Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: hybrid

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. It has a polychrome facade with a unique frieze under the roof. There are some strange creatures here. A terrible creature! A human head, the tail of a merman - and in between something that for me looks like an insect.

San Andrés was erected on a little hill, that was settled already in pre-Roman times, as recent excavation proved. The tiny hamlet Soto de Bureba is part of the village Quintanaélez (pop. ~ 100). An inscription above the portal gives the construction date of 1175. During medieval times the area must have been much more densely populated, as later even a second nave was added to the structure. The parish church is known for its wonderful, sculpted portal, seen here. The arches have an interesting, but somehow strange iconography. Some of the icons are pretty unique. There is a collection of really fantastic and mythical beasts. To the very left is an uncommon lion/fish chimera, that is easy. The three faces are more difficult. The perspective differs from right to left, the heads grow. To the very right is a hooded person with arms (child?), in the center just the chest can be seen (mother?) and on the left is a very detailed head (father?). These are for sure portraits - and when they were carved, anybody here, knew the names of the persons depicted.

San Andrés was erected on a little hill, that was settled already in pre-Roman times, as recent excavation proved. The tiny hamlet Soto de Bureba is part of the village Quintanaélez (pop. ~ 100). An inscription above the portal gives the construction date of 1175. During medieval times the area must have been much more densely populated, as later even a second nave was added to the structure. The parish church is known for its wonderful, sculpted portal, seen here. The arches have an interesting, but somehow strange iconography. Some of the icons are pretty unique. There is a collection of really fantastic and mythical beasts. Here is a fish/bird chimera (wings, fishtail), a harpy (wearing a hood) and the large head of a fierce bird of prey , probably a griifin.

San Andrés was erected on a little hill, that was settled already in pre-Roman times, as recent excavation proved. The tiny hamlet Soto de Bureba is part of the village Quintanaélez (pop. ~ 100). An inscription above the portal gives the construction date of 1175. During medieval times the area must have been much more densely populated, as later even a second nave was added to the structure. The parish church is known for its wonderful, sculpted portal, seen here. The arches have an interesting, but somehow strange iconography. Some of the icons are pretty unique. There is a collection of really fantastic and mythical beasts. Here is a Basilisk (Cockatrice), a hybrid consisting out of a rooster and a snake. This one even has heads on either side.

Compared to the gorgeous churches in the neighbouring villages Rioux and Rétaud the single nave church Saint-Quentin in Chermignac seems very humble. The archivolts of the portal have some nice details. A lion and a very strange chimera. A kind of insect with a human head. A similar creature can be found in Biron (25 kms south east - and how Ray ("adfinem") proved in far away Olcoz and Euna) te (Navarra, 450kms south). Note that the creeping vine has a large eye and pretty long teeth.

Upto the French Revolution Saint-Pierre was the center of a small priory, dependend from Saint-Cyprien in near Poitiers at 980, when the place was mentioned first time. The church got erected during the 12th century near the banks of the Vienne. The church serves the parish since the Revolution, but it must have been in a ruined state. In the 1850s the nave had to be rebuilt, using the old capitals. What a chimera! There is a human head (with a forked tongue and a strange hairdo), the body of a snake, forelegs, wings - and dogs´ heads at the rear end. Actually the human head is shared by two of these horrible beasts..