Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Lawrence of Rome

This building, located next to (younger) San Vitale, was commissioned by Galla Placidia. It was erected 425 - 430 as an oratory dedicated to Saint Laurentius (= Lawrence of Rome). It once was connected to Santa Croce, the church for the imperial palace, built in 417 but now in ruins. Santa Croce was as well commissioned by Galla Placidia. This is a late Roman building. Though the "The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia" may not have been built as a mausoleum, it now contains three sacrophagi. It is known for it´s mosaics. Young and beardless Christ, the "Good Shepherd", holds a golden cross. - Gallia Placida, after whom the building is named, was born ~390 in Constantinople. Her father was Theodosius I, the last emperor to rule over the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. She was granddaughter of Valentinian I and the half-sister of emperors Arcadius and Honorius. When the Visigoths conquered the Italian peninsula, the "Nobilissima Puella" was captured by Alaric. After his death, she was taken as a hostage to Gaul by Alaric´s brother in law Athaulf in 412. After the Romans had attacked the Visigoths in Gaul, she was not returned to Rome, but married by Athaulf. In 415 Athaulf was stabbed by servants of his successor Sigeric, who then killed Athaulf´s six children (from an earlier marriage) and abused the young widow. Days later Sigeric was assassinated and was replaced by Wallia, a relative of Athaulf. He signed a treaty with Galla Placidia´s half-brother and Roman Emperor Honorius and so she could finally return to Rome. Honorius then forced her into marriage to Constantius III in 417, who was a sucessful military general and the power behind the throne. In 421 he even briefly became co-emperor of the Western Empire with Honorius. The couple had two children: Justa Grata Honoria, famous for her plea of love and help to Attila the Hun, and Valentinian III, born 419. After their father´s death and before the political turmoil started, Galla Placidia fled to Constantinople with her kids. When they returned to Italy in 425, Valentinian was installed as Western Emperor at the age of six. The young Emperor ruled under the regency of his mother Galla Placidia. Her regency ended, when Valentinian reached his eighteenth birthday in 437. Galla Placidia died in Rome in 450 - and was probably not buried in this mausoleum. Her son Valentinian III was assasinated five years later.

This building, located next to (younger) San Vitale, was commissioned by Galla Placidia. It was erected 425 - 430 as an oratory dedicated to Saint Laurentius (= Lawrence of Rome). It once was connected to Santa Croce, the church for the imperial palace, built in 417 but now in ruins. Santa Croce was as well commissioned by Galla Placidia. This is a late Roman building. Though the "The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia" may not have been built as a mausoleum, it now contains three sacrophagi. It is known for it´s mosaics. Two deers approaching a spring. This mosaic probably reflects Psalm 42:1 "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." Above the mosaic is a window with an alabaster pane. - Gallia Placida, after whom the building is named, was born ~390 in Constantinople. Her father was Theodosius I, the last emperor to rule over the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. She was granddaughter of Valentinian I and the half-sister of emperors Arcadius and Honorius. When the Visigoths conquered the Italian peninsula, the "Nobilissima Puella" was captured by Alaric. After his death, she was taken as a hostage to Gaul by Alaric´s brother in law Athaulf in 412. After the Romans had attacked the Visigoths in Gaul, she was not returned to Rome, but married by Athaulf. In 415 Athaulf was stabbed by servants of his successor Sigeric, who then killed Athaulf´s six children (from an earlier marriage) and abused the young widow. Days later Sigeric was assassinated and was replaced by Wallia, a relative of Athaulf. He signed a treaty with Galla Placidia´s half-brother and Roman Emperor Honorius and so she could finally return to Rome. Honorius then forced her into marriage to Constantius III in 417, who was a sucessful military general and the power behind the throne. In 421 he even briefly became co-emperor of the Western Empire with Honorius. The couple had two children: Justa Grata Honoria, famous for her plea of love and help to Attila the Hun, and Valentinian III, born 419. After their father´s death and before the political turmoil started, Galla Placidia fled to Constantinople with her kids. When they returned to Italy in 425, Valentinian was installed as Western Emperor at the age of six. The young Emperor ruled under the regency of his mother Galla Placidia. Her regency ended, when Valentinian reached his eighteenth birthday in 437. Galla Placidia died in Rome in 450 - and was probably not buried in this mausoleum. Her son Valentinian III was assasinated five years later.

by Galla Placidia. It was erected 425 - 430 as an oratory dedicated to Saint Laurentius (= Lawrence of Rome). It once was connected to Santa Croce, the church for the imperial palace, built in 417 but now in ruins. Santa Croce was as well commissioned by Galla Placidia. This is a late Roman building. Though the "The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia" may not have been built as a mausoleum, it now contains three sacrophagi. It is known for it´s mosaics. Here is Saint Laurentius (aka "Lawrence of Rome"), who was martyred in Rome in a gridiron. He was born around 225 in Osca, a place that later changed the name to Huesca (Spain). On the shelf to the left are the four gospels. - Gallia Placida, after whom the building is named, was born ~390 in Constantinople. Her father was Theodosius I, the last emperor to rule over the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. She was granddaughter of Valentinian I and the half-sister of emperors Arcadius and Honorius. When the Visigoths conquered the Italian peninsula, the "Nobilissima Puella" was captured by Alaric. After his death, she was taken as a hostage to Gaul by Alaric´s brother in law Athaulf in 412. After the Romans had attacked the Visigoths in Gaul, she was not returned to Rome, but married by Athaulf. In 415 Athaulf was stabbed by servants of his successor Sigeric, who then killed Athaulf´s six children (from an earlier marriage) and abused the young widow. Days later Sigeric was assassinated and was replaced by Wallia, a relative of Athaulf. He signed a treaty with Galla Placidia´s half-brother and Roman Emperor Honorius and so she could finally return to Rome. Honorius then forced her into marriage to Constantius III in 417, who was a sucessful military general and the power behind the throne. In 421 he even briefly became co-emperor of the Western Empire with Honorius. The couple had two children: Justa Grata Honoria, famous for her plea of love and help to Attila the Hun, and Valentinian III, born 419. After their father´s death and before the political turmoil started, Galla Placidia fled to Constantinople with her kids. When they returned to Italy in 425, Valentinian was installed as Western Emperor at the age of six. The young Emperor ruled under the regency of his mother Galla Placidia. Her regency ended, when Valentinian reached his eighteenth birthday in 437. Galla Placidia died in Rome in 450 - and was probably not buried in this mausoleum. Her son Valentinian III was assasinated five years later.

This building, located next to (younger) San Vitale, was commissioned by Galla Placidia. It was erected 425 - 430 as an oratory dedicated to Saint Laurentius (= Lawrence of Rome). It once was connected to Santa Croce, the church for the imperial palace, built in 417 but now in ruins. Santa Croce was as well commissioned by Galla Placidia. This is a late Roman building. Though the "The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia" may not have been built as a mausoleum, it now contains three sacrophagi. It is known for it´s mosaics. Gallia Placida, after whom the building is named, was born ~390 in Constantinople. Her father was Theodosius I, the last emperor to rule over the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. She was granddaughter of Valentinian I and the half-sister of emperors Arcadius and Honorius. When the Visigoths conquered the Italian peninsula, the "Nobilissima Puella" was captured by Alaric. After his death, she was taken as a hostage to Gaul by Alaric´s brother in law Athaulf in 412. After the Romans had attacked the Visigoths in Gaul, she was not returned to Rome, but married by Athaulf. In 415 Athaulf was stabbed by servants of his successor Sigeric, who then killed Athaulf´s six children (from an earlier marriage) and abused the young widow. Days later Sigeric was assassinated and was replaced by Wallia, a relative of Athaulf. He signed a treaty with Galla Placidia´s half-brother and Roman Emperor Honorius and so she could finally return to Rome. Honorius then forced her into marriage to Constantius III in 417, who was a sucessful military general and the power behind the throne. In 421 he even briefly became co-emperor of the Western Empire with Honorius. The couple had two children: Justa Grata Honoria, famous for her plea of love and help to Attila the Hun, and Valentinian III, born 419. After their father´s death and before the political turmoil started, Galla Placidia fled to Constantinople with her kids. When they returned to Italy in 425, Valentinian was installed as Western Emperor at the age of six. The young Emperor ruled under the regency of his mother Galla Placidia. Her regency ended, when Valentinian reached his eighteenth birthday in 437. Galla Placidia died in Rome in 450 - and was probably not buried in this mausoleum. Her son Valentinian III was assasinated five years later.

The Knights Templar founded a convent here with chapel dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. Parts of this chapel may have been "incorporated" into Notre-Dame-de-Joie. Most of the nave, the transept and the apse date back to the 12th century. The many capitals seen here are very delicately carved, what is pretty unusual for Brittany. Some art historians see influences from Poitou-Charente. The person on the gridiron can only be the martyr Lawrence of Rome, who actually was born in Huesca (Aragon). The legend tells, that Saint Lawrence was placed on a gridiron, with coals beneath it. After a while, he told the torturers "I'm well done now. Turn me over" wonder that he is the patron saint for chefs and cooks.

The former Abbey Church in the village of Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes, that now serves the parish, has a total length of 72,30 meters and all of the 600 people living in Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes would easily find a chair inside. The church is a gem of poitevin architecture. When Prosper Mérimée visited Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes mid 19th century, the church were in a very bad state. Photograps taken some decades later show, that the facade was ruined. Prosper Mérimée efforts started a reconstruction and renovation process. The first renovation, that finally saved the church, was undertaken from 1889 to 1920. End of the 13th century the romanesque ceiling of the nave and the choir got replaced by a Gothic vaulting in an elegant Plantagenet style. This vaulting has very nice keystones. Here is the martyr Lawrence of Rome ("St. Lawrence"). Lawrence was placed on a gridiron, with coals beneath it. He now is the patron saint for chefs and cooks, as legend tells, that after a while he told the torturer "I'm well done now. Turn me over." The history of the abbey dates back to the 4th century, when Jovinus (French "Jouin") in 342 founded a small oratory near a place named Ensio. Not much is known about Jovinus. He may have been borne in a wealthy family. It is believed, that his was brother of Saint Maximin, the first Bishop of Treves. The oratory developed into a monastery over the next decades, that was the second monastery existing in France, just after Saint-Martin-de-Ligugé, founded by St. Martin of Tours himself in 361. During the 7th century, the bishop of Nantes asked Martin de Vertou to christianise the area. This mission led him to Ension where he imposed Saint Benoit’s rule. The small monastery was never threatend by the Normanic raids, as it was far away from large rivers. So it could offer refuge to the monks of "Saint Martin de Vertou", who left their monastery and brought the relics of their founding Saint, in 843. The erection of the Abbey Church took place between 1095 and 1130, when an old Roman road, known under the name of "Saint Hilaire’s Way" was followed by pilgrims on their way to Santiago. At that time the road was one of the many that belonged all to the "Via Turonensis". During the 100 Years´War and during the Wars of Religion the monastery got attacked and plundered. The Battle of Moncontour between the Catholic armee and the Huguenots was fought in 1569 only about 5kms west. Monastic life was ended by the French Revolution in 1789. The Abbey was sold as national property. The church serves as a parish church since 1795. Parts of the former conventual buildings now belong to a privatly owned farm, next to the church.