Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: St. Maurice

In the Magdeburg Cathedral is the oldest known image depicting Saint Maurice as a Moor ( = Mauritius). The statue is carved around 1250 and shows him as an armoured knight. It could well be, that this statue is the oldest picture of an ethnic African in Mid-Europe. St.. Maurice was a leader of the Theban Legion. Tradition tells, that the complete legion converted to Christianity within the 3rd century - and later got the title "Martyrs of Agaunum". As the soldiers refused to prosecute and punish fellow Christians, every tenth soldier got executed. This happened at least twice. Some places in Germany (Bonn, Cologne, Xanten, Trier) claim to be the place where these legionnaires were martyred. In the end, all soldiers of the Theban Legion were executed in Agaunum, nowadays named "Saint-Maurice" in Switzerland.

One of the (59!) romanesque capitals in the cathedral St. Maurice, carved late 12th century shows this "Luxuria". The symbol of one of the seven deadly sins (greed, lust, gluttony) shows a woman breastfeeding animals (mostly snakes). Often she is acompanied by a devil. Here the artists mixed both figures together (see the three horns on her head). And this Luxuria (whose joints seem to be very flexibel), is very symetric. Even the two snakes (note their faces) form similar spirals on both sides. The face is pretty wide - and her look seems frozen or petrified. Here are some more Luxurias: www.flickr.com/photos/martin-m-miles/4748346861/ www.flickr.com/photos/martin-m-miles/4744005302/ www.flickr.com/photos/martin-m-miles/4515805864/