Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: antler

Trani may have been founded by Greek settlers, but the known history starts late. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was dominated by Lombards, Byzantines, Saracens and again Byzantines. With the conquest of southern Italy by the Normans and after 50 days of siege by Robert Guiscard´s troops, Trani became part of the Norman Empire in 1073. Already under the Byzantines, Trani had become an important port for trade with the Orient. The heyday was in the time of the crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries, when crusaders and merchants mainly went to the Holy Land from Bari and Trani. It became an episcopal see in place of Canosa, destroyed by the Saracens. Frederick II promoted the Teutonic Knights and the Jewish community and built a massive castle. Under his rule, the city reached its highest point of wealth and prosperity. The construction of the "Cattedrale di Trani" began in 1099, over the earlier church of "Santa Maria della Scala", which went back to the 4th century. It is dedicated to "San Nicola Pellegrino". Bari had the relics of "Saint Nicholas of Myra". The Bishop of Trani could convince Pope Urban II to canonized a young pilgrim, who had died on his way to Jerusalem in Trani in 1094 from exhaustion. The new church was intended to house the relics of "Saint Nicholas the Pilgrim". Pina Belli d'Elia ("Puglia romanica") is sure, that this cathedral is the most important of all romanic buildings in Apulia. The building process started at the crypt. The "translatio corporis S. Nicolai ad novam Ecclediam" took place in 1142. As parts of the old church, dedicated to Virgin Mary, were maintained, the construction is pretty complex. The "Cattedrale di Trani" was completed around 1200, the construction of the campanile started by Nicolaus Sacerdos (see "Bitonto") and completed in the mid 14th century. In the20th century the bell tower was in such a bad state, that it was completely dismantled and rebuilt in the 1950s to avoid it collapsing. The cathedral was built from white, local stones, that change the colour from white to yellowish and reddish, during the sunset. Some of the carvings around the central portal are weathered, some have survived the times (or are perfectly restored). Here is one of them, that is really fantastic. I flipped this for 180°. A deer running off with a pomegranate?

Since 1973 the formerly small, but independent municipality of La Capelle is part of La Canourgue that by now has a population of more than 2000. St. Martin was probably built after the 12th century and its Romanesque architecture was altered in the course of the centuries. Originally this was a single-nave church with three bays. The side chapels were added in the 17th century, the steeple dates from the 19th century. The interior once was adorned with frescoes inside as well is this rough carving. The information given here says it "could be a vestige from an older chapel. It represents a hunter holding a spear with an animal on either side (...) So far no reliable interpretation has been given".

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior". "Wild-Geflügel Gustav Brock" was gourmet shop in the citycenter supplying Cologne with venison, poulards, ducks, pigeons and other exquisite specialities. The shop existed for 111 years - and was closed down in July 2017. The antler still decorates the facade.