Album Noah´s many arks from Martin M. Miles

Kykkos Monastery

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 18:59:31 +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 monastery corridors are decorated with frescoes and mosaics created in the 1990s.

Noah's Ark

Paris - Musée de Cluny

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 18:32:41 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Hôtel de Cluny was built in the late 15th century on the site of an older building constructed after the Abbey of Cluny acquired the ancient Roman baths in 1340.

The manor house was rebuilt under Jacques d’Amboise, Abbot Commander of Cluny (1485–1510). In the 18th century, the tower of the Hôtel de Cluny served as an observatory for the astronomers Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, Jérôme Lalande, and Charles Messier. During the French Revolution in 1789, the manor house was confiscated.

In 1832, the archaeologist and art collector Alexandre Du Sommerard acquired the Hôtel de Cluny and used it to display his extensive collection of medieval artifacts. After his death, the collection became the property of the French state. The building opened as a museum in 1843.

The museum underwent a complete renovation over three years and reopened in 2022.

Noah's ark / end of 12th century

from the cloister of the Abbey of St. Pere de Rodes, Catalonia

Exeter - Cathedral

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 18:04:31 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

After the conquest of Britain under Emperor Claudius, the Romans founded the city of "Isca Dumnoniorum" on the site where a Celtic settlement already existed. Numerous sections of the Roman city wall have survived to this day.

In the 7th century, the city fell to Wessex. An Anglo-Saxon monastery was built here around 680. In 876, the Danes attacked Exeter and occupied it briefly, but Alfred the Great was able to drive them out a year later and had the Roman city wall repaired. In 893, Alfred was able to hold the city against a Danish attack for a second time.

In 1001, the Danes again failed to take control of Exeter. However, after the town came into the possession of Emma of Normandy in 1002 through her marriage to Æthelred the Unready as part of her dowry, Emma's steward allowed the Danes under Sven Forkbeard to enter Exeter and sack the city the following year.

In 1050 the seat of the bishopric, formed in 1032 from the bishoprics of Cornwall and Crediton, was transferred to Exeter and Leofric became the first bishop of the bishopric of Exeter.

In 1068 the town was besieged by Norman troops of William the Conqueror, to whom it had refused to swear allegiance, and surrendered after 18 days. The Norman ruler had the fortress of Rougemont built here. However, the Bishop of Exeter also acted as a landowner and feudal lord, as mentioned in the Domesday Book.

In the early stages of the civil war that broke out after the death of Henry I, Baldwin de Redvers held Exeter for three months in 1136 against King Stephen, but then surrendered. Henry II granted Exeter its first charter.

In the 13th century, Exeter developed into the most important city in the southwest of England. It exported tin and cloth, among other things. From 1295 onwards, it sent representatives to the English Parliament.

Exeter had to survive several more sieges, for example in 1467 during the Wars of the Roses, in 1497 by the pretender to the throne Perkin Warbeck and in 1549 by insurgents from Cornwall and Devon who rebelled against the religious reforms of Edward VI, while Exeter remained loyal to the king.

During the English Civil War (1642-1649), Exeter was initially on the side of the supporters of Parliament, but was conquered by the Royalists in 1643 and held for King Charles I for almost three years.

Construction of the cathedral began in 1112 in the Norman/Romanesque style. The outer walls of the nave and the two colossal square towers, which now serve as the transept, are still preserved from this building. The architect of the Romanesque predecessor had resorted to this unusual solution because the crossing towers, which had previously been built according to English tradition, had collapsed.

The new Gothic building began in 1224. The Lady Chapel, a single-nave building with three bays, marked the beginning. Around 1280/90, the retrochoir and the nave followed in the dimensions of the Romanesque church. At about the same time (1270/1280), the chapter house was added to the south transept.

The stone pulpit screen was erected between 1317 and 1325. The painted biblical scenes were added in the 17th century. Details.

The creation of Eve - Noah's ark - Moses crossing the Red Sea.

Malmesbury - Abbey

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 21:06:19 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Malmesbury, the oldest borough in England, became the site of Malmesbury Abbey, a monastery famed for its learning. It was later home to one of Alfred the Great's fortified castles (burhs) for defence against the Vikings. As a market town, it became prominent in the Middle Ages as a centre for learning, focused on and around the abbey.

In the later seventh century, the site of the Abbey was chosen by Máel Dub, an Irish monk who established a hermitage. Towards the end of his life Malmesbury Abbey was founded around 676 by Aldhelm, a nephew of King Ine of Wessex. The town of Malmesbury grew up around the expanding Abbey.

In October 939 Æthelstan, king of Wessex and of the English, died in Gloucester, and in the year 941 his remains were buried in the Abbey.

The Abbey developed an illustrious reputation for academic learning under the rule of abbots such as Aldhelm, John Scotus Eriugena, Alfred of Malmesbury and Aelfric of Eynsham.

The current Abbey was substantially completed by 1180. The 131 m tall spire, and the tower it was built upon, collapsed around 1500 destroying much of the church, including two-thirds of the nave and the transept.

The abbey was closed at the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 by Henry VIII and was sold to William Stumpe, a rich merchant. He returned the abbey church to the town for continuing use as a parish church, and filled the abbey buildings with up to 20 looms for his cloth-weaving enterprise.

During the English Civil War, Malmesbury suffered extensive damage evidenced by hundreds of pock-marks left by bullets.

Cluny did strongly influence the artistic style here. The connection to Cluny was close. Abbot Peter Moraunt had been a monk of Cluny and had been for a time Prior of La Charité.

Unfortunately the carvings of the portal are very weathered. Seen here may be Noah's Ark

Salisbury - Cathedral

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:54:08 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Iron Age castle rampart of "Old Sarum" was built in the 4th century BC. This was later used as a fortress by the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons and finally, from the 11th century, by the Normans.

At the time of the Saxon invasions, Old Sarum fell to King Cynric of Wessex. The Saxons favoured settlements in the lowlands and largely ignored Old Sarum until the Viking invasions prompted King Alfred of Wessex to rebuild the fortifications. However Old Sarum was abandoned by its inhabitants and was sacked and burnt down by the Danish-Norwegian king Sweyn Forkbeard in 1003. After the Norman invasion a castle was built by 1070, which was directly under the control of the Norman kings.

In 1075, the Council of London installed the first Bishop of Salisbury, named Herman. He and his successor, Saint Osmund, began the construction of the first Salisbury cathedral, that was completed in 1092.

In 1220, Bishop Richard Poore of Sarum began building a new cathedral about three kilometres away in the valley south of the fortress of Old Sarum. This was the nucleus of today's city of Salisbury, initially under the name New Sarum. Just seven years later, Salisbury was granted city rights. The cathedral was consecrated in 1258 after only 38 years of construction.
Due to the short construction period of the cathedral, its architectural style largely corresponds to the early English Gothic style. The free building site and the generous financial support of Henry III were decisive for the rapid completion. The crossing tower, which was added in the early 14th century, has been the tallest church tower in Great Britain at 123 metres since 1561, after the collapse of the crossing tower of the old St Paul's Cathedral.

The only major sections begun later were the cloisters, added in 1240, the chapter house in 1263, the tower and spire, which at 123 m dominated the skyline from 1330. In total, 70,000 tons of stone, 3,000 tons of timber and 450 tons of lead were used in the construction of the cathedral.

In the 17th century, Christopher Wren designed restoration measures to strengthen the central pillars, which by then had visibly deformed under the weight of the tower and spire. Significant changes to the cathedral were made by the architect James Wyatt in 1790, including the replacement of the original rood screen and demolition of a bell tower which stood northwest of the main building.

The floor plan of Salisbury Cathedral shows a three-aisled basilica with two transepts.

The chapter house is notable for its octagonal shape, slender central pillar.

A frieze, which circles the interior above the stalls, depicts scenes and stories from the books of Genesis and Exodus.

Noah´s Ark

Tangermünde - St. Stephan

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 21:34:50 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Tangermünde Castle was first mentioned in 1009 as "civitate Tongeremuthi" because this is where the Tanger (Tongera) flows into the Elbe. The city was first mentioned in 1275.

From 1373 to 1378 Tangermünde was the second seat of Emperor Charles IV, who appointed his 12-year-old son Wenzel Elector of Brandenburg in 1373. After the death of Emperor Charles IV, there was a turbulent development in the Mark, until the Hohenzollerns were enfeoffed with the Mark as electors in 1415 and initially resided in Tangermünde.

The heyday of the Hanseatic city was the 15th century, when the city gates and the town hall were built in the North German brick Gothic style. At this time, St. Stephen's Church was expanded into a Gothic hall church. The city lost the Elector's favor after the uprising of 1488, when the citizens rebelled against the beer tax.

In 1617 the city burned down almost completely. After the fire, many magnificent half-timbered houses were built. Due to the Thirty Years' War, however, the city became a rather insignificant country town.
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The predecessor of St. Stephan was a Romanesque basilica. It was in existence by 1188. Parts of this original building were reused in the construction of the present church. The transept of the former building gave the width of the new nave. Emperor Charles IV, who lived in Tangermünde between 1373 and 1378, founded a house of Augustinian Canons, to which he gave the church as a source of income. The canons conducted the services.

During the late Middle Ages the construction took place in several phases of today's triple-aisled Gothic hall church. Firstly, after 1350, the northern wall of the nave and the southern wall were built, and in about 1405, the roof and the rib vaults. The prominent octagonal pillars are unusual. The south tower remains uncompleted to this day. In 1450 work began on the construction of the new choir, followed by the outside walls of the new ambulatory and also the arms of the transept. Only then was the old choir removed. The choir was roofed in 1475. The city-wide fire from 1617 damaged the church and the top part of the north tower collapsed. It was not restored until after 1714, when the tower received its present Baroque roof.

A "Biblia Pauperum" (Bible for the poor) was attached to the north gallery of the church in 1620. In this way, the parishioners who could not read were able to experience the stories of the Bible in pictures.

Noah's Ark. In the backdrop the elephants are approaching the ark.

Lyon - Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 01 May 2023 21:21:06 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum (now Lyon) was an important Roman city in Gaul. It was the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis. The Christianization took place very early.
In 177, the Christian community sent a letter naming 48 of their number who had been martyred. In 843 it was ceded to Lorraine and then passed to the Kingdom of Burgundy, whose dominion was entrusted to the Archbishop of Lyon by Frederick Barbarossa in 1157. In 1312 Philip the Fair incorporated Lyon into the kingdom of France.
Lyon was the scene of an urban revolt in 1436 when Charles VII increased taxation. The uprising, mainly of small merchants, lasted a total of two months. During the reign of Louis XI. Four fairs were set up, attracting merchants from all over Europe, especially Italy. Lyon became an important center for the spice trade and, more importantly, the silk trade after François I granted the weaving rights, which until then had been an Italian monopoly. Florentine immigrants also made Lyon a financial center for banking and insurance.
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It is often said that the most beautiful cities are located on rivers. Lyon is situated on two rivers, the Rhone and the Saone, which meet in the south of the city.
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The Lyon Cathedral was begun in 1180 on the ruins of a 6th-century church and completed in 1476.

In 1245, the church hosted the First Council of Lyon, where the Pope declared Emperor Frederick II deposed. In 1274, the Second Council of Lyon was held in the cathedral, mainly to discuss the union of the Catholic Church with the Greek Orthodox. On August 17, 1316, John XXII was elected pope in the cathedral. He was the second of the Avignon popes.

In 1562 the church was devastated by Calvinist Huguenots. In 1600 the cathedral was the scene of the marriage between King Henry IV and Mary de Medici.

The facade from the 14th and 15th centuries is influenced by the flamboyant Gothic style. Episodes from the Old and New Testaments are told in 300 picture panels.
Noah´s Arc

Genesis 7:8-9

"Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah."

Florence - Battistero di San Giovanni

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 22:23:00 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Florentina was established in Roman times as a settlement for veteran soldiers. The name had changed already when young Charlemagne conquered the town in 774. It became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with Lucca as the capital. Around 1000 Margrave Hugo chose Florence as residency instead of Lucca. After the death of Matilda of Tuscany (1115), the Florentines formed a republic ruled by a council. The town prospered, despite a constant fight between the different factions and noble families.

In the 15th century, Florence was among the largest and wealthiest cities in Europe. This was when the Medici family entered the political scene. As a dynasty of art-loving, power-hungry bankers, they made Florence the birthplace of the Renaissance.
The Baptistery of San Giovanni is the baptistery of Florence Cathedral. The time of origin is disputed, the church was consecrated in the 11th century. The church stands on the foundations of a Roman building. The first reliable source dates from 897, when an ecclesia (church) dedicated to John the Baptist and facing the bishop's palace is mentioned.

Today's building dates from the 11th century at the earliest. The octagon had been a common shape for baptisteries for many centuries since early Christian times. The construction was finished in 1128. An octagonal lantern was added to the roof around 1150. It was enlarged with a rectangular entrance porch in 1202, leading into the original western entrance of the building, that in the 15th century became an apse, after the opening of the eastern door facing the western door of the cathedral by Lorenzo Ghiberti.

The interior is divided into a lower part with columns and an upper part with a corridor. The interior walls are clad in dark green and white marble inlaid with geometric designs. The marble lining of the interior began in the second half of the eleventh century.

From 1225, the dome was decorated with one of the world's largest mosaic cycles, with a diameter of 26 m in eight rings by famous artists such as Giotto or Cimabue; This mosaic, dominated by a mighty figure of Christ, was only completed after 50 years. The cyclorama was created between 1260 and 1275 and has a diameter of eight meters.

Details of the mosaic:

The Story of Noah's Ark

Salerno - Museo Diocesano San Matteo

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 26 Nov 2022 20:01:27 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Salerno (pop. ~ 130.000) is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The site has been one of the most important and strategic ports on the Mediterranean sea, yielding a rich Greco-Roman heritage. It was an independent Lombard principality in the early Middle Ages. The Normans in 1077 made Salerno the capital of their rule in all of southern Italy. In the 16th century, under the Sanseverino family, among the most powerful feudal lords in southern Italy, the city became a center of learning, culture, and the arts.

Salerno has been the seat of an archbishop since 983 and the city's medical school is famous for being the first college or "university" of medieval Europe.
The Diocesan Museum is best known for the "Salerno Ivories". A collection of ivory plaques from around the 11th or 12th century that contain elements of Early Christian, Byzantine, and Islamic art as well as influences from Western Romanesque and Anglo-Saxon art.

It is the largest unified set of ivory carvings preserved from the pre-Gothic Middle Ages and depicts narrative scenes from both the Old and New Testaments. It is supposed the ivories originated in either Salerno or Amalfi, which both contain identified ivory workshops, however, neither has been definitively linked to the plaques so the city of origin remains unknown.

Noah´s ark

Otranto - Duomo di Otranto

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 13:55:54 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Otranto occupies the site of an ancient Greek city. It gained importance in Roman times, as it was the nearest port to the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea.

After the end of the Roman Empire, it was in the hands of the Byzantine emperors until it surrendered to the Norman troops of Robert Guiscard in 1068. The Normans fortified the city and built the cathedral, that got consecrated in 1088. When Henry VI., son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, married Constanze of Sicily in 1186 Otranto came under the rule of the Hohenstaufen and later in the hands of Ferdinand I of Aragón, King of Naples.

Between 1480 and 1481 the "Ottoman invasion" took place here. Troops of the Ottoman Empire invaded and laid siege to the city and its citadel. Legends tell that more than 800 inhabitants were beheaded after the city was captured. The "Martyrs of Otranto" are still celebrated in Italy, their skulls are on display in the cathedral. A year later the Ottoman garrison surrendered the city following a siege by Christian forces and the intervention of Papal forces.

Otranto had been one of the last Byzantine strongholds in Apulia, but finally, Robert Guiscard could take it. It had probably been such a stronghold, as Otranto had hosted an autocephalous bishopric, only dependent on the patriarchal see of Byzantium since 968. So (Roman) Catholicism had to perform something "convincing" for the so-long (Byzantine) Orthodox Christians. One was to erect a huge church. The Otranto Cathedral, seen in the center, was erected over the ruins of a Paleochristian church from 1080 on and was consecrated in 1088. It is 54 meters long by 25 meters wide and is built on 42 monolithic granite and marble columns.

I had returned to Otranto to see the unbelievable, breathtaking mosaic again. It was created by a monk named Pantaleon and his workshop between 1163 and 1165. Pantaleon lived at the monastery San Nicola di Casole, located a few kilometers south of Otranto.

The mosaic covers the nave, both aisles, the apse and the presbytery. This sums up to a total of 1596 m². About 10 000000 (10 million!) "tesserae" were used.

There are scholars, who have counted up to 700 different "stories", that are told here. Though, these "stories" are often disputed, as today's interpretations are mostly very "vague". German historian Carl Arnold Willemsen published the most important book about the mosaic in Italian " L'enigma di Otranto", that since the 1970s is translated into many languages. I followed his theories.

Genesis 6:13-14

"So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress[ wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out."

As I have uploaded so many photos taken in Otranto already, I will upload now only a few. If you want to see more click here:

www.ipernity.com/doc/323415/album/1333378

Modena - Duomo

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 21:07:41 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Modena, an Etruscan foundation, was an important city in the Roman Empire and a stronghold against the barbarian attacks at its end. It is said that it was never sacked by Attila, for a dense fog hid it (a miracle said to be provided by Saint Geminianus, patron of Modena), but it was eventually buried by a great flood in the 7th century and abandoned.

Towards the end of the 9th century, Modena was rebuilt and fortified by its bishop Ludovicus. When the construction of the cathedral began in 1099, the city was part of the possessions of Margravine Matilda of Tuscia. But when the building was consecrated by Lucius III in 1184, it was a free commune. In the wars between Frederick II and Gregory IX, it sided with the emperor.

Two churches built since the 5th century on the site of the present cathedral were both destroyed when Modena got resettled.

A church was erected that soon was too small and a large cathedral was planned. Work on the present cathedral began in 1099 under the direction of the master builder Lanfranco. The first stone was laid in 1099 with the support of Matilda of Tuscia. A plaque outside the main apse gives 23 May 1099 as the date of the foundation of the new Modena Cathedral and also the name of the architect Lanfranco. The cathedral was consecrated by Pope Lucius III in 1184. However, the cathedral was not completed until 1322.

The façade of the cathedral has remarkable reliefs made by the sculptor Wiligelmus (aka "Guglielmo da Modena"). He and Lanfranco are considered the first Italian artists to sign their works.

Noah's Ark

Venezia - Basilica di San Marco

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 20:46:38 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Venice (ital. Venezia) is one of the most important tourist destinations worldwide with about 30 million visitors each year.

I have already uploaded dozens of shots from previous visits, so I´ll try to cut down the number of uploads this time.

Noah's Ark

Venezia - Basilica di San Marco

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 20:28:24 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Wismar - Heiligen-Geist-Kirche

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 20:20:41 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Slavic Obodrites lived in the area, where Wismar is now, until the end of the 12th century.

The exact date of the city's foundation is not clear, it had civic rights already in 1229 when migrants from Holstein and Westphalia settled here. The "Lübsches Stadtrecht" (town law) was confirmed in 1266. In 1259 Wismar joined a defensive agreement with Lübeck and Rostock, in order to counter the numerous Baltic pirates. Subsequently, more cities would agree to cooperate as commerce and trade were increasingly coordinated and regulated. These policies would provide the basis for the development of the "Hanseatic League". By the 13th and 14th centuries, Wismar had grown into a flourishing Hanseatic trading hub.

In 1632, during the Thirty Years' War, Sweden conquered the city, and the Swedish Crown received in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 after the end of the Thirty Years' War.

Swedish rule over Wismar ended de facto in 1803 when Sweden pledged the city to the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin for 99 years. Formally, Wismar reverted to Germany in 1903 and Sweden waived its right to redeem the pledge.

Wismar is a typical representative of the Hanseatic League with its city-wide Brick Gothic structures and gabled patrician houses and has alongside the historical old town of Stralsund been declared the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar".

The "Heiligen Geist Kirche" (Holy Spirit Church) is part of the "Heiligen Geist Hospital", which was founded in the middle of the 13th century as a hospital for the poor. In 1323, the hospital was placed under papal protection and construction of the present church began. The main altar was consecrated in 1326.

Today's single-nave brick building essentially dates from the first third of the 14th century and was initially a place of worship, clinic and hostel at the same time.

The painted plank ceiling of the hospital church shows a depiction of the biblical story in 26 pictures, which are depicted in medallions.

The Flood ends, Noah is saved. Behind him the ark.

Beaune - Collégiale Notre-Dame de Beaune

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 21:23:45 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Beaune, in the centre of the Department "Côte-d’Or", is one of the key wine centres in France. It is the centre of Burgundy wine production.
and business. The annual wine auction of the "Hospices de Beaune" is worldwide noticed and maybe the most important auction in France.

The collegiate was founded in Beaune within the 10th century, the building of this church, which is parish church since the French Revolution, started in romanesque style within the 12th century. The Romanesque capitals are very detailed and have a specific "soft" style. Passengers are leaving Noah's Ark.

Otranto - Cattedrale di Otranto

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 20:53:04 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Otranto occupies the site of an ancient Greek city. It gained importance in Roman times, as it was the nearest port to the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea.

After the end of the Roman Empire, it was in the hands of the Byzantine emperors until it surrendered to the Norman troops of Robert Guiscard in 1068. The Normans fortified the city and built the cathedral, that got consecrated in 1088. When Henry VI., son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, married Constanze of Sicily in 1186 Otranto came under the rule of the Hohenstaufen and later in the hands of Ferdinand I of Aragón, King of Naples.

Between 1480 and 1481 the "Ottoman invasion" took place here. Troops of the Ottoman Empire invaded and laid siege to the city and its citadel. Legends tell that more than 800 inhabitants were beheaded after the city was captured. The "Martyrs of Otranto" are still celebrated in Italy, their skulls are on display in the cathedral. A year later the Ottoman garrison surrendered the city following a siege by Christian forces and the intervention of Papal forces.

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Otranto had been one of the last Byzantine strongholds in Apulia, but finally Robert Guiscard could take it. It had probably been such a stronghold, as Otranto had hosted an autocephalous bishopric, only dependent of the patriarchal see of Byzantium since 968. So (Roman) Catholicism had to perform something "convincing" for the so long (Byzantine) Orthodox christians. One was to erect a huge church. The Otranto Cathedral was erected, over ruins of a Paleo-christian church from 1080 on and was consecrated in 1088. It is 54 metres long by 25 metres wide and is built on 42 monolithic granite and marble columns.

I had come to Otranto, to see the mosaic. I had planned to stay one night in Otranto, I spent three nights - and still had not seen all the details. I was so overwhelmed, that I took hundreds of photos, but the mosaic is "endless". I will upload only a couple.

It was created by a monk named Pantaleon and his workshop between 1163 and 1165. Pantaleon lived at the monastery San Nicola di Casole, located a few kilometres south of Otranto.

The mosaic covers the nave, both aisles, the apse and the presbytery. This sums up to a total of 1596 m². About 10 000000 (10 million!) "tesserae" were used.

There are scholars, who have counted up to 700 different "stories", that are told here. Though, these "stories" are often disputed, as today's interpretations are mostly very "vague". German historian Carl Arnold Willemsen published the most important book about the mosaic in Italian " L'enigma di Otranto", that since the 1970s is translated in many languages. I followed his theories.

As the church is a parish church, there are benches placed on the mosaic floor. Only for the Sunday service, the ropes are open so that the parishioners can reach the benches. I stayed up to Sunday to mix with the locals.

Noah's Ark

Auxerre - Cathédrale Saint-Étienne

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 15 May 2020 21:29:38 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Cathédrale Saint-Étienne seen today is actually the 5th on the spot.

The erection started in 1215 around the same time, when the building of the cathedrals in Reims and Amiens started. The choir was completed in 1235. The stained glass of the choir windows was created until 1250. The same time, the construction of the facade began. Around 1300, construction began on the southern arm of the transept.

The sculptured portal is dated to around 1320. The nave was built from around 1320–1350, but the Hundred Years' War slowed the work down and delayed the completion of the south aisle until 1378. The north transept and the towers had not begun at the beginning of the 15th century. In 1478, the nave was vaulted and in 1500 work on the north tower began and was completed after 43 years. The south tower was never completed.

A detail from the western facade.

Noah´s ark

Autun - Cathédrale Saint-Lazare

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:37:30 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

There had been a church here earlier, that was just too small, when Autun became a centre of pilgrimage, after relics of St. Lazarus were kept here since about 970. Just like Vezelay, only 90kms north, where the relics of St. Lazarus´ sister St. Maria Magdalena were kept at that time. So in 1120, it was decided to construct this larger and more suitable cathedral. At that time this construction was influenced by Cluny III, that was a little older. After severe damage during the Hundred Years' War, rebuilding and remodelling the romanesque structure started. The central nave never changed - and the many carved capitals.

Some of these works were taken down, during the renovation by Viollet-le-Duc and are now shown in the "Salle Capitulaire", where it is interesting to see the carvings at eye level.

This carved capital depicts the Ark, being boarded by Noah´s extended family - and all the animals, that should be saved from the flood. Noah (seen in the top window) has placed the Ark on top of a wooded mountain, so there would be a little more time before the waves would carry the Ark away. Two animals look out of the central window. The Ark seems to be a woven or braided house- or basketlike boat. The carving is very symmetrical. The ark is very small, same like the mountain, but as symbols, they are clearly recognisable.

Girona - Cathedral of Saint Mary

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 21:14:59 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

A church existed here before the Moors conquest the iberian peninsula. This church was converted into a mosque in 717. The Franks reconquered Girona in 785 under Charlemagne, and the church was reconsecrated in 908.

Bishop Roger (son of Roger I of Carcassonne) started a reconstruction in 1015. A new church and a cloister were built in romanesque style until 1064. The two towers were completed in 1117.

The cloister was completed already 1064 and most parts are still in the original condition. Like the cloister of Sant Pere de Galligants (less than 500 meters north), the arches of the four galleries are supported by twin columns. But - this cloister is about one century older. Here is a different style of carving, actually here are more than just one artistic style.

There are very different themes and topics themes depicted here. Scenes from the bible, dignitaries, people at work, hunting scenes, birds...

Similar to Elne (now France, once Northern Catalonia), here are some magnificent friezes. Here is a smaller one, depicting Noah's Ark, flanked by a bird (left) and a winged dragon (right). Three men (Noah´s three sons?) are approaching the ark.

Germigny-des-Prés - Oratory

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 09:26:45 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

This small church in a Germigny des Pres (pop. 750), was built to serve as the private chapel of Bishop Theodulf of Orléans, who had a sumptuous "villa" here.

Theodulf, one of Charlemagne's important counselors, had written the Libri Carolini (aka "Opus Caroli regis contra synodum") at Charles´ request, before Charlemagne appointed him Bishop of Orléans as well as abbot of Fleury Abbey (= "St-Benoit-sur-Loire"), just 7kms east.

All the remains of the residence are gone. The "oratorium", that has many parallels to Charlemagne´s palace chapel in Aachen ("Aix-la-Chapelle"), is the last remaining structure. It was consecrated on January 3, 806.

In 817, three years after Charlemagne had died, Theodulf was accused of treason and imprisoned in Angers until he died in 821.

The church became part of a priory and was used by the parish since the 13th century, when the western wall and apse were removed to make way for a traditional Latin nave. That Romanesque nave was in turn replaced by the present larger one in the 15th or 16th century.

The renovation, that was completed end of the 19th century, was not done with much "respect": much of the Carolingian masonry was replaced, two flanking apsidioles were removed, the crossing tower was shortened, most capitals were replaced. But this is still a wonderful carolingian chapel and one of the oldest still existing in France.

This magnificent apse mosaic was hidden under whitewash (what may have saved it during the French Revolution). It got discovered in 1840, after local kids played with coloured glass cubes - of unknown origin.

This great work of medieval art has no parallel in France and was surely done by an artist from the East. At the time this mosaic was created, the controvery over Iconoclasm was still going on in the Byzantine Empire. All forms of religious imagery were banned in the East - and many gifted artists fled to the West. Maybe the artist, who worked here, was one of them.

The mosaic, made of glass and colored stone, is symmetrical, centering on the Ark of the Covenant. In a small area of starry sky the Hand of God descends. Two angels flank the scene. They enclose the sky with their wings and look down at the Ark. Two smaller angels stand atop the Ark, reaching down to it. The Ark of the Covenant is shown as a gold box with side rails for carrying.

Along the bottom of the mosaic is a Latin text, which reads:

ORACLUM SCM ET CERUBIN HIC ASPICE SPECTANS ET TESTAMENTI MICAT ARCA DEI HAEC CERNENS PRECIBUSQUE STUDENS PULSARE TONANTEM THEODULFUM VOTIS IUNGITO QUAESO TUIS

"As you gaze upon the holy propitiatorium and Cherubim, beholder,
and see the shimmering of the Ark of God's covenant, perceiving these things, and prepared to beset the Thunderer with prayers, add, I beg you, Theodulf's name to your invocations." (transation from Wikpedia)

For a total of the mosaic see the previous uploads. Here is a detail ..