Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Archangel Michael

Soria is located on the Douro River at about 1065 meters above sea level. A strategic enclave due to the struggles for territory between the kingdoms of Castile, Navarre, and Aragon, Soria became part of Castile definitively in 1134, during the reign of Alfonso VII. Alfonso VIII was born in Soria in 1155. Booming during the Late Middle Ages thanks to its border location and its control over the cattle industry. In 1380, a court order forbade the Jews to try their own criminal cases in court. In addition, a decree was confirmed, according to which Jews were not allowed to be employed in the royal administration or among the nobility. These resolutions served as the basis for hate speeches that led to the massacre of the Jewish population in 1391. Soria went into a slow decline over the next few centuries. It was damaged greatly during the Peninsular War. The original church may have its origins in the years when Alfonso I the Warrior, was repopulating Soria (1109-1114). The church was donated by the Council of Soria to Bishop Juan II de Osma in 1148. In 1152, the Bishop of Osma, donated the church to the Augustinian canons, raising it to the collegiate church. After the canons formed a monastic community, they decided to demolish the old church and build a new one. In return, they enjoyed the favor of the Castilian monarchs, which was reflected in numerous donations and privileges. A spacious Romanesque church with three naves was built. The monastic community was secularized in 1437 and in 1467 the north pediment of the transept was opened in its present form by a large pointed arch and a Plateresque-style portal. The church collapsed around 1543. Reconstruction work began immediately. At the end of the century the new collegiate church was completed with the construction of the bell tower. Parts of the old monastery survived the collapse of the church in the 16th century. The Romanesque cloister is preserved. A psichostasia, on the right, stands Archangel Michael holding the scale, and in the center, Abraham carrying the souls to heaven. To the left a giant devilish creature

Soria is located on the Douro River at about 1065 meters above sea level. A strategic enclave due to the struggles for territory between the kingdoms of Castile, Navarre, and Aragon, Soria became part of Castile definitively in 1134, during the reign of Alfonso VII. Alfonso VIII was born in Soria in 1155. Booming during the Late Middle Ages thanks to its border location and its control over the cattle industry. In 1380, a court order forbade the Jews to try their own criminal cases in court. In addition, a decree was confirmed, according to which Jews were not allowed to be employed in the royal administration or among the nobility. These resolutions served as the basis for hate speeches that led to the massacre of the Jewish population in 1391. Soria went into a slow decline over the next few centuries. It was damaged greatly during the Peninsular War. The original church may have its origins in the years when Alfonso I the Warrior, was repopulating Soria (1109-1114). The church was donated by the Council of Soria to Bishop Juan II de Osma in 1148. In 1152, the Bishop of Osma, donated the church to the Augustinian canons, raising it to the collegiate church. After the canons formed a monastic community, they decided to demolish the old church and build a new one. In return, they enjoyed the favor of the Castilian monarchs, which was reflected in numerous donations and privileges. A spacious Romanesque church with three naves was built. The monastic community was secularized in 1437 and in 1467 the north pediment of the transept was opened in its present form by a large pointed arch and a Plateresque-style portal. The church collapsed around 1543. Reconstruction work began immediately. At the end of the century the new collegiate church was completed with the construction of the bell tower. Parts of the old monastery survived the collapse of the church in the 16th century. The Romanesque cloister is preserved. A psichostasia, on the right, stands Archangel Michael holding the scale, and in the center, Abraham carrying the souls to heaven. To the left a giant devilish creature

Mölln is a small town (pop. ~20.000) surrounded by lakes. It was founded in the 12th century by Knight Konrad Wackerbarth by resettling Slavic peasants into today's Old Mölln. Around 1210, the settlement got the first fortifications. First time mentioned was the village 1188 in Barbarossa's privilege for Lübeck. Mölln fell to Denmark in 1201 and was granted "Lübische Stadtrecht" (town charter) by King Waldemar II. 25 years later Mölln fell to the Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg in 1227. In 1230 Mölln was mentioned as the youngest parish in the Ratzeburg tithe register. The church, which was probably built around this time, was placed under the patrocinium of St. Nicholas. Mölln was important due to the Old Salt Route, through which the salt produced in the salt mines of Lüneburg was shipped to the harbour of Lübeck. Although situated in the midst of the duchy of Lauenburg, the town was mortgaged to the Hanseatic town of Lübeck, which ruled Mölln from 1359 to 1683. St. Nicolai, the parish church, is located on the highest point, overlooking the town and the seas around. The construction started probably at the end of the 12th century. The oldest parts can be attributed to the Brick Romanesque period, the south nave to the Brick Gothic period. The choir room was probably finished around 1217, when the Bishop of Ratzeburg held his first synod here. In the 15th century, the church underwent alterations: in 1470/71, the south nave was extended and in 1497, the present baptistery and the sacristy were added. Some of the neoGothic "new" frescoes got removed. The remaining medieval ones are very interesting. The "weighing of souls" (= psychostasia). Archangel Michael holds the scale. The devils try to hold the scale down. Note the musician.

Ruvo di Puglia, founded probably by Greek settlers, was a "municipium" in Roman times. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it got destroyed by Visigothic troops in the 5th centuryand later again by the Lombards. It was then Byzantine and later under Saracen and the Norman power. The Ruvo Cathedral, once the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Ruvo, is now a co-cathedral in the Diocese of Molfetta-Ruvo-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi. It was built over a previous church and is an important example of late Apulian Romanesque architecture, built between the 12th and 13th centuries. The current exterior is the result of early 20th-century restoration works which removed the Baroque additions. The church has a sloped façade with three portals. The central one is larger and sophisticatly decorated. Between the portal and a large 16th-century rose window is this double mullioned window with a bas-relief of the "Archangel Michael Defeating the Devil". Note the left side of the window. "Pillar eaters" are pretty common in Romanesque times, but two pillars in one mouth are rarely seen.

Lucca existed already in Etruscan times and became a Roman colony in 180 BC. The Diocese of Lucca dates back to the first century, legends tell, that St. Paulinus, a disciple of St. Peter, was the first Bishop of Lucca. In medieval times Lucca was the residence of the Margraves of Tuscany. After the death of Matilda of Tuscany (1115), Lucca constituted itself as an independent republic. Actually the "Republic of Lucca" existed from 1160 to 1805. San Michele in Foro was built over the ancient Roman forum in the center of Lucca. A church existed right here already end of the 9th century. Pope Alexander II, who had been bishop in Lucca before he made carreer in Rome , started the construction of the church, seen here, after 1070. It took centuries to complete this building. Diotisalvi and Guidetto da Como have worked here in the 13th century. Unfortunately it is not always clear, wether the ornaments are 13th century - or a result of the renovation of the 19th century. This is a lintel over one of the doors. (Small) Archangel Michael fights the evil dragon in the center. Much bigger than the Archangel are the mermaid, the long haired centaur, the griffin and the hungry lion.