Photos, videos and docs of Martin M. Miles, with the keywords: "Capital"

Limassol - Castle

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 21:12:49 +0000

The castle is situated near the old harbour in the heart of the historical centre of the city. The castle appears today is a structure rebuilt c. 1590 under the period of Ottoman rule.
Archaeological investigation revealed that it was built over an Early Christian basilica (4–7th centuries) and a Middle Byzantine monument (10th/11th centuries). According to Etienne Lusignan, the original castle was erected by Guy of Lusignan in 1193. Tradition tells, this is where Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre already in 1191, when it must gave been unfinished..
The first official reference to the fort dates to 1228, during the involvement of Emperor Frederick II in the affairs of Cyprus.

The castle was one of the targets of Mamluk attacks in 1420 and was captured by the Genoese in 1452, who held it for almost ten years. At the beginning of Venetian rule (1489–1571), the castle was destroyed by an earthquake, but after the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, it was rebuilt for defensive purposes.

During the British rule the underground chamber and the first floor were transformed into prison cells and remained in use until 1942.

Since 1987 the castle houses the Medieval Museum of Cyprus.

Capital
Marble, 7th c AD

Paris - Musée de Cluny

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 20:20:31 +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.

Capital
known as the "Capital of the Genesis"
Creation of Eve

France, about 1100

Jaligny-sur-Besbre - Saint-Hippolyte

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 17:04:27 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Jaligny-sur-Besbre, now a town of just over 500 inhabitants, was fortified in the Middle Ages and even withstood sieges during the Hundred Years' War.

The origins of Saint-Hippolyte are thought to date back to the 11th century.

The originally five-bay church was never completed. Construction ceased after the completion of the third bay. The west façade was built at the end of the 18th century, presumably on the site of the temporary wall. The bell tower was demolished in 1794 during the French Revolution, when the church had become a "Temple of Reason". The current octagonal tower was rebuilt in the 19th century.

In the church there are some rough but interesting capitals

Jaligny-sur-Besbre - Saint-Hippolyte

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 16:09:24 +0000

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Jaligny-sur-Besbre - Saint-Hippolyte

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 22:34:27 +0000

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Jaligny-sur-Besbre - Saint-Hippolyte

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 22:21:25 +0000

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Oviedo - Museo Arqueológico de Asturias

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:19:55 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Oviedo was founded on a hill that the Romans called Ovetao. The monks Máximo and Fromestano founded a monastery on the Roman road in 761 and built a hermitage. Later, two dozen monks from the Muslim south joined the founders and, according to a document, chose Fromestano as their first abbot. They were under the protection of Fruela I, who chose the place as a residence for his wife Munia, who gave birth here to their son and later King Alfonso II.

Alfonso II (aka "the Chaste", "el Casto" moved the capital here in 812 and made Oviedo the seat of the bishopric. In 912, however, Oviedo lost its function as capital to León under García I in the course of the reconquest. Alfonso II fortified Oviedo and furnished it with palaces and churches.

During his reign, a tomb attributed to St James the Elder was discovered in Santiago de Compostela in 812. The king travelled from Oviedo to Santiago and is said to have been the first pilgrim to Santiago. He is also said to have opened the first Way of St James, the Camino Primitivo. Until the city of León was established as both the capital of the Kingdom of León and the nexus of a safe route — the Camino Francés — the Camino Primitivo remained the most frequented route for those going to Santiago.

The Museo Arqueológico de Asturias is housed in a 16th century monastery.

The Comisión Provincial de Monumentos, founded in 1845 to protect Spanish and Asturian cultural assets and monuments, opened a museum in 1870 for artefacts from Asturias and other donated items. The Museo Arqueológico de Asturias was officially founded in 1944 and moved to its current location.

Capital / 12th centuy

Córdoba - Museo Arqueológico

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 16:50:58 +0000

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Córdoba shares its history with many cities in Southern Spain. It was Carthaginian and Roman (from 260BC on), later it belonged to the Byzantine Empire for two decades, was looted by the Vandals before the Visigoths conquered it in 572. In 711 it was taken by the by the Umayyad army and became a provincial capital.
At that time a Christian church erected by the Visigoths was on the site, it was divided and shared by Muslims and Christians. In 784 the Christian half was purchased by Emir Abd al-Rahman I, who then demolished the church and started to build the grand mosque of Córdoba on its ground. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard. It covers an area of more than 23.000 m².

Nothing in Cordoba compares to the Mezquita-Cathedral, but this place has a very long history - and an interesting archaeological museum.

"Musicians" Capital

Marble, Califal., 2nd half of qoth century

Córdoba - Museo Arqueológico

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 16:38:06 +0000

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Jerichow - Kloster Jerichow

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 24 May 2023 20:35:33 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The Slavs built Jerichow Castle (the name is of Slavic origin - "castle of the brave" - so not biblical) to defend their western border. Jerichow was first mentioned at the end of 1144 when Premonstratensian canons founded the Jerichow Monastery. In 1148 the canons relocated the site because of the disturbing market activity.

The monastery was founded in 1144 as a Premonstratensian monastery. The first Premonstratensian canons came from Magdeburg. In 1149 the construction of the collegiate church was started. In 1172 the church and the east wing were completed. Then, between 1180 and 1200, the construction of a crypt took place. In addition, the church was extended by the side choirs and the construction of the winter refectory and the office building followed. The summer refectory and the cloister were built between 1220 and 1230. Around the year 1250, the construction of the monastery buildings was finally completed.

The two prominent towers were built in front of the church only in 1256-1262. Accordingly, they show predominantly Gothic forms.

After the Reformation, Jerichow Monastery was dissolved in the 16th century. The last canons had to leave the monastery. During the Thirty Years' War, the Premonstratensians returned. In 1631 imperial and Swedish troops devastated the monastery building. In 1680 Jerichow finally became under Brandenburg rule. On the orders of Elector Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg, the collegiate church was restored in 1685 and used as a new Reformed church for the Huguenot refugees.

Between 1853 and 1856, the monastery and its church were restored at the request of King Frederick William IV of Prussia, but around 1870 it was used as a brewery and distillery.

At the end of WWII, the western facade of the church was damaged. After the war there was a fire in the roof truss. Between 1955 and 1960, in GDR times, the monastery church was repaired and the Romanesque interior was restored. The damage to the other buildings was severe. In 1998, the entire monastery complex had to be closed by the building authorities due to structural damage.

Thus, in 1998, the entire complex had to be placed under the protection of the building supervisory authority and closed as unsafe and unfit for use. Further repair and restoration work in 1999 lifted the order, but it continued for several years.

The collegiate church is a five-bay, flat-roofed basilica. According to a document from 1172, it was essentially completed by this time. Despite the early construction time for Central Germany, the building already has a perfect brick construction technique. It is assumed that this technique was imparted by professionals from northern Italy, who continued to work on smaller church buildings after the completion of the collegiate church. The architecture of this church had a strong influence on the surrounding village churches, in which the building program was adopted in a reduced form.

Leaves and vines to the left. Talking heads to the right.