Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: shield

Otranto occupies the site of an ancient Greek city. It gained importance in Roman times, as it was the nearest port to the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. After the end of the Roman Empire, it was in the hands of the Byzantine emperors until it surrendered to the Norman troops of Robert Guiscard in 1068. The Normans fortified the city and built the cathedral, that got consecrated in 1088. When Henry VI., son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, married Constanze of Sicily in 1186 Otranto came under the rule of the Hohenstaufen and later in the hands of Ferdinand I of Aragón, King of Naples. Between 1480 and 1481 the "Ottoman invasion" took place here. Troops of the Ottoman Empire invaded and laid siege to the city and its citadel. Legends tell that more than 800 inhabitants were beheaded after the city was captured. The "Martyrs of Otranto" are still celebrated in Italy, their skulls are on display in the cathedral. A year later the Ottoman garrison surrendered the city following a siege by Christian forces and the intervention of Papal forces. - Otranto had been one of the last Byzantine strongholds in Apulia, but finally Robert Guiscard could take it. It had probably been such a stronghold, as Otranto had hosted an autocephalous bishopric, only dependent of the patriarchal see of Byzantium since 968. So (Roman) Catholicism had to perform something "convincing" for the so long (Byzantine) Orthodox christians. One was to erect a huge church. The Otranto Cathedral was erected, over ruins of a Paleo-christian church from 1080 on and was consecrated in 1088. It is 54 metres long by 25 metres wide and is built on 42 monolithic granite and marble columns. I had come to Otranto, to see the mosaic. I had planned to stay one night in Otranto, I spent three nights - and still had not seen all the details. I was so overwhelmed, that I took hundreds of photos, but the mosaic is "endless". I will upload only a couple. It was created by a monk named Pantaleon and his workshop between 1163 and 1165. Pantaleon lived at the monastery San Nicola di Casole, located a few kilometres south of Otranto. The mosaic covers the nave, both aisles, the apse and the presbytery. This sums up to a total of 1596 m². About 10 000000 (10 million!) "tesserae" were used. There are scholars, who have counted up to 700 different "stories", that are told here. Though, these "stories" are often disputed, as today's interpretations are mostly very "vague". German historian Carl Arnold Willemsen published the most important book about the mosaic in Italian " L'enigma di Otranto", that since the 1970s is translated in many languages. I followed his theories. Two men armed with round shields and long clubs are fighting. To the left a horse with a mane, that looks like flames and the Tree of Life has developed a leaf or fruit, that looks like a large boxfish.

One of the first printed records about this gate stated in 1859 "Of all old monuments in the Rhine valley, none as mysterious as the portal (...) near the church in Remagen". The Pfarrhoftor (= Gateway to the parish close) still is enigmatic. It may have been erected for a nearby monastery, that centered around an St. Apollinaris shrine, it may have been in deed a gate to a parish close. Actually it known since the 17th century, when parts of it were found, walled in between the rectory and the encircling wall. The parts were recovered and like pieces of a puzzle joined together. Though the cope stone was lost, the large arch was easy to reconstruct. Wether the smaller side portal originally was left or right is unclear. The 22 carved reliefs here have triggered more than a dozend different theories. I will quote some. The carving style was not appreciated by the art-historians. Already Wilhelm Bode ("Geschichte der Deutschen Plastik") wrote in 1887 that the carver was "without any artistic ambition". For me this portal has parallels in Linden and Goegging. All three portals are roughly carved - and enigmatic, blending christian, pagan and ancient icons. The only point, that is undisputed is, that the portal was erected in the second half of the 12th century. In 1902, when the neo-Romanesque church St. Peter and Paul was erected, the Pfarrhoftor got placed here, next to the new church. A person equipped with helmet, shield and spear standing / posing on the bones of an slaughtered enemy. This may be St. Michael, triumphing over the dragon (with a human face), but there are no wings, no nimbus. For church historian Dr. Koeniger (1947) the icon offers criticism to the knighthood, as the person defiles the bones of an enemy. Or is this virtue triumphing over vice..? Or David (Humalitas) and Goliath (Superbia)? Undisputed is that the triumphator wears a garment, that was widely used by the nobility within the 12th century.

The Pieve di San Pietro a Gropina is located on a hill in the hamlet Gropina, that meanwhile belongs to Loro Ciuffenna. A chapel existed here already in the 4th century. Soon after Charlemagne had donated the area to the Nonantola Abbey, Benedictian monks erected a church here end of the 8th century. The church of today was probably built within the 12th century. At that time this was one of the wealthiest parish church with the diocese, having about 30 depending churches. The nave is flanked by pillars, that all have sculpted capitals. The capitals of left and right side differ in style. Within some decades two workshops have worked here. Maybe even more. The remarkable pulpit is based on a knotted pillar, is a striking piece of art. Some scholars attribute it to a "Master of Campione" (or a workshop). This "Campione" workshop created as well some of the capitals. Here are warriors on horsebacks, equipped with shields and lances. Between them a small nude male person. A devil? Italo Moretti and Renato Stopani ("Toscane romane") see the little guy as a symbol of heathenism.

Melle was known already during Roman times, when silver and lead were mined here. The silver mines were exploited over hundreds of years, got forgotten and "rediscovered" in the 19th century. Today they are a tourist attraction. Melle was wealthy and the pilgrims, walking the Via Turonensis, passed through Melle on their way to Santiago, what brought even more money into town. Churches were erected during the heydays of the pilgrimage. Three (!) Romanesque churches can still be found here. Melle must have been a large building site within the 12th century, with hundreds of construction worker and dozends of carvers. Saint-Savinien is the oldest of the three Romanesque churches in Melle. It is as well the most austere church and the only one erected within the city walls in two stages in the 11th and the 12th century. After the French Revolution, the building was used as a prison - upto 1926. Throughoutfully renovated in the 1960s, it serves for cultural events like concerts and exhibitions nowadays. The western facade has some interesting, very rough, archaic carvings, what is a surprise. Master carvers worked on many places not far away (eg Aulnay), later even in Melle. . A fully armoured knight, holding a lance (with two pennons). The bridle can be seen. The "chevalier" wears helmet/visor and shield - and maybe uses rather large stirrups. No! This is not a unicorn.