Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: tree of life

In the Roman Empire, the city was known as "Emerita Augusta", the capital of the province of Lusitania. It was founded in 25 BC by Emperor Augustus as a colony for the veteran soldiers ("emeritus") of the Roman legions. The city was very important in Roman Hispania. It was endowed with all the comforts of a large Roman city and served as the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. For centuries, until the fall of the Roman Empire, Mérida was an important economic, military, and cultural center. Following invasions from the Visigoths, Mérida remained an important city of the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania in the 6th century. In 713, the Arabs conquered the city and devastated it. Even under Islamic rule, Mérida remained a bishop's seat until it was moved to Santiago de Compostela in 1119. In 1230 the Christian troops under Alfonso IX conquered Mérida during the Reconquista. The nave of the Church of Santa Clara houses the Visigoth Collection. A tree of life symbol, Visigothic, 2nd half 6th century.

Louis the Pious founded the bishopric of Hildesheim in 815. The settlement developed into a town and was granted market rights by King Otto III in 983. Craftsmen and merchants were attracted and the city developed into an important community. By 1167, Hildesheim was an almost completely walled market settlement. At the beginning of the 13th century, Hildesheim had about 5,000 inhabitants, and when Hildesheim received its city charter in 1249, it was one of the largest cities in northern Germany. The clergy ruled Hildesheim for four centuries before a town hall was built and the citizens gained influence and independence. In 1367, Hildesheim became a member of the Hanseatic League. But what is now called Hildesheim was various small "suburbs". After centuries of (sometimes armed) disputes, it was not until the end of the 16th century that a union was created and subsequently at least the inner wall was taken down Old and New Town. During the Thirty Years' War, Hildesheim was besieged and occupied several times. In 1813, after the Napoleonic Wars, the town became part of the Kingdom of Hanover, which was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia as a province after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. The air raids on Hildesheim in 1944/45 destroyed large parts of the city. Of the 1500 half-timbered houses, only 200 remained. 90 percent of the historic old town was destroyed in the firestorm. - St. Godehard, one of the most important bishops of Hildesheim from 1022 to 1038, was canonized in 1133. In the same year, construction began on a church and monastery in his honor. In 1172 the work was completed and this church got consecrated. The monastery remained untouched by the Reformation and existed until secularization in 1803. The basilica was saved from demolition and became a Catholic parish church. The basilica remained almost unchanged over the centuries and was not heavily damaged even during WWII. From 1945 to 1960, when Hildesheim Cathedral was destroyed and rebuilt, St, Godehard served as the "cathedral" of the Bishop of Hildesheim.

Mont Sainte-Odile Abbey (aka "Hohenburg Abbey") was founded by Adalrich, Duke of Alsace, around 690. First abbess of the nunnery was his daughter Sainte Odile (aka "Odile of Alsace"), who by now is the patron saint of the Alsace, making the abbey today to a place of pilgrimage in the area. Second abbess of the monastery btw was Adalrich´s grand daughter Eugenia. Early nunneries often are family affairs e.g. Freckenhorst, Gandersheim.. The monastery got damaged, destroyed and looted a couple of times. After the French Revolution it got sold - and finally in 1853 the catholics of the Alsace had collected enough money, to buy it back - and present the buildings to the Bishop of Strassburg. Only a few structures of the monastery, constructed within the 12th century after the older buildings burnt down, have survived the times. One that still exists after more than 800 years is the baptistry (aka "Holy Cross Chapel"). A door door on the north side of the baptistery leads to the sepulchral chapel. In this chapel is the tomb of St. Odile - and all pilgrims gather here. So I did not take any photo there. The lintel over the door is interesting. It depicts probably a tree of life. I have the impression, that this a carving may originate from an earlier structure. Robert Will (in "Alsace Romane", Edition Zodiaque) dates the two chapels back to the time of abess Relindis (+ 1167).

With a population of about 10.000 Soest was the most important town in Westphalia within the 11th and 12th century. The "Soester Stadtrecht" ("Soest city law") is the oldest city law, documented in German territory. Soest was one of the most important Hanseatic cities in medieval times. During the "Soester Fehde" ("Soest Feud") it liberated itself from the Bishop of Cologne, who controlled Westphalia. During and after the Thirty Years' War, Soest suffered a tremendous loss population and influence. At the lowest point in 1756, it had only 3,600 citizens. Soest has still a couple of wonderful medieval, Romanesque churches, built with the regional greenish sandstone. The "Hohnekirche" (officially "St. Maria zur Höhe") is one of them. The church was built in its present form from 1180 and is one of the oldest hall churches in Westphalia. It replaced an older church here. The elegant vaulted ceiling is populated with very strange, mythical creatures flanking (or dancing around) trees (of life?)