Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Saint Jacques

Saint Florentin was a small Gallo-Roman settlement. As it was located on the border of several provinces in early medieval times, it was taken by Visigoths, Francs, Burgondes, Francs and -of course by Normans in 886). It was English in 1356 during the Hundred Years War but was then retaken and completely destroyed by the Burgundians in 1359. Huguenots rampaged during the Wars of Religion in 1562. Saint-Florentin is enclosed by the houses. The first church here, probably part of a fortified castle is from the 13th century. The erection of today´s church started on the hill, where once stood the castle, at the beginning of the 16th century. The construction was interrupted by the Wars of Religion and did not resume until the beginning of the 17th century. Well, the nave was never built, so today there is the choir and the transept. Due to the long time the construction took, the style is late Gothic plus some Renaissance. As the church only has choir and transept it is kind of "short". In the centre a remarkable pretty complete rood screen. Saint Jacques shares his bread with a kid. He is equipped with a pilgrim's staff and wears a "Coquilles Saint-Jacques" on his hat. The friendly people in the "Office de Tourisme" gave me the key to open the church door. Merci beaucoup!

Porto is with a population of about 250.000 the largest city in Northern Portugal. In "Greater Porto", the metropolitan area, live even more than 1.7 million people. The historical center of Porto was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Port wine is named after Porto, since the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia on the southern banks of the river Douro are the centers for packaging, transport and export of the fortified wine. Some years ago I had been here for a couple of days before I started the "Camino Portugues" here. The construction of the dominating Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto) began around 1100 and was completed more than 2 centuries later. Though it underwent different alterations over the centuries (gothic, baroque), the romanesque structure of the once fortified church is still clearly visible. The gothic cloister was added end of the 14th century. From there stairs lead up to the cathedral´s museum, where many sculptures are displayed. "Saint Jacques", wearing the "coquille" on his hat, will protect all pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, just about 250 kms north from Porto.

The Battistero Neoniano (= Baptistry of Neon, Orthodox Baptistry) is the most ancient, still existing structure in Ravenna. The octagon was erected on the site of a Roman bath by Bishop Ursus at the end of the 4th century, as part of The Basilica Ursiana, that was destroyed in 1734, to make room for the Baroque cathedral of today. The baptistery was finished by Bishop Neon at the end of the 5th century, at which time the famous mosaic decorations were added. The ceiling mosaic depicts John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. A procession of the twelve apostles proceeds around the center. Here the portrait of IACOBUS (= Saint James, Saint Jacques).

San Martial, parish church of Le Douhet is a 12th century structure, that had to be stabilized by buttresses within the 15th century, when a steeple was built and the building got unbalanced and unstable. The portal, erected in the typical Saintonge-style, is richly decorated. One of the apostles, populating the outer archivolt, is Saint Jacques ("Saint James"). The saint is dressed like a pilgrim and holds the pilgrim´s staff. There may have been a "coquille" once as well... The stones all over the Saintonge were very soft and so ideal for complex carvings. Unfortunately they weathered over the centuries. I have tried to walk with such a long stick in 2005, but could not get used to it. Since then I use two walking sticks, what is - for me - very convenient.