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

Paris - Musée de Cluny

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 18:36:16 +0000

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.

Altarpiece of the Passion and Childhood of Christ

Antwerp, about 1510 - 1520

San Vicente de la Barquera - Santa María de los Ángeles

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 16:23:40 +0000

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Santa María de los Ángeles is located on top of a rocky promontory that dominates the entire town. It is next to the Castle , within the old town. Around it is a wall that surrounds the old town, in which the so-called "pilgrims' gate" can be distinguished, as this town is within the Northern Way or the Coast of the Jacobean routes.

Its construction began in the 13th century, and continued throughout the following centuries with other additions. The main part of the church was completed in the 14th century. However, reforms began in the 15th century, with side chapels . Then, around 1530, the transept , the apse, the tower, the crypt and the high choir . The bell tower dates back to the end of the 19th century.

The Virgin in the center of the altar

San Vicente de la Barquera - Santa María de los Ángeles

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 14:38:13 +0000

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Llanes - Santa Maria del Conceyu

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:25:30 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

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 altar - a detail

The Adoration of the Magi - flanked by an unknown saint (Agatha of Sicily?) and St. Andrew

Llanes - Santa Maria del Conceyu

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 11:48:07 +0000

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Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 21:59:15 +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.

A votive ship on the Baroque side altar

Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 21:49:53 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 21:33:58 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 21:04:00 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Santa María de Xunqueira de Espadañedo

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 21:26:31 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Santa María de Xunqueira de Espadañedo was founded in 1150 as an Augustinian convent and passed to the Cistercian Order in 1170. The nearby Montederramo monastery, which was a filiation of the primary abbey of Clairvaux, became the mother monastery.

In 1546 the monastery joined the Castilian Cistercian Congregation. The government's dissolution of the monastery in 1835 brought the end of the monastery.

The Romanesque church has three naves and three semicircular apses.

The Adoration of the Magi is one of the large altar carvings.

Santa María de Xunqueira de Espadañedo

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 21:12:06 +0000

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Winchester - Cathedral

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 20:50:26 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Winchester, today a town with a population of about 40.000, played an important role in the history of England. In the 10th and early 11th centuries, Winchester was the capital of England and before that the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. The Romans already knew the place under the name "Venta Belgarum".

In the middle of the 9th century, St Swithin was Bishop of Winchester. At the end of the 9th century, the city also became part of a number of fortifications along the south coast of England, built by Alfred the Great.

Winchester remained the capital of Wessex and later England until after the Norman Conquest, when the Normans chose London as their capital in 1066.

Jews lived in Winchester from at least 1148, and in the 13th century the Jewish community was one of the most important in England. There were a series of blood libel claims against the Jewish community in the 1220s and 1230s, which likely was the cause of the hanging of the community's leader, Abraham Pinch, in front of the synagogue. Simon de Montfort ransacked the Jewish quarter in 1264, and in 1290 all Jews were expelled from England.

A pre-Norman cathedral was founded in 642 on a site immediately north of the present one. This building became known as the Old Minster. It became part of a monastic settlement in 971 and was demolished in 1093. Edward the Confessor was crowned in the Old Minster in 1043.

The cathedral in its present form was built between 1079 and 1532 and is dedicated to numerous saints, in particular Swithun of Winchester. It has a very long and very wide nave, an early English transept, Norman transepts and a tower. With a total length of 170 metres, it is probably the longest medieval cathedral in Europe.

When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he began to install his own bishops in place of the Anglo-Saxon bishops. William installed his friend and relative Walkelin as the first Norman Bishop of Winchester in 1070, and nine years later Walkelin began the construction of a huge Norman cathedral. The new cathedral was consecrated with the completion of the east end in 1093, and the many tombs of Saxon kings moved from the Old Minster into the new cathedral. Then the demolition of the New and Old Minsters began, and quickly progressed, leaving virtually no remains. The outline of the Old Minster can still be seen today to the north of the present nave.

The first alteration to Walkelin's cathedral was in 1202 when Bishop Godfrey de Luci started construction of a new Early English retrochoir, this resulted in the demolition of the Norman apse.

In 1346, Bishop Edington had the Norman west front demolished and began building a new Perpendicular Gothic facade, featuring a huge west window, which still stands today. Edington also began renovation of the nave. Master mason William Wynford remodelled the massive Norman nave into a soaring Perpendicular Gothic masterpiece.

The High Altar

Oviedo - Catedral de Oviedo

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 21:56:26 +0000

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

It was also Alfonso II who moved the capital here in 812 and made Oviedo the seat of the bishopric. However, in 912, under García I, Oviedo lost its function as capital to León as part of the reconquest. Alfonso II fortified Oviedo and equipped 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. This Way of St James ensured the economic revitalisation of the city throughout the Middle Ages.

The current cathedral had at least three predecessor buildings: The high medieval churches of King Fruela I from the 8th century and King Alfonso II from the 9th century, as well as their late medieval, Romanesque successors.

Gothic architecture did not reach Asturias until the end of the 13th century. At that time, the Gothic remodelling of the cathedral began, starting with the chapter house and the cloister. It was not until a hundred years later that the Gothic remodelling of the cathedral began.

Construction of the Gothic church began in 1382 and was to last until the 16th century. The nave was completed in 1498 and work on the façade and towers (of which only one was ultimately built) began in 1500. Construction of the tower began in 1508 and was completed in 1552, but it burnt down in 1575. The reconstruction, completed in 1587, was influenced by Burgos, as can be seen in the openwork helmet.

On 11 October 1934, during the Asturian miners' strike, a group of revolutionaries detonated a bomb in the crypt of the "Cámara Santa", severely damaging the building. The reconstruction after this catastrophe took place between 1939 and 1942 with the greatest possible attention and restoration to the original.

The Magi - a detail of the main altar

Sevilla - Catedral de Santa María de la Sede

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 12:21:17 +0000

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Seville was a Roman "colonia" since 45 BC. The important city was looted by the Vandals in 428 and developed into a Bishopric seat under Visigothic rule. After the Moors had defeated the Visigoths in the Battle of Guadalete, they conquered Seville and made it the capital of a province. Normans devastated Seville in 844 but Seville was rebuilt and flourished under the different Moorish dynasties. In 1248 Seville was conquered by the troops of Ferdinand III of Castile. The emigration of thousands of Moors to Northern Africa led to a decrease in economics in the whole area. Seville recovered in the 16th and 17th century when it became the hub of Spanish maritime trade. During this period, the port of Seville had a monopoly on overseas trade. Vespucci and Magellan planned and started their voyages here. As a result of the War of the Spanish Succession, in 1717 Seville lost the transatlantic trade monopoly to Cádiz.

The "Catedral de Santa María de la Sede" was erected between 1401 and 1519 on the remains of the Great Mosque of Seville, built in the 12th century.

With about 11,520m² this is the third-largest church in the world as well as the largest Gothic church. The Cathedral in Cologne covers about 7,900m².

The Great Mosque of Seville was dedicated in 1172 and completed in 1198. It was a rectangular building 113m x 135m including a minaret ("La Giralda") and a courtyard. After the conquest, the mosque was converted into the city's cathedral. The orientation was changed and it was divided into chapels by new walls. In 1401 it was decided to build a new cathedral and replace the mosque, that had served as a cathedral. In 1551, 5 years after construction ended, the crossing lantern ("cimborrio"), collapsed and was rebuilt. It collapsed again in 1888, and work continued until 1903.

The cathedral of today is 115m long and 76 m wide. There are five naves, the vaultig over the central one is 42m high.

Details of the main altar

Sigüenza - Catedral de Santa María

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 15:38:01 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Pliny the Elder mentions Segontia in the 1st century AD in his work "Naturalis Historia" as a Celtiberian settlement. The area was taken by the Romans in the Numantine War (154-133 BC). After the end of the Western Roman Empire, the city was conquered by the Visigoths, who also founded the diocese of Sigüenza in 589. Taken over by the Moors around 712, the Christians reconquered the city in 1123. The construction of the cathedral began only a short time later, but it would take several centuries to complete. Today Sigüenza is a town with a population of about 4500.

The Visigoths built a small castle in the 5th century above the town. The Moors built a large fortified castle in the early 8th century. It was enclosed by a defensive wall providing an area known as the medina. In 1124, the castle was retaken by Bernard of Agen allowing Simón Girón de Cisneros to build an episcopal palace there. In the 15th century, the castle was strengthened by the bishops to protect it from attacks from Aragon and Navarre.

Construction of the cathedral began in 1124 after the expulsion of the Moors and the appointment of Bernardo of Agen as bishop. It was built on foundations previously occupied by a Visigothic church and then a Moorish mosque. The construction of the church lasted until the 15th century and in the 16th century it received Gothic elements - especially in the interior - and additions in the Renaissance style.

The western facade is characterized by the robust towers in the medieval style of a church fortress. The portals on the south and west sides are preserved in the Romanesque style but with later Baroque and Classical additions. The cathedral, is composed of a Latin cross plant, with three naves, transept and a large apse, surrounded by the ambulatory. It is 80 meters long by 31 meters in width. The Gothic central nave is from the 14th century. The three naves are separated, by enormous pillars.
Up in the corner is a small masterpiece of late Romanesque sculpture

Sigüenza - Catedral de Santa María

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 14:46:26 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

Pliny the Elder mentions Segontia in the 1st century AD in his work "Naturalis Historia" as a Celtiberian settlement. The area was taken by the Romans in the Numantine War (154-133 BC). After the end of the Western Roman Empire, the city was conquered by the Visigoths, who also founded the diocese of Sigüenza in 589. Taken over by the Moors around 712, the Christians reconquered the city in 1123. The construction of the cathedral began only a short time later, but it would take several centuries to complete. Today Sigüenza is a town with a population of about 4500.

The Visigoths built a small castle in the 5th century above the town. The Moors built a large fortified castle in the early 8th century. It was enclosed by a defensive wall providing an area known as the medina. In 1124, the castle was retaken by Bernard of Agen allowing Simón Girón de Cisneros to build an episcopal palace there. In the 15th century, the castle was strengthened by the bishops to protect it from attacks from Aragon and Navarre.

Construction of the cathedral began in 1124 after the expulsion of the Moors and the appointment of Bernardo of Agen as bishop. It was built on foundations previously occupied by a Visigothic church and then a Moorish mosque. The construction of the church lasted until the 15th century and in the 16th century it received Gothic elements - especially in the interior - and additions in the Renaissance style.

The western facade is characterized by the robust towers in the medieval style of a church fortress. The portals on the south and west sides are preserved in the Romanesque style but with later Baroque and Classical additions. The cathedral, is composed of a Latin cross plant, with three naves, transept and a large apse, surrounded by the ambulatory. It is 80 meters long by 31 meters in width. The Gothic central nave is from the 14th century. The three naves are separated, by enormous pillars.
The altarpiece consists of several panels made around 1440. They are painted in the Italian Gothic style and the central panel depicts the Crucifixion, while the others depict scenes from the lives of Saint John and Saint Catherine. The predella has painted images of the prophets.

Salamanca - Catedral Vieja

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 22:46:30 +0000

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Salamanca is a "real city" with a population of more than 140.000 inhabitants.

Under Roman and Visigothic rule called “Helmantica,” the city developed into an important trading center. In the 8th century, Salamanca was taken by the Moors, but in 939 it became Christian again as a result of the Battle of Simancas. Salamanca became a border town to the Islamic south of the Iberian Peninsula and was subsequently exposed to constant attacks, which resulted in depopulation and only after the conquest of Toledo by Alfonso VI. León's rule ended in 1085. In 1102 the period of repopulation began. The Christian new settlers rose against Castile-León in 1162 and called on Portugal for help in 1163, which occupied Salamanca for two years.

Salamanca experienced its heyday in the 16th century. In 1524, the construction of the church and monastery of San Esteban began and at the same time, the new cathedral was built.
The old cathedral, together with the adjacent larger new cathedral, is the episcopal church. The construction of the Romanesque-early Gothic basilica began around 1150. The work continued well into the 13th century. The cathedral school was founded in 1174, from which the University of Salamanca emerged in 1218.

The church is a cruciform basilica. The nave is 52 m long and 16.70 m high. All three naves close with semicircular apses. The left transept arm was cut off during the construction of the new cathedral.

The main altarpiece

The work can be dated between 1430 and 1450, and there are three artists who worked on the 53 panels of the altarpiece.

The main works are by the Italian Daniel Delli (aka "Dello Delli"), who painted the first 12 panels. Dello Delli was assisted by his two brothers. Sanson Delli created some of the panels in the center section of the altar, the third brother, Niccolò Delli (aka "Niccolò Florentino") painted some of the last panels of the work and the painting of the Last Judgment, located in the apse of the cathedral.

The altarpiece depicts a cycle of the life of the Virgin Mary and Jesus.

Stendal - St. Marien

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 12:28:27 +0000

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The fortified town of Stendal was founded by the first Brandenburg Margrave Albert the Bear and granted Magdeburg rights about 1160. A deed issued by Emperor Heinrich II in 1022, in which the village appears among the possessions of the Michaeliskloster in Hildesheim, is a 12th-century forgery.

Stendal quickly prospered as a center of commerce and trade. The parish of St. Jacobi was founded in the 12th century. The construction of a Franciscan monastery began in 1230. In the 13th century, the Stendal Seafarers' Guild was formed, which traded its own ships in the Baltic and North Sea areas. The oldest documented mention of the church of St. Marien dates back to 1283. Stendal received city walls around 1300 and in 1338 a Latin school was built. The local merchants joined the Hanseatic League in 1358 and purchased the privilege of minting from the Brandenburg margraves in 1369.

Just like in neighboring Tangermünde, the citizens of Stendal rebelled against the beer tax in 1488.
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In the 12th century, a Romanesque basilica was built on the site of today's Marienkirche. In the late 14th century, the westwork was extended with the double-tower facade. In 1420 the construction of the Marienkirche began as a late Gothic hall church. Until 1447 the church was vaulted. The church was consecrated in 1447. In the 16th century, the towers were completed. In 1580 an astronomical clock was installed. The Marienkirche was the main parish church of the Hanseatic merchant community and is neighboring the town hall.

The astronomical clock probably dates from after 1580.

The dial is 3 x 3 meters in size. The Latin texts on the four astrologer banners in the corners of the dial read in translation:

"The stars incline, but they do not compel."
"The moments become signs, the days become years."
"The astrologer does not have the decision in his own hands."
"Do not be afraid of the signs."

The movement was rebuilt in 1856 by E. Zimmermann using old parts. Later, E. Zimmermann willfully destroyed the watch. It was not until the 1970s that the Stendal goldsmith Oskar Roever discovered crucial parts of the movement. He restored and added to the work in almost two years of work. Since May 14, 1977, the astronomical clock has been in service again.

Almost all cities that had an astronomical clock belonged to the Hanseatic League. eg. Rostock, Stralsund, Wismar, Gdansk und Stendal.

Stendal - St. Marien

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 12:03:22 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The fortified town of Stendal was founded by the first Brandenburg Margrave Albert the Bear and granted Magdeburg rights about 1160. A deed issued by Emperor Heinrich II in 1022, in which the village appears among the possessions of the Michaeliskloster in Hildesheim, is a 12th-century forgery.

Stendal quickly prospered as a center of commerce and trade. The parish of St. Jacobi was founded in the 12th century. The construction of a Franciscan monastery began in 1230. In the 13th century, the Stendal Seafarers' Guild was formed, which traded its own ships in the Baltic and North Sea areas. The oldest documented mention of the church of St. Marien dates back to 1283. Stendal received city walls around 1300 and in 1338 a Latin school was built. The local merchants joined the Hanseatic League in 1358 and purchased the privilege of minting from the Brandenburg margraves in 1369.

Just like in neighboring Tangermünde, the citizens of Stendal rebelled against the beer tax in 1488.
-

In the 12th century, a Romanesque basilica was built on the site of today's Marienkirche. In the late 14th century, the westwork was extended with the double-tower facade. In 1420 the construction of the Marienkirche began as a late Gothic hall church. Until 1447 the church was vaulted. The church was consecrated in 1447. In the 16th century, the towers were completed. In 1580 an astronomical clock was installed. The Marienkirche was the main parish church of the Hanseatic merchant community and is neighboring the town hall.

The winged altar was made in a Flemish-Dutch style workshop and placed in St. Mary's Church in 1471. Its size is 6.72 m x 8.00 m. In the central panel and the side wings of the altar are images from the life of the Virgin Mary.

The center part.

The altar was in a restoration process in 2022.

Stendal - St. Marien

nobody@ipernity.com (Martin M. Miles) — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 11:21:28 +0000

Martin M. Miles has posted:

The fortified town of Stendal was founded by the first Brandenburg Margrave Albert the Bear and granted Magdeburg rights about 1160. A deed issued by Emperor Heinrich II in 1022, in which the village appears among the possessions of the Michaeliskloster in Hildesheim, is a 12th-century forgery.

Stendal quickly prospered as a center of commerce and trade. The parish of St. Jacobi was founded in the 12th century. The construction of a Franciscan monastery began in 1230. In the 13th century, the Stendal Seafarers' Guild was formed, which traded its own ships in the Baltic and North Sea areas. The oldest documented mention of the church of St. Marien dates back to 1283. Stendal received city walls around 1300 and in 1338 a Latin school was built. The local merchants joined the Hanseatic League in 1358 and purchased the privilege of minting from the Brandenburg margraves in 1369.

Just like in neighboring Tangermünde, the citizens of Stendal rebelled against the beer tax in 1488.
-

In the 12th century, a Romanesque basilica was built on the site of today's Marienkirche. In the late 14th century, the westwork was extended with the double-tower facade. In 1420 the construction of the Marienkirche began as a late Gothic hall church. Until 1447 the church was vaulted. The church was consecrated in 1447. In the 16th century, the towers were completed. In 1580 an astronomical clock was installed. The Marienkirche was the main parish church of the Hanseatic merchant community and is neighboring the town hall.

The winged altar was made in a Flemish-Dutch style workshop and placed in St. Mary's Church in 1471. Its size is 6.72 m x 8.00 m. In the central panel and the side wings of the altar are images from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The paintings are younger. They date from 1581.

the altar was in a restoration process in 2022.