The doubting Thomas

The Monasterio de San Pedro el Viejo ("Saint Peter the Old") is a former Benedictine monastery built within the 12th century. A church had existed here (built on the place of a Roman temple) since Visigothic times and even, when the Moors hold Huesca, this church was in use. Christian troops conquered Huesca in 1096 and from 1117 on Benedictines with obvious ties to Cluny reconstructed the church and erected a monasterio here. Of course the Benedictian monastery needed a decent cloister. This got erected adjoining the church around 1140. Many of the capitals, carved in the style of the "Master of Agüero" (aka "Master of San Juan de la Peña"), are creations done during the renovation of San Pedro el Viejo end of the 19th century. Here is one of the old, weathered carvings. Thomas was skeptical at first when he heard that Jesus had appeared to the other apostles.. John 20:24-29 "Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

The abbey at Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire (originally known as Fleury Abbey) was founded on the banks of the Loire river mid 7th century. It is one of the oldest abbeys of the Benedictine rule in France. The story starts in 672, when some of its monks traveled to Montecassino (Italy), dug up the remains of St. Benedict of Nursia (+ 547) and his sister St. Scholastica and brought them home. After the relics had reached at Fleury Abbey it which was renamed Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire - and due to the relics became a major place of pilgrimage. Of course, this did not help when the Normans rowed up the Loire and burned the buildings of the monastery. But the convent recovered and rebuilt. A famous school and a scriptorium existed here in the late 10th century. The erection of the church started around 1071. When the church was consecrated in 1108, the long nave was not completed. The abbey thrived, but times got rougher. In 1562, the abbey was pillaged by Huguenots. The buildings were restored, but looted and destroyed again during the French Revolution. Saint-Benoît's monks left the abbey and so the history of the convent ended after more than 1100 years. The abbey church had escaped destruction and got restored in the 19th century. In 1944, the convent was refounded the abbey buildings were rebuilt by Benedictine monks after World War II. So the history of the convent was just interrupted for about 150 years. "Tour de Gauzlin", the massive porch tower, erected from 1020 on, serves as a narthex for the west entrance. The columns are decorated with interesting capitals, that were probably carved around 1080. One artist, who worked here, was Unbertus. He left a signature. Here are Christ, Saint Peter (with a giant key) and a "Doubting Thomas". This scene is sometimes called the "Incredulity of Thomas". John 20. 24-29 "Now Thomas (also known as Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

On the ruins of a older basilica begann, just next to the Baptistère Saint-Jean the construction of large Cathédrale Saint-Pierre in 1162. The building, the new the seat of the Archbishop of Poitiers, was greatly funded by Henry II of England (aka "Henri II Plantagenêt") and Eleanor of Aquitaine. The construction started as usual in the east and was completed with the western facade end of the 13th century. The transition from the late Romanesque to the Gothic style is visible. The three Gothic portals of the western facade seem influenced by the Gothic cathedrals from northern France. Saint Thomas is in the center of the right portal´s tympanum. The "Doubting Thomas" following John 20:24-29 "But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

"San Bartolomeo in Pantano" was founded between 726 and 764 by the Lombard physician Gaiduald on swampy ground (= pantano) . A Benedictian convent was established here under the protection of the Marquises of Tuscany. In 1433 the Benedictines were replaced by Canons Regular. End of the 18th century the monastery was given to the Vallumbrosan Order, which remained here in 1810. Then church became a parish church. San Bartolomeo in Pantano of today was erected mid 12th century, commissioned by Abbot Buono in 1159. The facade, divided into five compartments with arches, is characteristic for the Pistoiese Romanesque style. It is very much like the facade of Sant' Andrea, only a few hundred metres away. Here is the lintel over the central door. The carving is attributed to Gruamonte (see Sant' Andrea). Depicted is the "Doubting Thomas". John 20:25–27 "So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." The names of the disciples are inscribed below. Under the lintel (not seen from here) is inscribed "RODOLFIN P. O. MCLXVII", what dates this work to 1167.

"San Bartolomeo in Pantano" was founded between 726 and 764 by the Lombard physician Gaiduald on swampy ground (= pantano) . A Benedictian convent was established here under the protection of the Marquises of Tuscany. In 1433 the Benedictines were replaced by Canons Regular. End of the 18th century the monastery was given to the Vallumbrosan Order, which remained here in 1810. Then church became a parish church. San Bartolomeo in Pantano of today was erected mid 12th century, commissioned by Abbot Buono in 1159. The facade, divided into five compartments with arches, is characteristic for the Pistoiese Romanesque style. The interior had been modified and altered a couple of times over the centuries, but a renovation undertaken in the 1950s broight back the Romanesque church. The pulpit, created (and signed) by Guido da Como (aka Guido Bigarelli) got restaurated as well. This is the square pulpit´s front panel. The signature is on the left - on the right AD MCCL = 1250.

La Chaise-Dieu was founded in 1043 by Robert de Turlande. It was named "Casa Dei", from which La Chaise-Dieu developed. From the 11th to the 13th century, the abbey experienced rapid and significant development. When the founder died in 1067, already 300 monks lived here. In the Auvergne La Chaise-Dieu gained importance similar to that of the Burgundian Cluny Abbey. The abbey received many donations from noble families and administered 42 daughter monasteries. Popes who visited the abbey include Urban II, Calixt II, Alexander III. and Innocent II. In 1342, Pierre Roger, who had lived as a monk in La Chaise-Dieu, became Pope in Avignon under the name Clement VI. He financed a new building of the abbey church, in which he was finally buried. The building was completed in 1378 under the pontificate of Gregory XI, a nephew of Clement VI. Since 1516 La Chaise-Dieu, like most other French abbeys, became "in commendam" so the commendatory abbot drew the revenue of the monastery but without fulfilling the duties of the abbot or even residing at the monastery. Calvinist troops looted the abbey in August 1562. After most of the monastery buildings were destroyed by fire in 1695, they were rebuilt by the monks in the decades that followed. In 1786, Cardinal de Rohan, who was involved in the "Affair of the Diamond Necklace" was exiled to La Chaise-Dieu. While the abbey had 40 monks at that time, religious life ended at the beginning of the French Revolution. La Chaise-Dieu is known for the tapestries, once woven to embellish the monks´ choir. They were commissioned by Jacques de Saint-Nectaire and were woven by a Flemish workshop between 1501 and 1518. The collection includes 14 tapestries of which two are different and may have been ordered by the abbot for his personal use. The 12 other tapestries constitute a complete continuation of the Annunciation to the Last Judgment. An inventory prior to the Revolution mentions 18 tapestries, so four tapestries have therefore disappeared. The tapestries were only exhibited during major liturgical feasts. They were rolled up and kept during the troubles during the Wars of Religion and the Revolution. In 2013 the tapestries were removed. They got restored and returned to the abbey in July 2019. I was lucky to see them in August 2019. Jesus Appears to Thomas - John 20:24-28 "Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." To the left Genesis 42:7-8 "As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food." Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him." To the right Numbers 22:21-25 "Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again."

Soria is located on the Douro River at about 1065 meters above sea level. A strategic enclave due to the struggles for territory between the kingdoms of Castile, Navarre, and Aragon, Soria became part of Castile definitively in 1134, during the reign of Alfonso VII. Alfonso VIII was born in Soria in 1155. Booming during the Late Middle Ages thanks to its border location and its control over the cattle industry. In 1380, a court order forbade the Jews to try their own criminal cases in court. In addition, a decree was confirmed, according to which Jews were not allowed to be employed in the royal administration or among the nobility. These resolutions served as the basis for hate speeches that led to the massacre of the Jewish population in 1391. Soria went into a slow decline over the next few centuries. It was damaged greatly during the Peninsular War. The construction of the Romanesque church of San Juan de Rabanera, began in the 12th century, but the church has been refurbished since and had the addition of chapels. During the Baroque period, it underwent major transformations. Fortunately, the restorations carried out in the 20th century managed to restore the building, to a large extent, its Romanesque purity. The sculpted main portal derives from the razed church of San Nicolás, moved here in 1908. Mary Magdalene anointing Jesus's feet (left) and the doubting Thomas (right).

Rucqueville, a tiny village about 10 kms east of Bayeux, was a settlement already in gallo-roman times. Saint Pierre was erected end of the 11th century on older foundations. At that time, the place was owned by the abbey "Sainte Trinité" in Caen (aka "Abbaye aux Dames"). This may explain why such an "expensive" church was built here. Saint Pierre houses some of the most elaborate capitals I found within the region. Medieval masters have worked here. Here is one of the eight capitals around the crossing, depicting sceptical Thomas. John 20:24-29 "But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

Santo Domingo de Silos is a village with a population of about 300 - and at least one nice hotel. The first monastery was founded here in the Visigoth period (~ 590), but this monastery did not survive the Muslim period. A monastery was founded here again in 929, but it came to a standstill again after the raids under Almansor in the last quarter of the 10th century. In 1002 the monastery was destroyed and had to be founded again. During the term of abbot Domingo de Silos from 1041- 1073, the monastery was strongly supported by King Ferdinand I, who was in power 1035 - 1065. Under Abbot Domingo, construction began on a Romanesque church with three naves, a transept and five apses. The consecration took place in 1088 before the construction as a whole was completed after the turn of the 12th century. After abbot Domingo's death, his veneration began and the monastery adopted him as its patron saint. It was called Santo Domingo de Silos from about 1110. In the 18th century, there was a need for a larger church. The Romanesque church was demolished and replaced by a baroque new building. The Romanesque cloister has two stories. The lower floor was of course built sometime earlier than the upper floor. The dates are disputed. The oldest parts may date from the late tenure of Saint Domingo. The upper one was completed around 1160/80. The doubting Thomas (John 20:24-31) Musicians play on the arch and the apostles bear their names on the halos