Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: arrow

Saint-Genès, erected in the 11th and 12th century, was the church of the priory Saint-Etienne, dependent from the important Abbaye Notre-Dame in Déols. This abbey, now in ruins, had been founded in 917 and developed into one of the most powerful regional institutions. It was one of the first in the Cluniac network. Odo of Cluny (+ 942) was abbot of three monasteries: Cluny, Massy and Deols. This is important, as Saint-Genès has architectural parralells to Cluny II and Cluny III. The building got severely damaged, when Louis VII (aka "Louis le Jeune", 1. husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine) burnt down the town in 1152 during a feud with Abbo II de Déols, a supporter of Henri Plantagenêt (aka Henry II, "Curtmantle", 2. husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine). In 1569 the Huguenots set fire here - and many restorations followed that. During the French Revolution the bell tower was destroyed and the church became a "Temple of Reason". The carvings inside were created by (at least) two different workshops. There are rough and archaic capitals, that are probably older than the more elaborated, "sophisticared" ones. On the left a guy with bow and arrow, who may hunt the dog(?), goat(?) or sheep(?) protected in the center by a huge person with the elegantly combed beard. What is below the quadruped? A net? Branches?

Romans had been here during Hadrian´s time and where they had erected a temple, a small church got built mid 10th century. This structure got rebuilt and enlarged already within the 11th/12th century. Looted and damaged a century later, it got rebuilt, altered, enlarged, extended and strongly fortified. Within the structure, some parts of the 12th century structure survived the times. Despite the many alterations undertaken, many of the Romanesque capitals can still be found in the nave and the choir. An accidental combination of bad light conditions and a personal hypoglycemia lead to blurry photos. Sorry! This capital differs clearly in style and material from the others inside the church. It may be carved by the master (or the workshop) who created the four capitals outside the choir. A flock of birds is feasting in a vinyard. The owner of the grapes is not amused and tries to chase the birds away. He does not try to kill a bird, as the arrow he uses has no arrowhead.

The Basilica of St. Sernin in Toulouse, built from red bricks about 1080 - 1120, is the largest still existing Romanesque church in France. It once belonged to the abbey of St. Sernin, that had existed here already within the 5th century near the grave of St. Sernin (aka "Saint Saturnin"). The church, replaced a smaller, carolingian structure, and was erected to accommodate the many pilgrims, as Toulouse has always been a very important stop on the way to Santiago de Compostella. The "Via Tolosana", one of the many ancient pilgrim routes, was named after Toulouse. It is said, that pilgrims, who, for what reasons ever, could not make it to Santiago, tried at least to reach St. Sernin in Toulouse. This capital, seen from the nave, depicts two monkeys (?), bending the bow of a very large crossbow, with great effort. A kind of "cupido" stands in the center, holding the arrows.