Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: first bath

Loreto is commonly known as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site for many centuries. The story is a little complex. Since the early centuries of the Christian era, tradition claimed that the house of the Virgin was in Nazareth, where she was born, grew up, and where the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel took place. After the resurrection, the apostles would have gathered in this house and celebrated the Eucharist according to the teachings of Jesus At the beginning of 1291 Nazareth was dominated by the Egyptian Mamluks. So some angels took the Santa Casa and carried it away. In May 1291, the angels left the house near the town of Fiume, where woodcutters found the small dwelling. However, in this place, the pilgrims were often victims of criminals. So, about three years later, the angels recaptured the Holy House and set out with it, and placed it near Ancona. The Holy House remained in this place for nine months, then the angels erected it again and placed it further south, in the village of Banderuola. Shepherds who saw a bright light coming from the clouds and behind the light found the house. However, the place was too close to the sea and therefore exposed to the dangers of Turkish raid. Eight months later the house was again moved by the angels, this time to Monte Prodo on land belonging to Counts Stefano and Simone Rinaldi di Antici. The brothers soon benefited from the pilgrimages of the faithful to the point of petitioning the Pope, to become owners So again the angels raised the Holy House in flight and placed it at the end of 1296 in the middle of the road leading from Recanati to its port, and thus in a public place that no one could claim and exploit. The site chosen was the top of a hill covered with laurel. From the Latin word laurus the place was called Lauretum, that is Loreto. The Casa Santa is located inside the shrine in the center of the church. It is about 9m long and 4m wide and has no foundation. Today, it is argued that the crusaders may have brought the house to Italy. This is underlined by red cloth crosses of medieval crusader cloaks, which were walled between the stones of the house. Perhaps there is a connection with the Byzantine noble Angelos clan. Their name could have inspired the legend of the heavenly air transport. Around the Casa Santa is a tall marble Renaissance screen designed by Bramante. The four sides represent the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Arrival of the Santa Casa at Loreto and the Nativity of the Virgin, respectively. Most of the carvings were done by Raffaello da Montelupo and Niccolò di Raffaello, called "Il Tribolo". Here you can probably see the Nativity of Mary. On the right the infant is being bathed by the midwives.

Founded by Charlemagne in 805 as Magadoburg, the town was fortified in 919 by King Henry the Fowler against the Magyars and Slavs. In 929 King Otto I granted the city to his English-born wife Edith as dower. At her death, Queen Edith was buried in the crypt of the Benedictine abbey of Saint Maurice, later rebuilt as the cathedral. In 937, Magdeburg was the seat of a royal assembly. Otto I was buried as well in the cathedral. In 1035 Magdeburg received a patent giving the city the right to hold trade exhibitions and conventions. This was the basis of town law to become known as the Magdeburg rights. These laws were adopted and modified throughout Central and Eastern Europe. In the 13th century, Magdeburg became a member of the Hanseatic League. With more than 20,000 inhabitants Magdeburg was one of the largest cities in the Holy Roman Empire. During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) Magdeburg was raided and probably 20.000 inhabitants lost their lives. A small group of 4000 people survived the "Sack of Magdeburg" by seeking refuge in the cathedral. Begging on his knees before the conqueror the head priest saved them. - The construction of the "Cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice" started in 1209. Two years ago, the church that had been in this place since 932, burnt down with most of the town. This church is influenced by the then-new gothic style, developed in France. Otto I the Great and his wife Edith of England have their graves here. The construction stopped after 1274. In 1325, Archbishop Burchard III. was killed by the people of Magdeburg because of extreme taxes. Folklore says that especially the beer tax increase caused much anger. Afterward, Magdeburg was under a ban, and only after the donation of five atonement altars did the construction of the cathedral continue. In 1360 the construction stopped again for many decades. Only in 1477 did the construction start again. The towers were constructed by master builder Bastian Binder, the only master builder of the cathedral known by name. The construction of the cathedral was completed in 1520. Although the cathedral was looted several times during its history, many valuable furnishings and art treasures have been preserved, which were moved out and secured during the bombardments of WWII. - The stalls were probably completed for the consecration of the cathedral in 1363. The work on the cheeks, which depicts stations from the life of Jesus, points to an unnamed Lower Saxon carver who was probably also active a little later on the Bremen cathedral choir stalls. Here is the birth of Christ. In the left corner is the "First Bath".

The area around the modern Altamura (pop 70.000) was inhabited in early times. There are Bronze Age tumuli and between the 6th and the 3rd century BC a massive line of megalithic walls was erected. This (later Roman) city was inhabited until the 10th century when it was reportedly looted by Saracens. A couple of centuries after Altamura was reportedly looted by the Saracens, it started to be inhabited again as Emperor Frederick II refounded the city (1232) and ordered the construction of the large Altamura Cathedral, which became one of the most venerated sanctuaries in Apulia. Altamura was ruled by various feudal families, including the Orsini del Balzo and the Farnese (1538–1734), the latter responsible for the construction of numerous palaces and churches. In the past, Altamura also had a large castle, whose construction dated back to the 11th-13th century, which has been completely demolished. Altamura Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta) was founded by Emperor Frederick II in 1232. In 1248, under pressure from Frederick, Pope Innocent IV declared Altamura exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop of Bari, making it a "palatine church", that is the equivalent of a palace chapel. After heavy damage caused by an earthquake in 1316, it was renovated by Robert of Anjou. Major changes were made to the cathedral in 1534, including switching the front and back around! The cathedral's main facade originally faced west but it now faces east. The (breathtaking) attraction of Altamura Cathedral is its main portal, which has been dated to the 14th and 15th centuries. It is Gothic, but in an unusual local style with Byzantine and strong Romanesque influences. I would even see this as "Romanesque/Gothic". It is remarkable for its wealth of details and a large number of biblical scenes. Below Magi and shepherds is the Nativity scene with the "First Bath".

Charlemagne founded, during the Saxon Wars, the diocese of Bremen. In 787 Saint Willehad became the first Bishop. He erected the first (wooden) church here in 789. Three years later Saxons attacked Bremen and burned down its timber cathedral. The "new" cathedral, erected by Willehad´s successors burnt down with many buildings around in 1041, due to arson. The cathedral was rebuilt as a pillared basilica. A (still existing) crypt was built under the west part of the nave. The archbishop even brought craftsmen from Lombardy to embellish the cathedral. This may have been expensive, so he tried to be pennywise, by tearing down parts of the fortification and using the stones for the cathedral. This was not wise, as it lead to the return of the Saxons, sacking Bremen and the cathedral in 1064. The cathedral again was rebuilt probably within the 12th century, the lower storeys of the western façade and towers are constructed in Romanesque style. Continuing the construction over the next centuries, the styles changed. What is seen today is largely the result of a reconstruction of the 19th century, after the citizens had decided to restore the cathedral to its medieval glory. The cathedral was reopend in 1901. The former catholic cathedral belongs to the Bremian Evangelical Church. It was rather dark inside the church in late October. Sorry! This carving depicts the Nativity. Joseph is dreaming, Mary is in childbed - and Jesus is sitting in the bathtub. A "first bath".

Nonantola Abbey was founded in 752 by Saint Anselm, brother-in-law of the Lombard king Aistulf. Pope Stephen II presented relics of Saint Sylvester to the abbey, so it was named Saint Silvestro de Nonantula. The abbey was already wealthy from the very beginning, in 780 Charlemagne endowed the abbey with many estates in Tuscany, where monks settled in Groppina (see "Pieve di San Pietro a Gropina"). In 883 the abbey was the place of a conference between Charlemagne´s great-grandson Charles III (aka "Charles the Fat") and Pope Marinus I. The prosperious life ended, when in 900 Hungarian troops looted and completely destroyed the abbey. Reconstruction began soon after and about a century later the "imperial monastery" was one of the most powerful abbey in Europe. Abbot Godeschalc had a new basilica built in 1058. At the beginning of the Investiture Conflict it sided with the emperor, but Matilda of Tuscany stepped in and forced the abbey to change sides. It declared itself openly for the papal party in 1111. The earthquake in 1117 damaged the abbey severely. The reconstruction started in 1121, so most of what is seen today is from the 12h century. The doorposts of the portal are covered with carvings. Some are attributed to the School of Wiligelmo. Wiligelmo and his workshop worked at that time as well in Modena, only 10kms southwest. The nativity scnene. While Mary is in childbed (PRESEPIUM), resting, young Jesus, below her, gets his first bath (XPC LAVATUR).

Parma, part of the Holy Roman Empire since Charlemagne´s times, was locally ruled by its bishops. During the long Investiture Controversy, Parma was (mostly) member of the Imperial party ("Ghibellini"). Two of Parma´s bishops even became antipopes: Càdalo as Honorius II and Guibert as Clement III. An almost independent commune was created around 1140. After the Peace of Constance confirmed the Italian communes' rights of self-governance in 1183, quarrels with the neighbouring communes (eg Piacenza and Cremona) developed over the trading lines along the Po river. When in 1248 Papist families ("Guelphs") gained control over the city, Emperor Frederick II (aka "Stupor Mundi") besieged Parma with no success. This were the circumstances, when in 1196 the City Council of Parma commissioned the building of the Battistero di San Giovanni to Benedetto Antelami. In 1216 the second tier was completed. The work stopped under a temporary roof. It continued in 1249 and the octagon, located next to the cathedral, was finally completed in 1270. The interior of the baptistery contains sixteen arches, forming alcoves each containing a painted scene. All these are 13th and 14th century frescoes. The dome is like an umbrella - sixteen rays come out of the center of the ceiling. Each corresponds to an arch below. Here are three (of the sixteen) arches. Seen from left to right: NATIVITAS STE JOHANNIS BATISTE The Birth of John the Baptist. His mother Elizabeth, reclined on the bed, watches the midwives performing "the first bath". HIC BATISTATUR CHRIST Christ´s baptism in the River Jordan. The painting is obviously influenced by older icons (Ravenna). Christ is nude - and the River Jordan is personalised. HIC AMPUTAVIT CAPUT JOHANNIS The death of John the Baptist. Seen below is (left) Abramham´s sacrifie - and (right) two battle scenes, probably connected to the cruisades (camels).