Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: megaphallus

In the time of Alfonso IX , the settlement began to be formed thanks to the repopulation policy. In 1270, Alfonso X of Castile founded the current town by granting a town charter. From the 14th century onwards the town was named Villaviciosa meaning "fertile town." The church is erected in the late Romanesque style with some Gothic elements. The granting of the charter by Alfonso X meant a very substantial growth of the town that led to the construction of this church. The church had of course several modifications over the years. Here it looks as if pious Puritans have damaged the corbel under the roof with a hammer. Now something crucial is missing.

San Vicente is the parish of the municipality of Rodeiro. The first documentary mention of Rodeiro dates back to 1368, the church may .be a century older. The floor plan consists of a single rectangular nave and an apse connected by a triumphal arch. The walls are made of granite blocks laid in stone in regular rows. The upper part of the west façade was altered in modern times when the bell tower was rebuilt and replaced by a baroque tower. There are some interesting corbels under the roof. This one shows a male exhibitionist. The genitals of such sculptures were often cut off in the later Puritan period, here it has been preserved.

The parish church was probably erected within the 13th century. A church here, depending of the Cluniac priory of Saint-Martin d'Aix, is mentioned for the first time in 1188. The church got severely damaged during the Wars of Religions and was not restored until the 18th century. Unfortunately the church was locked. It has a Romanesque façade and some nice corbels. Some of the corbels depict megaphallic / ithyphallic men. Such figures can quite often be found in the Poitou but most of them are - like here - damaged.

The parish church was probably erected within the 13th century. A church here, depending of the Cluniac priory of Saint-Martin d'Aix, is mentioned for the first time in 1188. The church got severely damaged during the Wars of Religions and was not restored until the 18th century. Unfortunately the church was locked. It has a Romanesque façade and some nice corbels. Some of the corbels depict megaphallic / ithyphallic men. Such figures can quite often be found in the Poitou but most of them are - like here - damaged.

Saint-Martin, the parish church of Vouthon, was erected in the 12th century and was part of a commandery of the Knights Templar. The commandery was taken over by the Knights Hospitaller ("Sovereign Military Order of Malta"). The church got restored after the damage, caused by the Hundred Years War. An explicit, ithyphallic corbel can be seen under the roof outside the church, though later prudish people tried to correct that with hammer and chisel.

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. Here is a row of corbels. I´m not really sure about the right corbel. The other two are pretty explicit and depict two exhibitionists.

Castile and Mauricio, the Bishop of Burgos. Ferdinand had just married Barbarossa´s granddaughter Beatrice of Swabia (aka "Elisabeth of Swabia") and wanted a cathedral, reflecting his new role in the European power game. The former Romanesque cathedral got demolished and on July 20, 1221, the construction of the new Gothic started under the guidance of an unknown French architect. After nine years, the chevet was completed and the high altar was consecrated. Then the construction stopped for about 200 years. Attending the Council of Basel (aka "Council of Florence") in 1435 bishop (and diplomat) Alfonso de Cartagena saw the just completed, elegant towers of the Basel Minster. When he returned to Burgos he was accompanied by German architect Johannes von Köln (aka "Juan de Colonia"), who probably knew the blueprints of the towers, planned for the Cathedral of Cologne. Under his guidance the towers of the Cathedral were completed in open tracery. He was followed on the construction site by his son Simon de Colonia. Francisco de Colonia, Simon´s son, continued the work and created the Pellejería-Portal. This was a family business. There are many slim and fit apes and monkeys here (see previous uploads). This one is different. The monkey is fat, clumsy, chained and vandalized. Somebody has chipped off - a drum? Or an ithyphallus? I browsed through Amandine Gaudron´s "Le singe médiéval". There are many musicians, dancers and acrobats, but I could not find an exhibitionist.

Saint-Pardoux was erected in the second half of the 12th century as a church for a priory, dependent from the Benedictine Abbey Saint-Étienne in Baignes. The single-nave church got enlarged later and restored/rebuilt in the 19th century. It is claimed, that the facade is inspired by the construction of the cathedral of Angouleme. I do not see a strong influence. The blueprint of the facade is the "triumph arch". hundreds of churches in the Saintongue have a similar portal. The carvings of the facade are very elaborate and come from a very skilled workshop. Here is a corbel of the facade. A nude, male contortionist, without arms. Maybe the arms got lost like a part of the genitals. The head is strange. This may well be a bull´s head. I can see one horn.

A priory, dependent from the Abbaye Royale in Saint-Jean-d'Angély, existed here in the 12th century, the church Saint-Germain was erected end of that century. The church is known for the southern portal, which is a Romanesque masterpiece. Some of the corbels of the transept and all around the apse are as well beautiful. Are there two persons - embracing each other ? And what is the subject inbetween them? Or is there a male genital? If so the corbel depicts a nude man. There are some more of these ithyphallic / megaphallic persons under the roofs of Poitous´ medieval churches.

"Saint-Marcouf" is the parish church of Saint-Marcouf, a small village near the Utah Beach, the westernmost of the landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The church was erected within the 11th century, but got enlarged and altered about 200 years later. The church is dedicated to Saint Marcouf, a Bayeux-born missionary, who founded the abbey of de Nanteuil (aka "Nantus"), that existed upto about 1500 on a small island just off the coast and named today "Îles Saint-Marcouf". The Saint died on the island in 588. During medieval times Saint Marcouf was best known for the healing of scrofula. There are many corbels under the roof Saint-Marcouf. Maybe what was to be seen on the previous corbel was not a "megaphallus". But here clearly is one! Another "Sweyn Forkbeard"? He is carried by two companions. They act like ambulancemen. "Forkbeard´s" hands can be seen on their shoulders

Evening light on "Saint-Marcouf", the parish church of Saint-Marcouf, a small village near the Utah Beach, the westernmost of the landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The church was erected within the 11th century, but got enlarged and altered about 200 years later. The church is dedicated to Saint Marcouf, a Bayeux-born missionary, who founded the abbey of de Nanteuil (aka "Nantus"), that existed upto about 1500 on a small island just off the coast and named today "Îles Saint-Marcouf". The Saint died on the island in 588. During medieval times Saint Marcouf was best known for the healing of scrofula. There are many corbels under the roof Saint-Marcouf. For a while a saw a "megaphallus" here, as I had found a couple of medieval exhibitionist already in the Bretagne. But meanwhile I see a running person, covered with lichens.

When the erection of Saint-Pierre started within the 11th century, the place belonged to the "Jumièges Abbey", one of the most important abbeys in Northern France at that time. The brickwork of oldest walls of Saint-Pierre are done in "opus spicatum" ("herringbone-pattern"), A long row of corbels is under the roof. There was a weathered, single female exhibitionist seen on the pervious uplöoad. Neighbouring to the lady is a nude couple.

Early morning in Solignac, where a convent had been founded mid 7th century by Saint Eloi ("Saint Eligius"), who was a kind of senior adviser for the Merovingian kings Clotaire II and his son Dagobert I, the last of the Merovingian kings. The monastery thrived and soon more than 100 monks lived here. But during the 8th century it suffered from Saracen raids, followed by the Normans, who arrived here and looted the monastery a century later. When more and more pilgrims walked along the Via Lemovicensis, they all passed through here - and so the convent´s wealth and importance grew. Even a (still existing) bridge over the near river Briance got constructed during that time. The monks started the erection of the abbey-church, seen here, in the first decade of the 12th century. The structure was completed already about a century later. During the Hundred Years´ War the buildings of the abbey got partly destroyed, Calvinistic iconoclasts were here several times during the Wars of Religions. All formerly monastery buildings next to this church date back to the 18th century and now serve as a retirement home, only the impressive church survived the times and by now is well preserved. The nave is covered by a row of four cupolas on pendentives. There are not many of Romanesque churches with such wonderful domes. I do remember Soulliac, Cahors, Saintes, Perigueux.. The medieval architects had their inspiration from San Marco in Venice, completed around 1100. To plan and built such a church here was really ambitous. Choir, transepts and nave of Saint-Pierre have many corbels and capitals. At least two different studios of carvers have worked here. One workshop created the comples capitals around the apse. The second one created the granite corbels, like this one, in a rougher style. Here is a megaphallic atlant under the roof of the nave.

Saint-Pierre, parish church of Champagnolles (pop. 500), got erected on the floorplan of a Latin Cross in the second half of the 12th century. To enrich the floorplan, semicircular absidioles were added in the east. The builders did not invest much artistic creativity into the portal or the interior, as only some rough capitals can be found there. They obviously concentrated on the rich decoration of eastern walls of Saint-Pierre. All around the apses are dozends of carved mystic and fantastic corbels and capitals. Actually this church is known for "rude" carvings. Somewhere else I would not be convinced, to see another (very) weathered "megaphallus", but here are just so many, that I am sure, that this corbel once depicted another "megaphallic man".

Saint-Pierre, parish church of Champagnolles (pop. 500), got erected on the floorplan of a Latin Cross in the second half of the 12th century. To enrich the floorplan, semicircular absidioles were added in the east. The builders did not invest much artistic creativity into the portal or the interior, as only some rough capitals can be found there. They obviously concentrated on the rich decoration of eastern walls of Saint-Pierre. All around the apses are dozends of carved mystic and fantastic corbels and capitals. Actually this church is known for "rude" carvings. Here is another "megaphallus", that is a bit clumsy and much more weathered then the guy on the previous upload.

Saint-Pierre, parish church of Champagnolles (pop. 500), got erected on the floorplan of a Latin Cross in the second half of the 12th century. To enrich the floorplan, semicircular absidioles were added in the east. The builders did not invest much artistic creativity into the portal or the interior, as only some rough capitals can be found there. They obviously concentrated on the rich decoration of eastern walls of Saint-Pierre. All around the apses are dozends of carved mystic and fantastic corbels and capitals. Actually this church is known for "rude carvings. This "megaphallus", playing a pan flute, is one of them, hidden in the dark corner. The protected position saved the corbel from weathering.

Saint-Pierre, parish church of Champagnolles (pop. 500), got erected on the floorplan of a Latin Cross in the second half of the 12th century. To enrich the floorplan, semicircular absidioles were added in the east. The builders did not invest much artistic creativity into the portal or the interior, as only some rough capitals can be found there. They obviously concentrated on the rich decoration of eastern walls of Saint-Pierre. All around the apses are dozends of carved mystic and fantastic corbels and capitals. Actually this church is known for "rude carvings. This "megaphallus" is one of them, hidden in the dark corner and guarded by a neighbouring owl. The protected position saved the corbel from weathering.