Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: sentinel

The architecture of Notre Dame de l'Assomption, the parish church of Rouffach, about 20kms south of Colmar, is a mixture of romanesque and gothique style. The pretty huge building suffered heavy damage during the French Revolution. There are some interesting romanesque carvings on the walls of the older parts of "Notre Dame de l'Assomption". This one, placed next to the entrance, seems to be one of the oldest. It has the typical checkered frieze on top. Well, this is not hitchhiker near the motorway. Though damaged and weathered, this is still a serious sentinel, armed with a long spear. He has lifted his arm and shows his open hand, what is a "stop-gesture", that is still used today by the police. It is strange, that somebody in the past took a lot of effort, to climb up the wall and "erase" the left arm and the spear. This may be connected to the French Revolution. During the heyday of the revolution it was probably "politically correct", to disarm the sentinel of the church. The featherlike decoration on his head - is just a cobweb.