Album Medieval hares and rabbits from Martin M. Miles

Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille – Saint Chaffre

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 23:30:21 +0000

The monastery adopted the Benedictine rule in 817 and found support from Louis the Pious. In the following two centuries three churches were erected here. All collapsed due to the unstable ground. The current, former abbey church was built from 1074 on.

The monastery (and the relics of Saint Chaffre) were just a day´s walk from Le Puy, where the Via Podiensis started and many pilgrims gathered. It may well be, that the wealthiness of the abbey, was related to the pilgrim-business.

It has a polychrome facade with a unique frieze under the roof, but the interior is remarkable as well. The nave is Romanesque, but got altered a couple of times, the Gothic choir was done end of the 15th century, replacing an olderone. Along the nave are still Romanesque capitals.

Stories are told under the roof

Berlin - Bode-Museum

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 21:38:11 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Bode Museum (formerly called "Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum), is a building on the Museum Island. It was built from 1898 to 1904 by order of German Emperor William II according to plans by Ernst von Ihne in Baroque Revival style.

During WWII the building suffered comparatively the least damage on Museum Island, but it was not until 1951 that it received a temporary roof. After the end of the war, the new Berlin city administration had all references to former rulers removed and in 1956, Johannes R. Becher, then Minister of Culture of the GDR, ceremoniously renamed the Kaiser Friedrich Museum the Bode Museum.

As part of the Museum Island complex, the Bode-Museum was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.

Frieze fragment, marble

Constantinople, 6th c

hare

Athens - Panagia Gorgoepikoos

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 16:54:22 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Athens, the southernmost capital on the European mainland, is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years. According to Greek mythology the city was named after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom. Classical Athens was one of the most powerful city-states in ancient Greece. It was a centre for democracy, the arts, education and philosophy, and was highly influential throughout the European continent, particularly in Ancient Rome. For this reason it is often regarded as the cradle of Western civilisation and the birthplace of democracy.

The Panagia Gorgoepikoos (aka Mikrí Mitrópoli - Little Metropolis) is located next to the cathedral.

Although local tradition considers the church to be the foundation of Empress Irene, most experts date the church building to the 12th or 13th century. From the middle of the 7th century, the predecessor building of the current church belonged to the monastery of Agios Nikolaos. However as the monastery was later given to the Archbishop of Athens as a benefice, the church was used as a private chapel.

The cross domed church is almost entirely built of reused spolia from earlier buildings, ranging from Classical Antiquity to the 12th or even 13th centuries.

The various reliefs of the spolia were only discovered in the 19th century. Until then, a layer of painted stucco covered the exterior of the church.

Barfrestone - St. Nicholas

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 22:28:31 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Barfrestone is a small village known since the time of the Domesday Book, when the manor was owned by Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux. In 1076, the lands were then granted to Hugh de Port, whose descendents may be connected to the erection of this church end of the 12th century, that was a site on the pilgrim route between Dover and Canterbury. This small church is a masterpiece of Norman art and architecture.

The carvings here of the highest order, most probably the work of master carvers and masons, based in nearby Canterbury.

This relief is located in the church. It is surprising, because, while the stonevarvings here are usually of the highest quality, this work is not. The work is crude and not well executed.

However, it does tell a story. A person is looking at a scene in which a monkey (?) and a rabbit are carrying, or rocking, a baby rabbit

Llanes - Santa Maria del Conceyu

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 10:59:34 +0000

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Parts of the preserved city wall of Llanes date back to 1206, the year in which the city was granted city rights by King Alfonso IX. Llanes is a traditional fishing port, with an active harbour. Meanwhile Llanes economy is boosted by tourists as there are a lot of large and small beaches nearby.

During the Civil War, there was an airfield south-east of Llanes from where the German Condor Legion flew attacks. The aeroplanes that bombed Guernica took off from here.

The construction of Santa Maria del Conceyu started in 1240 and continuing until the 14th - 15th century, so there are Romanesque and Gothic elements. The church is structured in a basilica plan with three naves and three apses and covered with a ribbed and star-shaped vault.

The Romanesque portal

Detail

A hare

Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 19:09:42 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil is a former Benedictine monastery. The ensemble of buildings, in which three cloisters have been preserved, is now used as a Parador hotel.

The first monastery probably already existed in Visigothic times. At the beginning of the 10th century, a hermit settled in the abandoned monastery and founded a new community with other hermits who had retreated to the Sil Valley. The Galician king Ordoño II granted privileges and from 921 the monastery was rebuilt and dedicated to St Stephen. The monastery's coat of arms, which depicts nine mitres, commemorates nine bishops who renounced their episcopal see in the 10th and 11th centuries and retired to the monastery of Santo Estevo. They were buried in the monastery and, as they were venerated as saints, their tombs soon attracted pilgrims.

As there were frequent disputes with the local landlords among the later commendatory abbots, Pope Julius II placed the monastery under the Benedictine Congregation of Valladolid in 1506. As a result, a school of liberal arts and philosophy was established in Santo Estevo and the monastery experienced a new period of prosperity.

Two more cloisters and new monastery buildings, a chapter house, a large kitchen and a dining hall as well as dormitories were built. In the 17th century, 60 monks lived there.

After the disamortisation of 1835, the monastery buildings fell into disrepair and were only restored at the end of the 20th century.

Capital / Two pilgrims and between them a Coquille Saint-Jacques and a gof

Narrow side - Two pilgrims and a Coquille Saint-Jacques

Broad side - A dog hunting a hare

Ilkley - All Saints

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 26 May 2024 20:11:43 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The remains of a Roman fort occupy a site near the town centre. A church existed already in 627 AD.

The Domesday Book records Ilkley as being in the possession of William de Percy. The land was acquired by the Middelton family of Myddelton Lodge, from about a century after the time of William the Conqueror.

The church is built on the site of the Roman fort, two Roman altars have been discovered built into the tower. Three 8th-century Anglo-Saxon stone crosses, now incomplete, used to be in the churchyard but are now inside. The earliest part of the church is the 13th century south doorway. The nave of the church dates back to the 14th century while the tower is of 15th century construction. The church was extended and restored in the 19th century.

These three Anglo-Saxon crosses, which stood in the churchyard of All Saints' Church, were moved inwards to prevent erosion.

The smallest cross (left) probably dates from the 8th century and the other two from the first half of the 9th century. The head of the large cross dates from the same period, but did not belong to it. It was found in the River Wharfe in 1884.

A detail of the small cross on the right. Hares? Dog?

Kilpeck - St Mary and St David's Church

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 12 May 2024 20:50:34 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Until the 9th century the area around Kilpeck was within the Welsh kingdom of Ergyng. After the Norman conquest it became part of Herefordshire. In the Domesday Book of 1086, Kilpeck was given by William the Conqueror to William Fitz Norman de la Mare. The clan de la Mare is one of the oldest in Normandy and is descended from Ragnvald Eysteinsson, earl of Møre and Romsdal.

The village of Kilpeck is renowned for its small but outstanding Norman/Romanesque) St Mary and St David's Church. The church was built around 1140. In 1143 it was given to the Abbey of Gloucester. It may have replaced an earlier Saxon church at the same site, and the oval raised form of the churchyard is typical of even older Celtic foundations. When the church was built, the area around Kilpeck was relatively prosperous and strategically important. The economic decline of the area after the 14th century may have helped preserve features which would have been removed elsewhere. However, it is unclear why the carvings were not defaced by Puritans in the 17th century.

The carvings in the local red sandstone are remarkable for their number and their fine state of preservation. The carvings are all original and in their original positions. They have been attributed to a Herefordshire School of stonemasons, probably local but who may have been instructed by master masons recruited in France by Oliver de Merlimond. He was steward to the Lord of Wigmore, Hugh Mortimer, who went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain and, on his return, built a church with similar Romanesque carvings at Shobdon, 30 miles north of Kilpeck. Hugh de Kilpeck, a relative of Earl Mortimer, employed the same builders here.

There are a very large number of corbels. Some are quite peculiar. A hunting dog and a hare (Disney should pay roayties for this), a gentleman who has unfortunately lost part of his jaw and a beast with a beak and arms devouring a sinner.

Solsona - Catedral de Santa María

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 20:21:22 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Iberians and the Romans have been here, Visigoths made their way to Solsona in the fifth century and, three centuries later, the Saracens settled here for about 70 years, until it came under the rule of the Franks. A monastery dedicated to Santa Maria was established in 1070 with connections to the Counts of Urgell.

In the 13th century is evidence of a weekly market. The town was completely encircled by a wall (up to 16 m high) which had 21 towers. The Black Death of 1348 caused a depopulation of the region.
A pre-Romanesque church existed here in 977. The first Romanesque church was consecrated in 1070. Preserved from this church are the three apses, seen on the previous upload, and the bell tower, here seen from the cloister. The present church is Gothic and was begun in the late 13th century. It was completed in the 17th century, so lot of barroque elements can be found. Upto 1593 this was a College church, from there on a Cathedral housing bishop's see, as Pope Clement VIII (on request of Philip II, created the new Diocese of Solsona.

The Bishops of Solsona of course needed a comfortable place to live and work, so a neoclassical episcopal palace was added to the former monastery within the 18th century - and now houses the Diocean Museum.

Objects inside museums are mostly well protected - but miss the "locus", they were produced for and where they had been for centuries. Sometimes these places just do not exist any longer and the objects are really saved. But placed inside a museum, the objects are not part of an "ensemble", what is a pity.

From the "Museu Diocesà de Solsona"

Three fighting men - and a hare. It looks like two bandits ambush a hunter. The left bandit holds the hunter by the hair - and tries to stab him, while the hunter defends himself with a lance. The hunter stll holds the large hare, but the second bandit has his hand already on the hare´s ears.

Ripoll - Monastery of Santa Maria

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 21:16:14 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Wilfred the Hairy (aka Guifré el Pilós), whom we just "met" as the founder of the nearby monastery in Sant Joan de les Abadesses, where his daughter Emma of Barcelona was the first abbess, founded the Monastery of Santa Maria in Ripoll in 879. Here his son Radulf de Barcelona was abbot. This was not only Wilfred´s family business, he was very successful in the political power game of that time.

The first church was consecrated in 888, but as the monastery grew it was "reconsecrated" in 935, 977, and 1032. When Oliba de Besalú, as well a descendent of Wilfred, was abbot here (1008 - 1046), this was a cultural center. More than 250 books were on the shelves of the monastery´s library.

The decline started within the 15th century. In 1428 it was severely damaged by an earthquake, the restoration was done in Gothic style.

The church got ruined during the first Carlist War, the library burnt down, and the last monks had left. In 1847 part of the cloister and soon after, the abbot´s palace got demolished.

The Bishop of Vic organized the rebuilding so that the church got consecrated again in 1893. The church of today is vastly a product of the reconstruction of the 19th century, but it may be "near" to the romanesque structure.

The famous portal of the church, which of course got damaged, but survived the times is 11,60m wide and 7,25m high. It has lots of scenes, not only from the bible.

I was so impressed and overwhelmed, that, when I returned to the hotel during the siesta-hours, I immediately booked a second night. I knew that this structure would grab me for many hours. I have to say a special "GRACIAS" to the helpful lady at the ticket counter. Of course, I will not upload all photos I took in Ripoll...

Over the centuries, the carvings weathered - and got vandalized. The result can be seen in the more detailed shots.

The death of the hare.

L'Aquila - Santa Maria Paganica

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 14:52:19 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

L'Aquila is located about 700 meters high in the valley of the Aterno. It is dominated on all sides by the mountains of Abruzzo, including to the east the Gran Sasso d'Italia, the highest mountain in mainland Italy outside the Alps.

In 1230, Emperor Frederick II founded Aquila on the site of - according to tradition - 99 villages. Since then, the number 99 has a special meaning for the Aquilians. The city walls were completely built in 1316.

In the 15th century it had about 8000 inhabitants and was the most important fortress of the Kingdom of Naples. In 1528 the city was conquered by Emperor Charles V for the Spanish crown. After the earthquake of 1786, the city was partially rebuilt in the Baroque style.

On April 6, 2009, an earthquake destroyed large parts of the city. There were 308 fatalities, and about 1,500 people were injured. Around 65,000 people were rendered homeless

The then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi immediately promised help to the earthquake victims of L'Aquila. There is circumstantial evidence that the mafia has infiltrated the authorities and is leaking aid money. It took almost five years for construction work to begin in L'Aquila.

Santa Maria Paganica`s construction dates back to the first years of the 14th century, but the church has been restored several times over time, especially after earthquakes, including the devastating earthquake of 1703.

The 2009 earthquake completely tore apart the building, causing part of the side chapels and quickly the entire roof to collapse.

A hare is chased by a dog

Conversano - Cattedrale di Conversano

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 10:03:28 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

A settlement named Norba existed in the early times. It was conquered by the Romans in 268 BC and seems to have been abandoned around the time of the Visigothic invasion of Italy around 410.

The town recovered and was a bishopric seat from the 7th century on. This new town gained importance under the name Conversano, when, in 1054, the Norman lord Geoffrey, assumed the title of "Count of Conversano". He turned Conversano into the capital of a large county. After the count's death in 1101, the county was inherited by his sons Robert and Alexander. Alexander got defeated in 1132 by Roger II of Sicily, and the county was assigned to Roger`s brother in law Robert I of Basseville.

The cathedral was built in the 11th and 12th centuries on the site of an old place of worship and an earlier church. In 1358-1379 it was rebuilt, keeping its original form, and additional sculptures were added, especially on the facade.

The gable facade is divided into three parts with pilasters, in the upper part, there is a twelve-light rose window from the 15th century. The middle of the three portals is richly decorated with sculptures.

The late Romanesque tympanum has fantastic archivolts. A detail - a hare being caught by a griffin.

Bari - Basilica di San Nicola

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 20:53:29 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Bari was an early settlement and passed under Roman rule in the 3rd century BC. It developed strategic significance as the point of junction between the coast road and the Via Traiana and as a port for eastward trade. The first bishop of Bari was Gervasius who is known from the Council of Sardica in 347.

After the decline of the Roman Empire, the town was devasted and taken by Alaric´s Visigothic troops, then was under Lombardian rule, before the Byzantines took over. In 755 it was conquered by Pepin the Short (Charlemagne´s father) and from 847 on it was an Islamic Emirate. The Byzantine fleet returned in 871 and since 885 Bari was the residence of the local Byzantine governor.

Following a three-year siege, Bari was captured by Robert Guiscard in 1071. After the relics of Saint Nicholas, which were brought from Myra in Lycia, arrived in Bari, the Basilica di San Nicola was founded in 1087. This attracted pilgrims, whose encouragement and care became central to the economy of Bari.

After the murder of archbishop Griso in 1117 a civil war broke our and the control was seized by Grimoald Alferanites, a native Lombard, in opposition to the Normans. He later did homage to Roger II of Sicily, but rebelled and was defeated in 1132.

The Castello Normanno-Svevo (aka "Castello di Bari") was probably built around 1132 by Norman King Roger II. When in 1155 the Baresi rebelled against the Normans, the castle got destroyed, so as a retaliatory action, William I of Sicily (aka "William the Wicked") had the city destroyed except for the cathedral and the Basilica of St. Nicola.

Bari recovered and had its heydays under Frederick II. When he returned from his crusade after 1229, the city gates were locked so he had to use force to gain entry. Therefore, he probably had the fort built in 1233 to keep the city in check. On the other hand, he granted the city generous trade privileges and left it the leading role in the region.

The most important day in Bari´s medieval history was May 09. 1087. At that day seamen sailed into the harbour, carrying the remains of Saint Nicholas. They had stolen (or recovered) them from the saint’s original shrine in Myra, and following the legend, the saint, passing by the city on his way to Rome, had chosen Bari as his burial place.

So the basilica was built between 1087 and 1197 in the area previously occupied by the Byzantine Catapan. The whole cathedral was constructed as a shrine. The crypt got consecrated in 1089 in presence of Pope Urban II.

The Basilica di San Nicola clearly influenced the Romanesque style in Southern Italy. It still is a place of pilgrimage for Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Frederick II called the basilica "nostra specialis capella" and for the House of Anjou it was a "basilica palatina".

One of the capitals in the crypt. A hare is caught by a dog. Both are about the same size.

I have already uploaded many photos I took in Bari during previous visits, so I will only upload a few. If you want to see more, click here:

www.ipernity.com/doc/323415/album/1333318

Benevento - Santa Sofia

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 22:38:34 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Due to its location and importance, Benevento was an important base for Roman rule in southern Italy for centuries. After the expansion of the Lombards, Benevento became the seat of Lombard dukes but repeatedly fell into dependence on the Franks and the German emperors. In 840, Benevento was occupied by the Muslims for a few years. The city has been the seat of the Archbishopric of Benevento since 969. In 1047 it fell into the hands of Norman princes with the exception of the city, which Emperor Henry III gave to Leo IX in 1053. In the 11th and 12th centuries, four councils were held in Benevento.

On February 26, 1266, in the Battle of Benevento, the Hohenstaufen Manfred, natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, was defeated by Charles of Anjou, after which the latter seized Apulia, Sicily, and Tuscia.
Santa Sofia was founded by the Lombard Arechis II of Benevento around 760. The church is a rotunda 28 m in diameter with an original star-shaped outline. The church was modeled on the Palatine Chapel of the Lombard king Liutprand in Pavia and, after the defeat of Desiderius by Charlemagne and the fall of the Lombard kingdom in northern Italy in 774, it became the national church of the Lombards who had taken shelter in the Duchy of Benevento. After the earthquakes of 1688 and 1702, Pope Benedict VIII had the church rebuilt, changing it in the Baroque style. In particular, he had the course of the outer walls made circular.

Santa Sofia included a monastery built between 1142 and 1176. Parts of the previous building from the 8th century, which was destroyed in the earthquake of 986, were reused. These buildings now house the Museo del Sannio.

Its most remarkable part is the Romanesque cloister, which clearly shows Arabic influences. A female hare suckles her baby cub.

Parma - Duomo

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 18:57:37 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Parma was most probably founded by the Etruscans. The Romans founded a colony here. During the Roman Empire, it gained the title of Julia for its loyalty to the imperial house.

Attila sacked the city in 452 and during the Gothic War Totila Attila sacked the city in 452 and during the Gothic War Totila destroyed it again. It was then part of the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna and, from 569, of the Lombard Kingdom of Italy. During the Middle Ages, Parma became an important stage of the Via Francigena, the main road connecting Rome to Northern Europe.

Under Frankish rule, Parma was nominally a part of the Holy Roman Empire created by Charlemagne but locally ruled by its bishops. After the Peace of Constance in 1183 confirmed the Italian communes' rights of self-governance, quarrels with the neighboring communes became harsh, with the aim of controlling the vital trading line over the Po River.
The city was besieged in 1247–48 by Emperor Frederick II, who was however crushed in the Battle of Parma by the Lombard League. In 1331, the city submitted to King John of Bohemia. Parma fell under the control of Milan in 1341. After a short-lived period of independence, the Sforza imposed their rule creating a kind of feudalism.

A basilica existed probably already in the 6th century but was later abandoned. From 860, St. Mary's Church was built nearby, which became the cathedral. After its destruction by fire, the construction of today's cathedral began in 1059 by bishop Cadalo, who was later antipope with the name of Honorius II. The new church was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1117 and had to be restored.

Archivolte with animals. On the right a hare.

Cahors - Cathédrale Saint-Étienne

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:11:29 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Cahors Cathedral was erected between 1080 and 1135. It got consecrated by Pope Calixtus II in 1119. The same pope, who two years later could imprison his rival "Antipope" Gregory VIII. Four years later, Calixtus ended the Investiture Controversy by agreeing with Emperor Henry V on the Concordat of Worms.

During the times of medieval pilgrimage, this cathedral was an important place on the "Via Podiensis", as the "Sainte Coiffe" could be venerated here. This "Holy Headdress" was believed to have been used during Jesus' burial. Legends tell, that it had been given to the Bishop of Cahors by Charlemagne, but what is more likely it was brought to Cahors by Bishop Gerard de Cardillac after his trip to the Holy Land in 1113. A relic similar to the "Shroud of Turin".

Prominent features are the two domes (a third one collapsed in the 13th century) and this Romanesque portal on the northern side. It was widely discussed, whether it was once moved from the west to this location, but since the 1980s it is proven (Bratke, Durliat), that it was constructed (after 1140) for the northern side, where it is still today.

The portal was walled up 1732 and got "rediscovered" in 1840, so it survived the furore of the Revolution.

Hunting scenes on the right side of the archivolt.

Ventimiglia - Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 13:00:02 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Ventimiglia is the Italian border town to France. It is located at the mouth of the Roia River, which divides the town into two parts. It was a Roman municipium under the name of Albintimilium and was surrounded by a city wall a prosperous town.

Already in 670, the town held the seat of a Bishop. Later it was besieged by the Byzantines and the Goths and suffered from the raids of the Lombards. In the 10th century, it was attacked and looted by the Saracens.

Ventimiglia was ruled by the local counts but lived in constant conflict with the Republic of Genoa. In 1505 it was finally annexed to the Genoese Republic was part of the republic until 1814, when it was taken over by the Kingdom of Sardinia.

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The Cathedral of Ventimiglia was erected between the 11th and 12th century on the ruins of a previous cathedral of the Lombard / Carolingian period. This again had been built on the site of a Roman temple dedicated to Juno.

The Chapter of the Cathedral was confirmed by Pope Lucius III in 1182.

Originally the church had a single nave, but already in the 12th century, it got completely rebuilt with three naves.

The portal with the pointed arch seen here is from the 13th century.
The capitals, that flank the doors are clearly Romanesque. Hares eating or torturing men are a strange subject. I remember them from Conques and from Koenigslutter.

Monreale - Duomo di Monreale

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 16:11:13 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession.

Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century.

A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred

In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status +of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful,

The court of Roger II became melting out of culture from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans cooperated and created some extraordinary buildings.

In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages.

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William II of Sicily built from 1172 here a fort-like complex of buildings, which included a cathedral, an archepiscopal palace, a royal palace and a Benedictine monastery. In 1183 the monastery became the seat of the archdiocese of Monreale. The town then developed around this complex.

According to a legend, William fell asleep while hunting. The Holy Virgin appeared to him in a dream, suggesting him to build a church here. After removing a tree, a treasure was found, whose coins were used to finance the construction. Well, it is much more likely that Monreale was founded in competition with the bishop of Palermo, who had commissioned the large Cathedral of Palermo.

This would explain the vast dimensions and the splendour of the "Duomo di Monreale" and the adjoining cloister, the only structures of the large complex, that survived the times. The cloister (completed ~ 1200) measures 47x47 metres. Each side has 26 arches resting on columns.

The carvings of the capitals (and the columns) are very detailed and complex, the themes vary and some capitals are "hard to read" and interpret.

There are literally thousands of small details carved into the stones of pillars and capitals. Here are just a few of them.

Koenigslutter

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:25:22 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

...The phantastic carvings show two hares, having caught the hunter. I remember that the tympanon in Conques (France) shows two evil looking hares roasting the hunter...

Milan - Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 17:23:41 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Milan is the city capital of the Lombardy and the second most populous city in Italy after Rome. Known during Roman times as "Mediolanum" it was the place, where in 313 Constantine I and Licinius met and "signed" the "Edict of Milan", giving Christianity a legal status within the Roman empire.

At the end of the Roman empire Milan was besieged by the Visigoths in 402, looted by the Huns in 452, and taken by the Ostrogoths in 539. Only 30 years later is belonged to the Kingdom of the Lombards, until in 774 Charlemagne defeated the Langobards and added Milan to the Carolingian empire. During Barbarossa´s (Frederik I) "Italian Campaigns" Milan was taken and destroyed to a great extent.

The "Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio" is much older and was not destroyed by Barbarossa´s troops. It is one of the most ancient churches in Milan, built by St. Ambrose in 379–386, outside the city of Milan on the site of a cemetery, where the martyrs of the Roman persecutions had been buried. The first name of the church was "Basilica Martyrum".

Ambrose, born into a noble family about 340 in (present-day) Trier (Germany), was governor of Liguria and Emilia for two years before he became the Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. He was a staunch opponent of Arianism.

Only very few traces of the first church can still be found, as in the centuries after its construction, the basilica underwent numerous restorations and reconstructions. The current Romanesque church, mostly built in brickwork, was begun around 1080.

In 789, a Benedictine monastery was established here. The canons of the basilica, however, retained their own community. So two separate communities shared the basilica. In the 11th century, the canons adopted orders and became Canons Regular. From then on two separate monastic orders following different rules lived in the basilica. The canons were in the northern building, the cloister of the canons, while the monks were in the two southern buildings.

The two towers symbolize the division in the basilica. The 9th century Torre dei Monaci ("Tower of the Monks") tower was used by the monks. However, the canons did not have a bell tower and were not allowed to ring bells until they finished the Canons' bell tower in the 12th Century. This tower got two additional levels in 1889.

In 1943 the basilica got severely damaged by bombings. It took a decade to rebuilt and reconstruct the church.

In front of the basilica is the atrium, where originally the catechumens gathered during the mass. As they were not yet baptized, they were not allowed to enter the basilica. When they were waiting here, they could contemplate about the monsters and animals, that populate the capitals and lintels all around.

The intricate, unusual main portal is protected by a narthex. This capital is left of the wooden doors. A musician, playing the harp, and a female dancer. "Profane music" has been a sinful pursuit during medieval times, but of course it did exist. Between the couple is a dog-like creature that seems to breath fire (from hell).