Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: carved grafitti

The origins of St David's Cathedral date back to the 6th century, when St David (ca. 512-587) founded his monastery here. The community was attacked many times by Vikings and many clerics and bishops were murdered by the raiders. In 1081, William the Conqueror visited St Davids to pray, and thus recognised it as a holy and respected place. At Bishop Bernard's successful urging, Pope Callistus II added St David's to the calendar of saints in 1120 and issued a decree in 1123 that "two pilgrimages to St David's are equal to one to Rome and three pilgrimages to one to Jerusalem". Therefore, a larger cathedral was built by 1131. In 1171 King Henry II visited St David's. Construction of the current cathedral began in 1181 and was completed shortly afterwards. However, in 1220 the new tower collapsed and in 1248 an earthquake destroyed much of the chancel, choir and transept, so these parts were rebuilt. Reconstruction followed the 13th-century style with pointed arches. The next major phase of construction was started under Bishop Henry de Gower (1328–1347). He gave the cathedral's exterior a Gothic style. The cathedral was finally completed around 1520. From the 14th century onwards, the ensemble was completely surrounded by a massive wall, which originally had four gates. Of these, only the tower gate has survived, which is connected to the 13th century bell tower and opens the way from the cathedral to the city centre of St. David's. The Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries under the Tudor King Henry VIII in 1536 was a shock. The English Civil War also left significant damage to the building fabric caused by Oliver Cromwell's troops. The valuable lead covering was removed from the roof of the bishop's palace, leaving the building to decay. The roof of the transept of the cathedral was also uncovered in order to access the lead. It was not until the late 18th century that efforts were made to preserve at least parts of the cathedral complex. After the first attempt to restore the west front failed the whole building was restored between 1862 and 1870. The tomb of Lord Rhys Rhys ap Gruffydd (1132 1197) was ruler of the South Welsh principality of Deheubarth. Under his leadership, the principality became the most powerful Welsh principality in the second half of the 12th century, but it lost this position due to fierce wars of succession after his death. His mother was killed in battle against the Anglo-Norman occupiers in 1136, and his father died the following year under unclear circumstances. As a 13-year-old youth, he took part in the conquest of Llansteffan Castle. In 1164 all the Welsh princes united in an uprising. Rhys had reasons for rebellion, for he had returned to Deheubarth from England to find that the neighbouring Norman lords were threatening his power. His nephew, who was the captain of his bodyguard, had been murdered. The murderer had been given the protection of the Clares in Ceredigion. Rhys first appealed to the king to intercede; when this failed, he invaded Ceredigion and recaptured all of it apart from the town and castle of Cardigan. Until 1171, Rhys' relationship with the English king was characterized by disobedience and hostility. But Henry II's policy towards Rhys changed radically. Rhys had risen to become the most powerful Welsh prince. Henry's reputation in England, however, was destroyed after the murder of Thomas Becket. Henry II had realised that he could not pacify Wales by military means. Before crossing to Ireland to assert his rule over the Marcher Lords there, he met with Rhys. The king confirmed Rhys' rule and he also released Rhys' son Hywel Sais, who had been taken hostage.

Llandaff Cathedral is considered to be one of the oldest Christian sites in Great Britain. Around 560, Dyfrig is said to have founded a Christian community here. His successor was Teilo, who was followed by his nephew Euddogwy. These three Celtic saints are patrons of the cathedral. Construction of the present cathedral began in 1120 by Bishop Urban, the first bishop appointed by the Normans. From 1200 onwards, the cathedral was extended giving it a new west façade. In addition, the chapter house was built to the south of the choir around 1250, and by 1287 the Lady Chapel was added to the east which, unlike the rest of the cathedral, has largely been preserved. Severe damage was done to the church in 1400 during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr. Until the Reformation the cathedral was still a pilgrimage destination, which was visited because of the tomb of Saint Teilo. However, due to the ban on pilgrimages, the diocese lost its main source of income for the maintenance of the cathedral. Bishop Blethyn notified his fellow clergymen in 1575 that he believed the cathedral to possibly be damaged beyond repair. The cathedral fell into disrepair, only the Lady Chapel continued to be used for services. During the great storm of 1703 the nave became a roofless ruin. Restoration began in 1734, but the architect wanted to build an Italian Temple in the neoclassical style within the medieval ruins. His building destroyed other parts of the medieval church, but construction was stopped in 1752. It was not until the 19th century that the diocese once again had the funds to restore the church in the neo-Gothic style. In 1857 the chancel and nave were completed again. In 1869, the restoration of the cathedral was completed with the construction of the new south-west tower, the Pritchard Tower. During WW II, the cathedral was badly damaged by German air raids on Cardiff. On 2 January 1941, an aerial mine hit the cathedral, reducing it to ruins once again. The exterior reconstruction was carried out from 1949 by George Pace, who was influenced by Le Corbusier and based the reconstruction loosely on the historical model. The reconstruction of the exterior was completed in 1957 and the interior was redesigned by 1960. Dilapidated churches are attractive to vandals of all kinds According to available information, this is the grave of Sir David Mathew, who carried the standard of King Edward IV at the Battle of Towton in 1461 (Wars of the Roses).

The place-name is first attested in 677, when the Cartmel Peninsula was granted to St Cuthbert by King Egfrith of Northumbria. Cartmel Priory was founded in 1188, William Marshal, for which he brought 12 monks and a prior from Bradenstoke Priory in Wiltshire. The existing parish church of St Michael was merged with the new monastery church of St Mary. Between 1327 and 1347 a chapel with four traceried windows was provided by John Harington. In the 15th century extensive work was undertaken, in part due to damage in the southern part of the complex. The original cloister was demolished and a new one built to the north of the priory church. In the east end of the church, the early lancet windows were replaced by one huge window of stained glass. Work on the building continued intermittently into the 16th century. The priory was surrendered by its community at the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. After the "Pilgrimage of Grace" the community was reinstated for a short while, but with the failure of the rising, came a brutal end. The subprior and several of the canons being hanged, along with ten villagers who had supported them. The church is famous for its stalls with masterfully carved misericords dating from around 1440. Not only the masters carved. The vandals carved too.

Ely was founded in 673 by St Æthelthryth, daughter of King Anne of East Anglia, by founding an abbey to the north of the village of Cratendune in the Isle of Ely. Queen Æthelthryth from Northumbria was on the run from her husband Ecgfrith, whom she refused to sleep with for twelve years in order not to break an oath of chastity. Ten years after her death, her body is said to have remained uncorrupted. She was reinterred in a marble sarcophagus, which was described as miraculous and attracted many pilgrims. When the Normans under William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, Ely was successfully defended under Hereward the Wake until the clergy handed over the Isle of Ely to the king in 1071 on condition that they were allowed to retain all the rights and privileges they had enjoyed since the time of Edward the Confessor. A diocese of Ely was founded as early as 1109. Ely Cathedral is widely recognised as a prime example of Romanesque-Norman architecture due to its Romanesque core and Norman basic concept. A large number of its structural elements are in Gothic forms, the use of which began here as early as the 12th century. Under William the Conquerer, the new Romanesque abbey church was begun in 1083 by the Norman abbot Simeon, a former monk of St Ouen near Rouen, who was already 90 years old at the time. Work began with the choir. The eastern transept was built between 1087 and 1093 with aisles originally running around three sides of the wings. The arcades of this transept are now the oldest parts of the first construction phase. The 12-bay nave dates from the 12th century and has the highest nave in England. It was completed in 1180 and has a three-part elevation with alternating columns and galleries. The portal on the south aisle dates from around 1140 with a depiction of the Majestas Domini. An influence from south-west France is likely. The door led to the cloister, which no longer exists. After a break of thirty years, the west tower and west transept were completed. The new master builder succeeded in completing the work, which had begun in Romanesque forms, by consistently using early Gothic pointed arches, without creating disharmony between old and new. Under Bishop Hugh of Northwold, the polygonal Romanesque choir was demolished and replaced from 1234 by the present six-bay Gothic choir, completed in 1252. Naturally, a place like the cathedral attracts many vandals who leave graffiti on the walls.

In Roman times Gloucester (= "Glevum") Glevum was an important crossing of the River Severn. At its height, Glevum may have had a population of as many as 10,000 people. The entire area around Glevum was intensely Romanised in the second and third centuries with a high distribution of villas. Withdrawal of all Roman forces in about 410 may have allowed leading families of the Dobunni tribe to regain power. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Gloucester is shown as part of Wessex from the Battle of Deorham in 577. The foundation in 681 of the abbey of St Peter by Æthelred of Mercia, favoured town growth; and before the Norman conquest of England, Gloucester was a borough governed by a portreeve, with a castle which was frequently a royal residence, and a mint. In the early 10th century the remains of Saint Oswald were brought to a small church here and shrine built there, a draw for pilgrims. The first Norman ruler, Earl Godwine, was succeeded almost a century later by Robert of Gloucester. In a charter of 1155, Henry II of England granted the citizens the same rights as the inhabitants of London and Winchester. Henry II's second charter guaranteed free passage across the River Severn. The first charter was confirmed by King Richard I in 1194. King John Lackland´s charter in 1200 considerably extended the town's rights. A mainstay of the local economy in the late Middle Ages was the textile trade. In the days of the Hanseatic League, the clothmakers of Gloucester maintained lively business contacts with the German merchants in London. Gloucester Abbey was initially founded as a nunnery in the 7th century. Benedictines moved in in 1022. In 1072, Serlo, a native of Normandy, became abbot and the dilapidated old Gloucester Abbey was reoccupied. At Christmas 1085, William the Conqueror commissioned the legendary Domesday Book to be drawn up in the old chapter house, in which the new ownership of the conquered land was recorded. In the following years, the abbey received various donations from William and his sons, enabling Bishop Robert of Hereford to lay the foundation stone for a new, larger Norman church in 1089. It was consecrated in 1100. At this time, probably only the choir with the gallery and the extensive crypt, the crossing and the first bays of the nave had been completed. The structure of the wall then changed; it is assumed that a fire in 1122 was the cause of this. Then there was a series of structural damages. Among other things, the southern west tower collapsed in 1170. After the roof truss burnt down in 1190, the stone vaulting of the nave was completed in 1242.This created a clear contrast between the mighty Norman pillars and the delicate Gothic vaulting rising from the triforium zone. At the beginning of the 14th century, the abbey had funds at its disposal, which were invested in the embellishment of the church. Firstly, the north aisle was renovated from 1318 to 1329 and the south transept was remodelled from 1331 to 1337 by not demolishing the old "Serlo building", but instead deciding to rebuild it.This part of the Serlo building from around 1100 is therefore still largely preserved, albeit hidden behind a new wall.The vault was raised, the clerestory windows enlarged and the remains of the Norman wall covered with the new Decorated Style tracery. After the Dissolution of the monasteries, Henry VIII created the new Diocese of Gloucester and in 1541, the abbey church became the cathedral. While the ceiling of the cloister has wonderful fans vaults, the lower parts are covered with carved grafitti

Lesmont is a small commune of just over 300 inhabitants in the Champagne Sèche region. Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens (St. Peter in Chains) was built in the 13th century but most of the building dates from the 16th century. The carved grafitto is probably only about 120 years old.

This church was a big surprise for me. It is visible from outside, that there is something strange, as the tower is just too massive.. It is not a "tower". This an octagonal chapel, that dates back to the 9th century. This is a Carolingian structure, related to Charlemagne´s octagonal "Palatine Chapel" in Aachen (= "Aix-la-Chapelle") and the oratory in Germigny-des-Prés. There is no town near. The chapel is placed "in the middle of nowhere" next to the small river Isle. Many human bones were found during excavations, that may be even older than the rotunda. Was there a battle? Was there a cemetery? A "hospital"? Or was this a baptisterium? It is claimed here, that this is not the only such building in the Dordogne area, but in France! There are no graffiti outside the rotunda, but quite a lot around the entrance doors of the Romanesque nave. Crosses were often carved in by "pelerins".

This church was a big surprise for me. It is visible from outside, that there is something strange, as the tower is just too massive.. It is not a "tower". This an octagonal chapel, that dates back to the 9th century. This is a Carolingian structure, related to Charlemagne´s octagonal "Palatine Chapel" in Aachen (= "Aix-la-Chapelle") and the oratory in Germigny-des-Prés. There is no town near. The chapel is placed "in the middle of nowhere" next to the small river Isle. Many human bones were found during excavations, that may be even older than the rotunda. Was there a battle? Was there a cemetery? A "hospital"? Or was this a baptisterium? It is claimed here, that this is not the only such building in the Dordogne area, but in France! There are no graffiti outside the rotunda, but quite a lot around the entrance doors of the Romanesque nave.

Approachig the hamlet La Lugarie, I passed the Église Saint-Jean in the middle of an old graveyard. The leaflet, I found inside, told me, that this once was the center of a great village, mentioned already 1153. The chapel seen today is younger and was consecrated in 1512. The combination of secluded chapel, romantic night and soft surface is ideal for carved graffiti. Here are a few dates (1944, 1959, 1996) and a couple of names (Marie, Vivi, Mimi, Isa ...).