Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: wrestler

León was founded in 68 AD for a Roman legion from which they were supposed to pacify the rebellious mountain dwellers of Asturias and Cantabria. The name of the settlement that was then developed is based on a refined form of the Latin word "legio". After the end of the Roman Empire, the city was conquered by the Visigoths and in 712 by the Moors. In 856, after the reconquest under King Ordoño I of Asturias, the city was repopulated. Ordoño II made León the capital of his kingdom of León in 914. Sacked by Almanzor in about 987, the city was reconstructed and repopulated by Alfonso V, León was an important stop on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. Traders and artisans settled in the suburbs and had a strong influence on the development of the city from the 13th century onwards. In the early Middle Ages, the city became prosperous through the cattle trade. However, from the 16th century until the 19th century, the economy and population declined. The Basílica de San Isidoro de León is located on the site of an ancient temple to the Roman god Mercury. In the 10th century, the kings of León established a community of Benedictine sisters on the site. Following the conquest of the area by Al-Mansur (938–1002), the church was destroyed and the area devastated. León was repopulated and a new church and monastery established in the 11th century by Alfonso V of León. In 1063 the basilica was dedicated to Saint Isidore of Seville. Isidore was the archbishop of Seville and the most celebrated academic of Visigothic Spain in the period preceding the Arab invasions. With the agreement of the Muslim ruler of Seville, Isidore's relics were brought to Leon where they could be interred on Christian soil. The church benefited from its position on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella. Sculptors, stonemasons, and artists from across Europe gathered to work on the monastery. There are interesting capitals along the nave. Wrestling

Manegold of Lautenbach, a celebrity of his time, lived here in the 11th. century. During the Investiture Controversy, Manegold sided strongly with Pope Gregory VII. Emperor Henry IV was so annoyed about this, that he sent an army to Lautenbach, to destroy the monastery and churches. About 50 years later Augustinian Canons settled here - and rebuilt the church, reusing a lot of old material. Many changes took place in and around the building (now the parish church) over the time, but the ground floor of the westwork seen here, seems still unchanged. Having seen the delicate structure of the narthex with slim pillars -and fine capitals, both friezes are kind of shocking. The naiv style of these carvings differs totally from the others. These friezes may have been part of the church destroyed 1086 - and be reused here. As you see, this frieze consists out of three frames, of which two are nearly identical - and one is rather large. I will start from inside. Robert Will does not mention the first two "frames", so there is no help from "Alsace romane", Éditions Zodiaque. There are two men. Wrestling. The anatomy of the two bodies is strange, maybe even bumbling.. It is not clear, why these men are wrestling. I do not know, what "to wrestle" did mean within the 11th century. I can imagine, that wrestling was not a "knightly" form of fighting. Sofar I have seen fighting men, wearing armours and having weapons of any kind. Some even on horses. Here the men, that look like twins are naked. Obviously the wrestling takes place "outside", as there are leafs around the heads. Or - are these naked men not wrestling at all? Are they kissing each other? That would of course add some very different flavour! Please note, that the two profiles of the wrestlers form one "full" face. An idea, that Picasso had later as well. This "frame" is very cryptic. The strangest is, that next to this - is the same frame again. So if there is someone, who knows, what this could mean - write a comment please.

Today Saint-Jean-de-Côle, a member of "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" ("most beautiful villages of France"), has a population of only about 300. A priory was founded here (on Norman foundations) and the construction of the church started in 1086. The church, completed in the 12th century, has a very unusual plan (sometimes called "Byzantine"). There is a semicircular apse and a rectangular nave, that once was crowned by a dome. This dome was destroyed during the Hundred Years War and got rebuilt and collapsed twice later. It does not exist any longer. All around the chapels are more than 80 sculpted corbels. Here are two wrestlers.

Saint-Étienne is the parish church of Macqueville, a village of a population of about 300. The western front looks very unspectacular, compared to most Romanesque churches of the Saintonge, but there are many corbels along the nave and a very nice side portal. Two wrestlers.

The monastery "Abbatia ad Lacum" was founded in 1093 on the shores of a lake (lacum). It was a priory of Affligem Abbey (Belgium) first, but since 1138 was an independent Benedictian abbey. The erection of the monastery, following the "Sankt Galler Klosterplan" ("Plan of Saint Gall") started, when the first monks settled here. To complete the church took more than 200 years. Even after the consecration, many parts were added or altered. The abbey was an intellectual hub in the 12th/13th century, but like many other convents declined later. It joined the Bursfelde Congregation, a reform movement originating from the Bursfelde Abbey in the valley of the Weser river. The monastery existed upto the secularisation. The buildings and all the abbey´s possessions became property of the French state. The inventary was auctioned. After the Congress of Vienna the ownership of the empty buildings went to the Prussian State, who sold it. Within the 1860s it was acquired by the "Society of Jesus". The "Kulturkampf", a row between the Prussian government and the Roman Catholic administration, ended that episode and in 1992 the Benedictines returned. They could do with the support of Wilhelm II, as the church itself was still owned by the Prussian state. Since then many restaurations and renovations have taken place, to "purify" the buildings - and "recreate" the Romanesque style. A detail from the left side of the narthex facade. Foliage, densely populated by mythical creatures. Two wrestlers to the right. Their upper bodies are human, but they seem to stick in winged siren-bodies. The scene in the center reminds on a "wolf-school", as seen in Freiburg and Saint Ursanne, where the teachers are monks. Here the teacher (in case this is a teacher) seems to be a hairy woodwose or a devil. I could not read the words, he wrote (PEC??? and GAGA??). The animal (wolf?) next to him has turned his head already to the billy goat, that is (not to be seen from this pov) attacked from another wolf from behind. This is left to the portal. The same position on the right side differs notably. See the following upload. According to information from the local museum, the stones used for these carvings by an anonymous master, named "Samsonmeister" by art historians, are "coralline limestones", brought to this secluded place from France.

The Benedictian abbey Notre Dame in Déols had established a priory here in the 11th century. Located in the center of La Celle (pop 350) is Saint Blaise, the fromer priory´s church. It was erected in two phases (from east to west) during the 12th century. Flying buttresses had to be added in the 18th century, when the structure started to crack. The Benedictian abbey Notre Dame in Déols had established a priory here in the 11th century. Saint Blaise, the priory´s church, was erected in two phases (from east to west) during the 12th century. Flying buttresses had to be added in the 18th century, when the structure started to crack. Some enigmatic spolia of unknown origin have been integrated into the western facade. Here are some of the facade´s left side. Two wrestlers? A boar and a ball? There is a fragment of an inscription, but I cannot read it..

Notre-Dame la Grande, a former collegiate church, was completed around 1150. This facade is a masterpiece of Romanesque art. The church replaced an older one, known since the 9th century. The western facade is the result of an enlargement. In the first half of the 12th century, the older facade got removed - and two spans were added to the nave toward the west. The facade (sometimes called it a "frontage-screen") completed that enlargement. This facade is a brilliant example of the Romanesque "style poitevin". As the church went trough the Wars of Religions and the French Revolution many of the carvings are damaged. Here is a more detailed view on that frieze. Seen are the "Visitation", the "Nativity" and the "First Bath", watched by Joseph in his typical posture, his head is resting on his hand. Mary in childbed, ox and ass are seen over the crib. Baby Jesus smiles in the tub. The architecture of Bethlehem (?) reminds on fortified place. Note the two ("Greco-Roman") wrestlers just under Joseph and a very strange beast next to them. Take a closer look to the piece of miniature architecture. For a while I thought, that this might stand for "Bethlehem", but it cannot. When it was created it was kind of very contemporary, as behind the protecting wall is a church - with a cross on the roof. Strange to see that next to the Nativity.

The first church ever built here, was near the sea, where Saint Guirec, a missionary from Wales, went ashore in the 6th century. The parish church seen here was erected little inland, on a hill ("Perros" - "Pen-roz") and was dedicated to Saint Guirec. Within the 11th century, the first pilgrims on their way to Santiago passed through and so Saint-Jaques was added. Five bays of the 11th century the nave still exist. The eastern 6 bays and the choir were added in Gothic style later. The old, Romanesque nave is flanked by massive, granite pillars. Some of them have strange, rough carvings. Two men, wrestling in Greco-Roman style. Probably.

"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 left side looks like lots spolia got "glued" together here. It´s a puzzle. Here are two wrestlers, just wearing loin clothes and caps. They may wrestle "freestyle", or even "catch as catch". In "Greco-Roman wrestling" blocking the foot of the opponent would end in a disqualification. Jousting was an entertaining sport for the nobility, did the common people wrestle?

There had been a small community of monks here, that end of the 11th century joined the important Benedictian Abbaye royale of Saint-Jean-d'Angély (20kms northwest), that was part of the cluniac network. The Abbaye royale got wealthy through the thousands of pilgrims on the Via Turonensis. They all stopped to see the relic of John the Baptist, before they continued, and obviously left some coins. The abbey could afford to build a prestigious abbey church for the monastic comunity in Marestay (now Matha) at the same time, when Saint-Hérie (see previous uploads), just 2kms apart from here, was erected. Probably the same monks, lay brothers and workers toiled on two construction sides in long double shifts. During the Wars of Religion many curches within the whole area got ruined and mutilated. In Saint-Herie, 2kms south, only two walls of the Romanesque church are still in place. Here the complete nave is missing. After the "Edict of Nantes" got revoked in 1685, all Huguenots living in Matha were evicted and exiled. Following that all protestant churches existing in the town got leveled to the ground. The only parts of Saint-Pierre that survived the incredible fury are the apse, the transepts and the crossing. Of course, this is bricked up now, creating the new facade. The pillars seen here crossing-pillars. The carvings, decorating the pillars, are outside now. There are tow wrestlers on the right.

The parish church Saint-Sulpice in the village of Marignac was erected within the 12th century as part of a priory, founded here by the Charroux Abbey (120kms southeast). The church has a remarkable cloverleaf layout. The eastern part with the side chapels and the apse and the western portal are still dating back to the first church here, while the outer walls of the nave have been rebuilt, after destruction by war. The frieze, that runs all around the apse, has a very dense jungle of entwined vines, full of dangers and adventures. There were free-style wrestlers around the corner (previous upload), the wrestlers ,seen here, obviously prefer the Graeco-Roman style.

The parish church Saint-Sulpice in the village of Marignac was erected within the 12th century as part of a priory, founded here by the Charroux Abbey (120kms southeast). The church has a remarkable cloverleaf layout. The eastern part, seen here and the portal are still dating back to the first church here, while the outer walls of the nave have been rebuilt, after destruction by war. All around the eastern "cloverleaf" are carved corbels, pillar and capitals. For a while I saw here a hugging couple. But this is a serious fight. Note the very unfair kick "below the belt".