Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: winged dragon

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. It may be, that the reliefs, seen here, are just single icons, that are not interconnected to a certain "iconographic program". This is claimed by Paul Clement (1938), Georg Dehio (1933) and Josef Minn (1942). In 1947 Albert M. Koeniger published the results of his research, interpreting the reliefs as icons of eight (!) deadly sins as described by Bishop Burchard of Worms (965-1025), author of a canon law collection (aka "Decretum Burchardi"). In the right is another dragon, similar to that one guarding the left side of the portal. The dragon has a curly tail - and wings. The artist had the nice idea, to add a little extra spice to the scene, as the dragon´s head has broken through the frame.

The exact age of the St.-Peters Church in Linden (about 6kms south of Giessen) is unknown. The church is placed on a once strongly fortified hill, mentioned in the Lorsch codex. A smaller Carolingian chapel had been here already as early as 810/820, foundations of this chapel have been found during a restauration. The church was probably erected within the 12th century. The romanesque portal is the outstanding feature of St.-Peters. It was carved around 1220/1230 and originally it had been on the southern entrance of the church, but was moved to the western facade. There are only a few of these portals in Germany - and this one is pretty unique, though it is weathered and difficult to "read". One theory claims, that the carvings are connected to the legend of Saint Wenceslaus I, the Duke of Bohemia. Saint "Wenzel" was murdered by his brother. Soon after his "martyrdom" several hagiographies were (told and) written - and these were very popular within the middle ages. Both sides have very weathered lions, sculpted in a different style. This lion seems to hold a ram in his mouth. This is the right side, next to the door. All the carvings are weathered and kind of "clumsy", compare with the qualities of work, that can be found in France and Spain. On the right - a small person, holding a club, fights a winged dragon. Is this St. Michael with a club? On the left - under a bird or angel a large bearded person with a key. So this is probably St. Peter. I am not sure, what he is holding in the other hand. Could this be part of a clamp, used to lift a stone (= petros)? The parish has a website about the history of the church (in German): www.ev-kirche-gr-linden.de/kirchengelaende.html

A church existed here since the 8th century. Today´s church was erected with the help of builders, who for sure know the "modern" Gothic style, but the building still has Romanesque parts like the western portal. Here is the lintel and the tympanum of the portal. The sculpture in the center may be "Saint Quirico", some see "Saint Damasus", who was Pope for less than a month in 1048. More interesting are the two evil dragons, who fight on the lintel. These winged creatures are not very common in Tuscany. Dragons like these can often be found in Bavaria (eg Straubing, Regensburg), so the design may have traveled south via the "Via Francigena", that passes through the village. Above the fighting creatures is another devouring dragon and - n the right - two merpersons engaged in kissing.

"Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay" is a church outside of Aulnay, in the center of an old graveyard. The setting has not changed for centuries. For the pilgrims of the 12th century this church was a major halt - and it still is for all the tourists... A predecessing church „Saint-Pierre-de-la-Tour“ had been here, that, when the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella got more and more popular, was obviously to small, as Aulnay was conveniently situated between Poitiers and Saintes on the Via Turonensis. A new, larger church was needed, so the place was handed over to the chapter of the cathedral in Poitiers. The canons then probably planned this church, that was erected from about 1130/1140 on. "Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay" is a gem of the "style saintongeais". For Peter Strafford ("Romanesque Churches Of France") this is "one of the best examples of late Romanesque architecture in what used to be Aquitaine". Not only the exterior of Saint-Pierre is decorated with many wonderful works of art, the carved capitals of the nave, are extraordenary as well. This capital again seems in such a mint condition, that it may have been "renovated" during the 19th century. Paul Abadie, later known as the architect of "Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre" and strongly influenced by Viollet-le-Duc, worked here.