Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: well

In the Middle Ages, Linlithgow rose to prominence as a royal town and residence, centred on Linlithgow Palace, a residence of the Scottish kings on the raised hill beside the loch, as it was a logical stopover between Edinburgh to the east and Stirling to the west. In later centuries, Linlithgow became a centre of leather and other material manufacturing before developing rapidly in the Victorian era with the opening of the Union Canal in the 1820s and the arrival of the railway in 1842. Today Linlithgow is a bustling town with a population of around 13,000. The fountain dates back to the mid-16th century, but the current structure was built in 1807 by Robert Gray, a one-armed stonemason from Edinburgh. Robert built a replica of an earlier structure from 1628. The fountain is carved in the shape of a crown and has recently been refurbished.

In the Middle Ages, Linlithgow rose to prominence as a royal town and residence, centred on Linlithgow Palace, a residence of the Scottish kings on the raised hill beside the loch, as it was a logical stopover between Edinburgh to the east and Stirling to the west. In later centuries, Linlithgow became a centre of leather and other material manufacturing before developing rapidly in the Victorian era with the opening of the Union Canal in the 1820s and the arrival of the railway in 1842. Today Linlithgow is a bustling town with a population of around 13,000. The fountain dates back to the mid-16th century, but the current structure was built in 1807 by Robert Gray, a one-armed stonemason from Edinburgh. Robert built a replica of an earlier structure from 1628. The fountain is carved in the shape of a crown and has recently been refurbished.

Since 1007, when Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich II (Henry II) made Bamberg the seat of a diocese, the Bamberg Cathedral ("Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg") is the seat of the Archbishop of Bamberg. The first cathedral on this place, founded in 1004 by Heinrich II and named "Heinrichsdom", got consecrated already in 1012. This building got destroyed by fire in 1085. Around 1215 the construction of the building seen here started. It was commisioned by Bishop Eckbert von Andechs-Meranien, brother of Hedwig von Andechs (aka Hedwig of Silesia). The new cathedral consecrated in 1237. Unfortunately the entrance to the eastern crypt was locked - and I could only peep into it. This crypt contains the tombs of Bishop Gunther von Bamberg, an important counsellor to Henry III, and Conrad III, the first German King of the House of Staufen and predecessor of Frederick I ( aka "Barbarossa"). I found this side window, opening to the crypt. Probably even before the cathedral was erected, the dug well under this fountain existed.

A first church may have existed around 1100. Some parts of a church erected around 1170 still exist. This was already dedicated to Saint Sulpitius the Pious ("Sulpice le Pieux"), chaplain on the court of Clotaire II, King of the Franks, and later Bishop of Bourges. As the church kept relics of Saint-Sulpice, this was a place for many pilgrims from the very beginning. The construction of the High Gothic church seen today began around 1260. It is for sure the work of an experienced architect, who even may have had ties to the royal court, as the building was financed by Louis IX (aka "Saint Louis") and the Bishopric of Paris. By promoting the pilgrimage to this church, Louis IX from the House of Capet tracked his roots over six centuries back to Merovingian Clotaire II. This church was built during the "siècle d’or de St. Louis", when the Kingdom of France was politically and economically at its height in Europe. Of course, such a "royal symbol" had to suffer in the centuries to come. In 1652, during the civil wars ("Fronde"), the church was set on fire. The roof burnt down and the vaultings over four bays collapsed. During the French Revolution the church was severely damaged and later converted into a "Temple of Reason". The oldest part of the structure (and once the center of pilgrimage) is a small chapel named "Chapelle des Miracles". During recent excavations different skeletons were unearthed under its floor. Wells inside churches are often indicators of pre christian cults. So maybe, just like in nearby Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Garde in Longpont-sur-Orge, this was a meeting place for celtic druids.