - Kościół św. Jana

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 17:17:30 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Szczecin - Szczecin Cathedral

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 15:18:08 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

A Slavic settlement, that developed into a fortress, existed on a hill above the left bank of the River Oder in the 8th century. In 967 the area was brought into dependence by the Polish Duke Mieszko I. Another hundred years later, a new Wendish settlement was established below the castle, which became an important trading and port centre.

The Kingdom of Poland under the dynasty of the Piasts took Szczecin in 1091. Pomerania made itself free again, but in 1119/21 under Duke Boleslaw III, Pomerania was again attacked, devastated and occupied. The latter summoned Bishop Otto of Bamberg to convert the pagan Wends to Christianity. During the "Wendish crusade" the castle was besieged in 1147. The capture was averted by the intervention of the Bishop of Cammin, who had claimed that the inhabitants had already converted to Christianity. In 1173 the Danes captured the castle, destroyed it, but rebuilt it in 1190. The Danes ruled the country until 1227.

Meanwhile, Germans had settled next to the Wendish settlement and founded the "Upper Town" and later the "Lower Town". In the Upper Town, the Jacobi Church was built from 1180 to 1187, donated by the merchant Beringer of Bamberg.

Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania (= "Barnim the Good") granted the Wendish settlement together with the German suburbs as "oppidum Stetin" the town charter in 1243. It was further promoted through customs remission, trade privileges and fishing rights so that the city strengthened economically. In 1245 the construction of a town hall was allowed. In 1263 the construction of St. Mary's Church began. The construction of a harbour gave the town a further boost, which led to membership in the Hanseatic League in 1278.

Duke Otto I officially made Szczecin the residential city of Pomerania in 1309. At the end of the 14th century, Szczecin's economy received another boost when, in the course of the conflict between Poland and the Teutonic Order, the city was granted extensive trading privileges in order to replace Gdansk, which was dominated by the Order.

During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes occupied the town. It remained Swedish even after the Peace of Westphalia. During the Nordic War, Russian troops besieged Szczecin in 1713. With the Peace of Stockholm in 1720, King Frederick William I succeeded in acquiring Szczecin for Prussia.

From 1806 to 1813 Szczecin was occupied by the French. After Napoleon's expulsion, Prussia was back and so Szczecin became German in 1871.

After the Second World War, the German "Stettin" became the Polish "Szczecin". At that time, only about 80,000 Germans and 6000 Poles still lived in the devastated city. The German population was pushed out and Poles from the former Polish eastern territories settled in. Today Szczecin is a lively town with about 400.000 inhabitants
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The Szczecin Cathedral ("Bazylika archikatedralna św. Jakuba w Szczecinie") was built from the 13th to the 15th century, modeled after the Marienkirche in Lübeck.

Around 1237 Barnim I designated this church as the church of the Germans, while the older Saint-Peter-and-Paul-Church (Kościół św. Piotra i Pawła) was assigned to the Slavic inhabitants.

The originally two-towered building received a central tower from 1456 to 1503. This tower had a Gothic spire, which was destroyed during a siege in 1677. It got restored in 1894, but in 1944 a bomb destroyed large parts of the church, including the organ, the choir and the tower - the latter without a helmet - was preserved.

After 1945, the Polish Catholic Church appropriated the ruins of the church and restored it until 1971. Since then, the Catholic Church uses it as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Szczecin-Cammin.

In late Middle Ages the then Catholic church had 52 altars, which disappeared with the Reformation. Most of the equipment that remained in the 20th century was destroyed during WWII.

The Seamen's Chapel contains a large and a small votive ship.
Here is the small one.

Szczecin - Szczecin Cathedral

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 15:08:51 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

A Slavic settlement, that developed into a fortress, existed on a hill above the left bank of the River Oder in the 8th century. In 967 the area was brought into dependence by the Polish Duke Mieszko I. Another hundred years later, a new Wendish settlement was established below the castle, which became an important trading and port centre.

The Kingdom of Poland under the dynasty of the Piasts took Szczecin in 1091. Pomerania made itself free again, but in 1119/21 under Duke Boleslaw III, Pomerania was again attacked, devastated and occupied. The latter summoned Bishop Otto of Bamberg to convert the pagan Wends to Christianity. During the "Wendish crusade" the castle was besieged in 1147. The capture was averted by the intervention of the Bishop of Cammin, who had claimed that the inhabitants had already converted to Christianity. In 1173 the Danes captured the castle, destroyed it, but rebuilt it in 1190. The Danes ruled the country until 1227.

Meanwhile, Germans had settled next to the Wendish settlement and founded the "Upper Town" and later the "Lower Town". In the Upper Town, the Jacobi Church was built from 1180 to 1187, donated by the merchant Beringer of Bamberg.

Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania (= "Barnim the Good") granted the Wendish settlement together with the German suburbs as "oppidum Stetin" the town charter in 1243. It was further promoted through customs remission, trade privileges and fishing rights so that the city strengthened economically. In 1245 the construction of a town hall was allowed. In 1263 the construction of St. Mary's Church began. The construction of a harbour gave the town a further boost, which led to membership in the Hanseatic League in 1278.

Duke Otto I officially made Szczecin the residential city of Pomerania in 1309. At the end of the 14th century, Szczecin's economy received another boost when, in the course of the conflict between Poland and the Teutonic Order, the city was granted extensive trading privileges in order to replace Gdansk, which was dominated by the Order.

During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes occupied the town. It remained Swedish even after the Peace of Westphalia. During the Nordic War, Russian troops besieged Szczecin in 1713. With the Peace of Stockholm in 1720, King Frederick William I succeeded in acquiring Szczecin for Prussia.

From 1806 to 1813 Szczecin was occupied by the French. After Napoleon's expulsion, Prussia was back and so Szczecin became German in 1871.

After the Second World War, the German "Stettin" became the Polish "Szczecin". At that time, only about 80,000 Germans and 6000 Poles still lived in the devastated city. The German population was pushed out and Poles from the former Polish eastern territories settled in. Today Szczecin is a lively town with about 400.000 inhabitants
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The Szczecin Cathedral ("Bazylika archikatedralna św. Jakuba w Szczecinie") was built from the 13th to the 15th century, modeled after the Marienkirche in Lübeck.

Around 1237 Barnim I designated this church as the church of the Germans, while the older Saint-Peter-and-Paul-Church (Kościół św. Piotra i Pawła) was assigned to the Slavic inhabitants.

The originally two-towered building received a central tower from 1456 to 1503. This tower had a Gothic spire, which was destroyed during a siege in 1677. It got restored in 1894, but in 1944 a bomb destroyed large parts of the church, including the organ, the choir and the tower - the latter without a helmet - was preserved.

After 1945, the Polish Catholic Church appropriated the ruins of the church and restored it until 1971. Since then, the Catholic Church uses it as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Szczecin-Cammin.

In late Middle Ages the then Catholic church had 52 altars, which disappeared with the Reformation. Most of the equipment that remained in the 20th century was destroyed during WWII.

The Seamen's Chapel contains not only a large and a small votive ship but also some nautical instruments.

Anklam - Nikolaikirche

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 19:41:29 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Anklam was originally a Wendish fortress, as there was a Scandinavian and Wendish settlement here in the early Middle Ages.

Later the town became part of the Duchy of Pomerania. During the German eastward expansion, the abandoned fortress was developed into a settlement. The town has significance as a shipping port on the river Peene. It was elevated to the status of a town in 1244 and joined the Hanseatic League in the same year and prospered through membership.

The town suffered greatly during the Thirty Years' War when Swedish and imperial troops fought over it for twenty years. During this and subsequent wars, the town was repeatedly ravaged by fires and the plague. After the war, Anklam became part of Swedish Pomerania in 1648 but in 1676 it was conquered by Frederick William of Brandenburg.

In 1713 Anklam was sacked by soldiers of the Russian Empire. With the Stockholm Treaty of 1720, the southern parts of the town were ceded to Prussia, while a smaller part north of the Peene remained Swedish.
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The building, begun around 1280, was completed by the end of the 14th century. It is named after Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of sailors and merchants. The Nikolaikirches a purely Gothic building. Until its destruction, the church was considered a landmark of Anklam and was a pilot sign visible from afar, as the tower reached a height of 103 metres.

The interior was decorated with valuable furnishings. Despite being removed from storage during WWII, some parts are still missing today. Others, such as the magnificent candlesticks, the apostle bell and parts of the choir stalls, are now in the Marienkirche.

The destruction of the church did not occur until 29 April 1945, when German shells hit the town, which was already occupied by the Red Army. In the process, the spire collapsed into the nave. The church was partially burnt out, only the tower stump and the surrounding walls with free pillars and segmental arches remained standing.

After the war, the ruins were provisionally secured.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the situation of the building became increasingly critical, there was a danger of collapse. Anklam citizens joined together to form an association for the promotion of the church. From 1995 to 1996, the nave was provided with an emergency roof and secured.

A church dedicated to St. Nicholas near the Baltic Sea seems incomplete without a votive ship. Here it hangs under the temporary roof.

Greifswald - St.Jacobi

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 23:06:52 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Greifswald's foundation can be traced back to Cistercian Kloster Eldena (Eldena Monastery), to whose estate it initially belonged. Salt was produced here and so it may have been a settlement of salt workers. In June 1249, the local prince Wartislaw III received a fiefdom from the monastery over the town, which was granted the "Lübische Stadtrecht" (city rights) in 1250. In 1264 the city was allowed to build a protective wall and fortifications.

In 1278, Greifswald was first mentioned in a document as a member of the Hanseatic League. However, as early as the 14th and then in the 15th century, Greifswald's harbour no longer met the requirements of shipping traffic, as it silted up. As a result, Greifswald fell behind the other Hanseatic towns.

In 1456, Duke Wartislaw IX founded the university as the Pomeranian State University. The still existing university is the second oldest university in the Baltic region after Rostock.

The Thirty Years' War brought horrible times. The imperial troops led by notorious Wallenstein entered Greifswald in 1627 and set up a regime of terror in which the population was plundered. To repel the Swedish troops, Wallenstein had the fortifications reinforced and used the population for forced labour. A plague epidemic decimated the population to such an extent that by the end of the war only half the houses were inhabited. In 1631, King Gustav Adolf II's troops captured Greifswald after a short battle.

Pomerania was now swedish until the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
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The early Gothic brick church, dedicated to St. Jakob (James) is younger than the other two medieval Gothic churches in Greifswald. Construction began around 1280 in the "new town", where there was also the St. Spiritus Hospital, where pilgrims on the Way of St. James could stay.

The first reports of pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela setting out from Greifswald date from 1311.

After the founding of the university in the 15th century, St. Jacob's Church was connected to the Faculty of Arts. Students were obliged to attend services there
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The Danish three-masted barque "Pomerania"