Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: thornpuller

Since 1554, when the Reformation spread from Bern to Grandson, this church is the Evangelical Reformed parish church of the small, quaint town at the banks of the Lake Neuchâtel. Most of the structure seen today was erected after 1178, when the lords of Grandson had founded a Benedictian priory,dependent on La Chaise-Dieu in the Auvergne, about 400kms southwest. Inside the nave facing east to the gothic choir. It seems, that the iconoclasms of the Swiss Reformation did not harm the church, all capitels are "in situ" and intact. Most of the column shafts are - Roman! They were probably hauled to Grandson for recycling from the vast ruins of Aventicum the Roman capital of the Swiss area during Vespasian´s time. Today "Avenches" is a small town about 40kms east on the other side of the lake. The church is extremly well preserved and very tastefully furnished. This is by far the strangest (and so most interesting) capital in Grandson. While most other capitals are carved very masterly, this one seems rough. Only three sides are visible. It is populated by a group of strange, grimacing people, who show their teeth or tongue. This makes clear, that the person is not performing a strange bavarian dance. He is a "spinario", trying to pull a thorn out of his naked foot. Ray ("adfinem") recently uploaded a very elegant "spinario" and published some excellent information, so follow the link below - and compare them.

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. An oratory, dedicated to St. Peter, was existing here around 950 in the center of a Carolingian cementary. This humble chapel was dependent from the mighty Benedictine abbey of Saint-Maixent (25kms north). This small structure got extended and enlarged in two stages during the early 12th century. The choir with the nicely decorated chapels and transept form the oldest existing part. The church was set on fire and defaced during the Wars of Religions. After the French Revolution this was the meeting place for the assemblies of the inhabitants. Prosper Mérimée initiated the restaurations undertaken from 1855 on. The stair to the gallery was not locked, so I could take the photo from this vantage point. There are some interesting capitals, that can be easily seen from the galery. One of them depicts this nice "spinario", a person pulling a thorn out of his foot.