Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Nicodemus

Slavic Ranen lived on the island of Ruegen and the mainland opposite the island. They were independent heathens up to the middle of the 12th century, and so maybe the last non-Christian people in Central Europe. In 1168 Danish King Valdemar I defeated the Ranen and destroyed "Jaromarsburg" their main sanctuary. After the Danish victory, the Slavic princes became feudatories of the Danish crown and accepted the Christian faith. They founded Strale, which prospered because of the rich herring stocks in the waters, many merchants settled here who saw this as their basis for trade. Already in 1234 Slavic Prince Wizlaw I granted the village the town charter (Lübsches Stadtrecht). Stralsund now became an important trading town in the Baltic region, mainly due to settlers from Westphalia. The German settlers clearly outnumbered the Slavic population already around 1300. From 1325 on Stralsund belonged to Pomerania-Wolgast. In the 14th century, it was the most important Hanseatic city in the southern Baltic region after Lübeck. The 15th century was Stralsund's heyday. Long-distance trade was the most important economic factor. Around 1450, 350 merchants were involved in such trade. In 1488, 50 skippers founded the "St. Marienbruderschaft der Schiffer", the forerunner of the still existing "Stralsund Schiffercompagnie". As early as 1525, the majority of Stralsund's citizens converted to the Protestant faith. After the Thirty Years' War Stralsund belonged to the Kingdom of Sweden for almost 200 years. In 1815 Stralsund came to Prussia. - The town hall and the Nikolaikirche form an impressive architectural ensemble. The planning and construction of the church went hand in hand with the planning of the town hall. The city council was even the trustee for the construction of the new church. The church was initially built as a hall church but following the example of Lübeck's Marienkirche, the unfinished Nikolaikirche was rebuilt into a basilica around 1270. From the beginning, the church was built with brick produces in the region. Around 1308, the enclosing wall of the choir was closed. This is the result of dendrochronological investigations. With the start of construction work on the new choir pillars, the eastern part of the predecessor church, which had still been used until then, was finally demolished. An invoice from 1314 for the ridge turret of the choir indicates the date of completion of this section. Construction of the tower to the west began as early as 1300. Around 1314, when the tower had reached the height of the choir enclosure at 13 metres, the council decided to have two towers built. Around 1350, the construction of the nave between the two towers was completed. - The altar is named "Altar der Buergermeister" (Altar of the Mayors), as it was donated by the mayors Henning Mörder and Sabel Oseborn. The donation was made around 1511, just before the Reformation. The deposition from the cross can be seen with the mourners on the left side. Nicodemus stands at the foot of the cross, stretching his hands to catch the body and and Joseph of Arimathea.

The town of Chaource (pop. 1100) is known for the Chaource cheese and the church dedicated to Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The choir was part of a church built within the 14th century, but from 1531 on the old nave got teared down and was replaced by nave and aisles seen here. Steps lead down to the "Chapelle du Sépulcre", where this entombment is placed. The "mise au tombeau" was created by an unidentified sculptor, known under the name "Maitre de Chaource" around 1515. Scholars are still discussing the identity of the Master, but - just like the much older "Maître de Cabestany" -, the name may stand for a studio or a workshop. There are more than a hundred of carvings in this typical, very realistic style in the Champagne area, attributed to him. Fltr: Nicodemus, Virgin Mary, Saint John, Mary Salome, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas and Joseph of Arimathea.

Already Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths, may have funded a church, erected over the tomb of Saint Zeno, who, following the legends, was born in Mauretania and died around 380 in Verona. The erection of the present church began in the 9th century. Soon after San Zeno´s relics were translated into the new church. At that time Charlemagne´s son Pepin (aka "Pepin of Italy") resided in Verona and a large Benedictine monastery grew all around the church. When the Magyars invaded Italy in the early 10th century, the church got severely damaged, but the relics were not harmed, as they had been taken out and were hidden. In 967, a new church was built with the patronage of Otto I. On January 3, 1117, the church was damaged by an earthquake, that ruined so many buildings in Northern Italy. The church was restored and got enlarged in 1138. It may well be, that soon after panels of a bronze door from another (destroyed?, damaged?) church were transferred to San Zeno - and so got reused here. Today the famous bronze door consists out of two panels on which the plates are fixed. The older ones (~ 1100) are often compared with the bronze works in Hildesheim, and Saxon Masters may have worked here. The younger ones (1200) are "smoother" and some scholars connect them to Benedetto Antelami, who worked in Parma 1178 ("Deposition"). Unfortunately the room is so small, that I was unable to take an "overview", so I could only take photos of panels and details. The "Descent from the Cross" Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross.

Romeno is a small village in the Val di Non. The small church, outside the village, is surrounded by orchards. It may date back to the 8th century, though it was mentioned first time in 1187. Soon after the interior walls of Santi Bartolomeo e Tommaso were adorned with murals. Some of the frescoes (dated to 1210) still exist. The Descent from the Cross. The person to the left could be Mary Magdalene, Joseph of Arimathea (or Nicodemus) holds the body (near the chest), followed by John the Apostle and Mary. Matthew 27:57-58 "As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him." John 19:38-39 "Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.."