Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Matamoro

Córdoba shares its history with so many cities in Southern Spain. It was Carthaginian and Roman (from 260BC on), later it belonged to the Byzantine Empire for two decade, got looted by the Vandals, before Visigoths conquered it in 572. In 711 it was taken by the by the Umayyad army and became a provincial capital. At that time a Christian church erected by the Visigoths was on the site, it was divided and shared by Muslims and Christians. The sharing agreement lasted until 784, when the Christian half was purchased by the Emir Abd al-Rahman I, who then demolished the church and started to build the grand mosque of Córdoba on its ground. This narrative goes back to the tenth-century historian al-Razi. The work of building the Mezquita employed thousands of artisans and labourers. After the first completion it underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard. It covers an area of more than 23.000 m². The Mezquita still is one of the largest sacred buildings on earth. In the 10th century it was in the center of Cordoba, that with a population of upto 500.000, at that time it was one of the largest cities in the known world. After in 1236 Córdoba was captured from the Moors, the Christians initially left the architecture Mezquita undisturbed. They just consecrated it, dedicated it to the Virgin Mary, and used it as a place of Christian worship. Later small chapels were inserted and the the minaret was converted into a the bell tower of the cathedral. The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral in a cruciform layout right in the center of the former mosque. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, King of Castile and Aragon. The legend tells, that upon seeing it completed, he remarked, "You have built here what you or anyone might have built anywhere else, but you have destroyed what was unique in the world." Santiago (Saint Jaques) in his role as "Matamoro".

A "villa Tauriaca" was given to the Bishop of Le Mans already in 585 by some Alderic. At that time probably a chapel existed here. The portal seen today dates to the 12th. century - and it is unusual, as it does have tympana in the flanking arches. Modifications were made, when the church got fortified in the 16th century, but meanwhile the portal is pretty much back to the original state. It is claimed, that some of the carvings may be older than the church and may have been part of the earlier (merovingien?) church. A very weathered equestrian is in the center of the left tympanum. Such statues are not very common. Further north are a few (Surgères, Melle, Parthenay-le-Vieux, Airvault), where under the hoof of horese is a small person. It is widely believed, that the statues depict Constantine the Great, trampling down Roman heathenism. In Southern France (eg. Oloron St. Marie) and Northen Spain similar statues are seen as Saint Jaques ("Matamoro"), fighting the muslims on the Hispanic peninsula and so supporting the reconquista

"Santa María la Real" is one of the highlights for all people following the "Camino Aragonés" - since about 800 years. The facade is impressing it may take hours, to find out the many details. I stayed an extra day, when I had reached the town, just to see the shadows movig over the carvings. A church did exist here already in 1131 next to the bridge crossing the river Aragon. It was transferred by Alfonso I to the "Knights Hospitaller" (aka "Order of Saint John", later "Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta"). The apse is the oldest part of the structure and probably dates back to that time. The nave and the breathtaking Southern Portal of Santa María la Real were created late 12th/13th century. I have uploaded a "total overview" earlier and will now focus on some details. The horseman trampling down a victim has many "cousins" France and can often be seen along the old chemins and caminos. In the Poitou, the rider is seen as Constantine the Great , while in Aquitaine, the character is seen as St. Jaques is seen as "matamoro".

Notre-Dame de Surgères was erected in the center of a large castle in the 12th century. The fortification, founded in the 9th century as a motte, when the area was raided by the Vikings, then guarded the border of the historical province of Aunis once. When the church was built a small town had developed around the defence already. Later a small priory and a "hopital" existed, as this was a halt on the Via Turonensis. The pilgrims had a lot to gape here, the facade is stunning 23 meters wide. Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II of England in 1152, so the area changed hands and was ruled by the House of Plantagenet. During the Hundred Years' War Surgères experienced a long period of decline. Louis XI´s troops conquered the town in 1472 and the fortifications got destructed. During that time Notre Dame lost the tower and large parts of the nave, but not the facade! Six blind arches once flanked the door, five arches above them on "the second floor". There are more than 100 capitals and corbels all over the facade. This seems to be a medieval encyclopedia. There are two large equestrian statues. Here is the right one, in a pose, typical for the Saintonge. A person is under the hoof of the horse. Only the upper part of the horseman´s head is lost, so it is visible, the rider had a beard. It is widely believed, that the statue depicts Constantine the Great, trampling down Roman heathenism. In Southern France (eg. Oloron St. Marie) and Northen Spain similar statues are seen as Saint Jaques ("Matamoro"), fighting the muslims on the Hispanic peninsula and so supporting the reconquista. Here - for me - the horseman looks a bit like St. Martin of Tours, offering half of his cloak to the person below. Martin was very popular in medieval times and the shrine of St. Martin in Tours was part of the Via Turonensis.

Melle was known already during Roman times, when silver and lead were mined here. The silver mines were exploited over hundreds of years, got forgotten and "rediscovered" in the 19th century. Today they are a tourist attraction. Melle was wealthy and the pilgrims, walking the Via Turonensis, passed through Melle on their way to Santiago, what brought even more money into town. Churches were erected during the heydays of the pilgrimage- and three (!) Romanesque churches can still be found here. Saint-Hilaire de Melle was the church of a priory, a dependency of the important Benedictian abbey in Saint-Jean-d’Angély. It was built on the bank of the Beronne river. The eastern part (apse, the radiating chapels and transept) were built in the first half of the 12th century, while the nave and the western portals may be some decades younger. The northern portal of Saint-Hilaire. While the archivolts are very mutilated and weathered, the equestrian statue above them is very complete. One of the horse´s legs and a foot of the horseman are lost, what is uncommon after centuries of wars and revolutions. Equestrian statues were not uncommon in the area, but what can be seen here, is the result of a reconstruction from 1872. A small person is sitting on the ground - and - though the horse´s leg is lost, the joint makes clear, that the hoof once was exactly over the head of the sitting guy. Who is the horseman? Most historians see Constantine the Great, triumphing over heathenism. This statue was placed here and was admired by many thousands of pilgrims on their way to Santiago. Some equestrian statues further south (eg Oloron St. Marie) are seen as St. Jaques ("Matamoro"), supporting the Reconquista, Constantine the Great defeating heathenism must be seen in the same historical context.

...... a cavalier is riding over somebody on the ground. This may depict the "Matamoro", what is Saint Jaques in his role of slaughtering the muslims in Spain, leading the "Reconquista". The "Matamoro" was a very popular figure in spanish...