Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: cat

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. Is the grinning cat going to kill the two little birds sitting in the nest.

Lügde was first mentioned in 784 in the "Annales Regni Francorum" ("Royal Frankish Annals") when Charlemagne celebrated his first Christmas in what was then the Duchy of Saxony, namely in "Villa Liuhidi". At that time a small, wooden church probably existed. It may have been built outside the settlement on a previous thing-place, at the time of the first Saxon Wars. This was, where Charlemagne celebrated the Christmas mass. The foundations of this early church were found during excavations, undertaken in and around the Romanesque church dedicated to St. Kilian. The oldest part of St. Kilian, a cruciform vaulted basilica, is the tower, built around 1100 and raised by 1200. Nave and choir were built at the end of the 12th century. The southern side portal has this tympanum his this little face with a protruding tongue. Is this a cat?

The Premonstratensian Steingaden Abbey (aka "Welfenmünster") was founded in 1147 by Welf VI. son of "Henry the Black" and brother of "Henry the Proud". Welf VI was already a member of the "Younger House of Welf", as the "Older House of Welf" ended (male wise) with Welf III in 1055. Welf III´s sister had married into the Italian d´Este family - and so she had started the "Younger House of Welf". The Welfs have been powerful counterparts to the Staufers - and the Welfs still exist - all over the place. One branch leads to George I of England, whose grand grand....daughter is Queen Elizabeth II. Other branches take you to the late Frederica, Queen of Greeks and mother of Queen Sofia of Spain - and of course, one line leads to Ernst August of Hanover married to the Princess of Hanover, aka Caroline of Monaco (daughter of Grace Kelly). That is the thread leading from Steingaden - to London, Monaco and elsewhere. The abbey itself had a kind of volatile history. Over the first centuries, the buildings were altered from romanesque to gothic style - before they were burnt down and looted 1525 during the Peasant´s War. A couple of years later, it was rebuilt in the style of the Renaissance, to get burnt down again 1646 during the Thirty Year´s War. After a new start - now in baroque and rococo - it got secularized in 1803. Then most buildings of the abbey got demolished before the main church (the "Welfenmuenster") was turned into the parish church of the village of Steingaden. Only one wing of the medieval cloister and its capitals survived the deconstruction.

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 was erected, over ruins of a Paleochristian 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. Adam and Eve Note the little scenes in between the medaillons. There are there musicians: a singing rooster and two dogs, one with cymbals, the second with a harp. One the right a cat watches a mouse furtively.

Like all places along the Adriatic coast, Bisceglie has Greek and Roman roots, but after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the area was not really "developed". First small monasteries were founded, when the Lombards ruled the area before the Saracens took over for three decades in the 9th century. Around 1000 the Normans arrived in Southern Italy. A vassal of Robert Guiscard became Count of Trani in 1042. At that time the fortification of the place, that is Bisceglie now, started. In 1063 the bishopric of Bisceglie was established and the construction of the cathedral was started. The building was completed already around 1100, but then the alterations started, that over the centuries ruined the "original" church. The last restoration tried to recreate its former glory, what at that time meant to get out all of the suffocating Baroque addons of the late 18th century. This group is on the outside wall. Looks like a farmer and domestic animals take a sunbath.

Legends tell, that a small community of hermits lived here in the 6th century. A century later the group was led by (Saint) Eudes and after him by Eudes´ nephew (Saint) Theofrede. Theofrede got killed by the locals - and so he became a martyr named Saint Chaffre. 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. The former abbey church has a polychrome facade with a unique frieze (under the roof). Integrated into the walls are some smaller carvings. In the center, above the two (flower) circles is a demon or devil (?) with the head of a cat (?) sucking its tail.

One of the first printed records about this gate stated in 1859 "Of all old monuments in the Rhine valley, none as mysterious as the portal (...) near the church in Remagen". The Pfarrhoftor (= Gateway to the parish close) still is enigmatic. It may have been erected for a nearby monastery, that centered around an St. Apollinaris shrine, it may have been in deed a gate to a parish close. Actually it known since the 17th century, when parts of it were found, walled in between the rectory and the encircling wall. The parts were recovered and like pieces of a puzzle joined together. Though the cope stone was lost, the large arch was easy to reconstruct. Wether the smaller side portal originally was left or right is unclear. The 22 carved reliefs here have triggered more than a dozend different theories. I will quote some. The carving style was not appreciated by the art-historians. Already Wilhelm Bode ("Geschichte der Deutschen Plastik") wrote in 1887 that the carver was "without any artistic ambition". For me this portal has parallels in Linden and Goegging. All three portals are roughly carved - and enigmatic, blending christian, pagan and ancient icons. The only point, that is undisputed is, that the portal was erected in the second half of the 12th century. It may be, that the reliefs, seen here, are just single icons, that are not interconnected to a certain "iconographic program". This is claimed by Paul Clement (1938), Georg Dehio (1933) and Josef Minn (1942). In 1947 Albert M. Koeniger published the results of his research, interpreting the reliefs as icons of eight (!) deadly sins as described by Bishop Burchard of Worms (965-1025), author of a canon law collection (aka "Decretum Burchardi"). A jumping animal. Some have seen this as a fox or cat, but most described a jumping dog. According to Koeniger, the agressive dog stands for wrath / anger ("ira"). Note the collar. To the right followed the cope stone, that is lost. Maybe this lost stone was the key for the interpretation.

Gmünd claims to be "The Artists Town Gmünd". There are museums and galleries here and different workshops and courses are offered. There is even studio for an "artist in residence", who gets invited to live and work in Gmünd for a certain time. One of the many artists in Gmünd created this cat. www.maltatal.com/en/highlights-in-malta-en/family/water-g...

What is the parish church of the tiny village of Saint-Hilaire-la-Croix today, was the church of a priory, depending from Mozat around 1165. In the beginning the priory was named "Saint-Hilaire-lac-rouge", but over the time, the old name got a little "deformed". There is not much known about the priory. In the early years it served the pilgrims on their way - and somehow it was important enough, to built (and finance) such an extraordenary church. Bernard Craplet ("Auvergne romane") dates the building phase from around 1100 to 1200. Later Augustinian Canons and Vincentians lived here. Not a sucess story for the next centuries the buildings were sold already in 1742. The northern portal of Saint-Hilaire-la-Croix is very elaborate and combines different artistic styles. Bernard Craplet tracks the craftmen, who created this, back to a travelling group of artists, that left their marks in Fleuriel and other places in the area. He states artistic influences here as well from Burgundy and the Ile de France. Here a capital of the right side of the portal, depicting chimeras as well. Two birds with snakelike tails/necks and the heads of cats. They seem to "hug" each other with their long necks. From above two creatures (cats?) lick them with enormous long tongues. On the right another pillar-eater with a very grotesque face. Exactly this kind of pillar-eaters can often be seen in the Saintonge area.

The 12th century church "Notre-Dame de Fleuriel" was once the seat of a priory, connected the abbey in Tournus. Now it is the parish church. It is known for the western portal. I had read, that it is one of the finest in the area of Bourbonnais. A very cryptic carving. A giant snake, with the head of a cat or lion? - Could be, but the semicircular rolls, seen here are not connected. It seems a like a labyrinth, but these are just eleven semicircular rolls, crowned by a smiling cat. The artist carved two nice cones on the edges. And what were the holes used for?

In a papal bull issued by Pope Alexander III in 1163 this small church is mentioned as part of the priory "Saint-Denis" in Vaux (sur Vienne), about 10 kms west). The church, dedicated to Sulpice le Pieux, was erected end of the 11th century in a primitive Romanesque style, not at all influenced by the more elegant "style saintonge". Along the western facade runs a gallery, what is rather unique. It is lined with stone benches and probably was the meeting place for the villagers over centuries. The church got remodeled during the 17th century, when it got enlarged and a chapel was added. During the French Revolution the church got damaged. The crumbling apse got demolished and rebuilt during a disputed restauration end of the 19th century. The church is small, but has about 20 carved capitals. Most of them have a strange, primitive style. This is the same capital as seen on the previous upload, - now seen from the left. The large bearded head with small horns on the corner - and the skin of a lion to the right. Or is this a supine cat - purring?

The former Abbey Church in the village of Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes, that now serves the parish, has a total length of 72,30 meters and all of the 600 people living in Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes would easily find a chair inside. The church is a gem of poitevin architecture. When Prosper Mérimée visited Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes mid 19th century, the church were in a very bad state. Photograps taken some decades later show, that the facade was ruined. Prosper Mérimée efforts started a reconstruction and renovation process. The first renovation, that finally saved the church, was undertaken from 1889 to 1920. Different workshops created the carvings in the Abbey Church, built in only about 40 years. Most carvings are rough, compared to the style and virtuosity that was common in the Poitou-Charentes a century later. One of the workshops loved spirals (see the previous uploads). Here the workshop created a kind of "pattern book" all around small head of cat or lion, flanked by thwo goats (?). The history of the abbey dates back to the 4th century, when Jovinus (French "Jouin") in 342 founded a small oratory near a place named Ensio. Not much is known about Jovinus. He may have been borne in a wealthy family. It is believed, that his was brother of Saint Maximin, the first Bishop of Treves. The oratory developed into a monastery over the next decades, that was the second monastery existing in France, just after Saint-Martin-de-Ligugé, founded by St. Martin of Tours himself in 361. During the 7th century, the bishop of Nantes, Felix, asked Martin de Vertou to christianise the area. This mission led him to Ension where he imposed Saint Benoit’s rule. The small monastery was never threatend by the Normanic raids, as it was far away from large rivers. So it could offer refuge to the monks of "Saint Martin de Vertou", who left their monastery and brought the relics of their founding Saint, in 843. The erection of the Abbey Church took place between 1095 and 1130, when an old Roman road, known under the name of "Saint Hilaire’s Way" was followed by pilgrims on their way to Santiago. At that time the road was one of the many that belonged all to the "Via Turonensis". During the 100 Years´War and during the Wars of Religion the monastery got attacked and plundered. The Battle of Moncontour between the Catholic armee and the Huguenots was fought in 1569 only about 5kms west. Monastic life was ended by the French Revolution in 1789. The Abbey was sold as national property. The church serves as a parish church since 1795. Parts of the former conventual buildings now belong to a privatly owned farm, next to the church.

The first church here was founded by William V, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "William the Great", "Guillaume le Grand") around 1000. He was the son of William "Fierebras" (= iron arm). His daughter Agnes of Poitou was the wife of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor. As a widow she was known as "Empress Agnes". William the Great was a supporter of the abbey in nearby Maillezais, so it is no surprise, that a priory was founded here. "Notre Dame" the former church of that priory now serves as parish church of Vouvant, a village of less than a thousand inhabitants.The church was erected within the 11th and 12th century - and very soon after in was completed, the western front got demolished and the nave got enlarged. Obviously a great number of monks and laybrothers lived here at that time, reclaiming land in the swampy "Marais Poitevin". Just like the abbey in Maillezais, the priory in Vouvant suffered great damages during the 100 Year´s War. It got later looted and ruined during the Wars of Religion. The priory went under - and the church crumbled until the first restaurations were done in 1882. The works ended the same year due to lack of funds. After a recent renovation, the church now is in a good condition. There are many capitals around the portal and the apse. Here strange cats over a poor Luxuria.

Maillezais, a small town with a population of less than 1000, is known for it´s old monastery, founded in the very swampy "Marais Poitevin" in 989. It developed well, when the land around got reclaimed. Later even was a bishop´s see was here. Only some ruins are left of the former Gothic cathedral, as it was burned down by Huguenots during the Wars of Religion and sold as a quarry to local entrepreneurs after the French Revolution. Saint Nicolas, the parish church had a better fate, though vandalized and severely damaged during the Wars of Religion as well, it did not get ruined like the cathedral. The western facade is built in the "style saintonge" with the flanking blind arches. Capitals and corbels decorate the walls of the nave and the apse. Many corbels are renovated, sometimes missing parts have been replaced. Here is a very flexible cat with a pretty short tail.

There are many brilliant examples of late Romanesque architecture and art in western France, but even a humble church like Saint Martin in Izon still has visible Romanesque roots. There is the 12th century portal and some smaller carvings around. Here is are two quadruped creatures (dogs?) with long tails, sharing one head. As I mentioned on the previous upload, these works were not done by master carvers, but they are interesting works. The reliefs look like printing blocks.