Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: granite

In 1082 some Seigneur Dalmas and his wife Étiennette gave all the properties they owned in "Castrumin Montanis", including a church, to Cluny. This legal act was important enough to get an official approval from Pope Urban II in 1095. A priory was set up - and a small church was erected. Parts of this church can still be found in the church seen here, built 1100 - 1200. The priory never really flourished, the community of monks was small - and already from 1462 on, the church was used as a parish church. The church is quite large for a remote village of a population well under 500 (today). When it was planned during the boom of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, Châtel-Montagne was ideally placed on one of the many "Chemin de St-Jacques" in France. As seen already, not only the architectoral structure is built from granite, the carved capitals are carved from this extrem hard stone as well. So they cannot be that fine and detailled as sandstone-carvings can be. They do have a certain kind of roughness. The same capital as seen before, now seen from right. A donkey, a beast of burden, for sure pretty often to be seen, when this church was erected, as all stones had to be carried up the mountain. As well many pilgrims used to travel with donkeys on their way to Santiago, as many old "horseshoe graffitis" on "Hospice des pélerins" prove. Donkeys are known for their capabilities, but as well have quite a reputation for stubbornness. This one is stubborn. We have seen (on the left side of the capital), that one person on the left was pulling the donkeys tail. Here we see the head and the arm of somebody who is pulling on a rope, the donkey has around the neck. And we see, that this is a jenny, as there is a foal.

In 1082 some Seigneur Dalmas and his wife Étiennette gave all the properties they owned in "Castrumin Montanis", including a church, to Cluny. This legal act was important enough to get an official approval from Pope Urban II in 1095. A priory was set up - and a small church was erected. Parts of this church can still be found in the church seen here, built 1100 - 1200. The priory never really flourished, the community of monks was small - and already from 1462 on, the church was used as a parish church. The church is quite large for a remote village of a population well under 500 (today). When it was planned during the boom of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, Châtel-Montagne was ideally placed on one of the many "Chemin de St-Jacques" in France. As seen already, not only the architectoral structure is built from granite, the carved capitals are carved from this extrem hard stone as well. So they cannot be that fine and detailled as sandstone-carvings can be. They do have a certain kind of roughness. A donkey, a beast of burden, for sure pretty often to be seen, when this church was erected, as all stones had to be carried up the mountain. As well many pilgrims used to travel with donkeys on their way to Santiago, as many old "horseshoe graffitis" on "Hospice des pélerins" prove. Donkeys are known for their capabilities, but as well have quite a reputation for stubbornness. This one is stubborn. So one person tries to "motivate" the donkey, by pulling the tail. But that is not the only person trying to move the animal. BTW - British author Tom Moore wrote a book about his (recent) way to Santiago with a donkey. It had fun, reading it. I just found it under two titels: "Spanish Steps: Travels With My Donkey" - or - "Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago".

In 1082 some Seigneur Dalmas and his wife Étiennette gave all the properties they owned in "Castrumin Montanis", including a church, to Cluny. This legal act was important enough to get an official approval from Pope Urban II in 1095. A priory was set up - and a small church was erected. Parts of this church can still be found in the church seen here, built 1100 - 1200. The priory never really flourished, the community of monks was small - and already from 1462 on, the church was used as a parish church. The church is quite large for a remote village of a population well under 500 (today). When it was planned during the boom of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, Châtel-Montagne was ideally placed on one of the many "Chemin de St-Jacques" in France. Looking from the southern aisle across the nave. The church has four bays. Most interesting here is the architectoral structure of the wall. There are three levels. The arches in the ground, then follows a matroneum, a gallery, that often can be seen in "pilgrim churches" (eg. Conques), topped by the clearstory. But - the matroneum is a fake. There is no gallery behind. They are only very few churches with this strange feature. One is in Vignory, far north. Bernard Craplet, author of the important book "Auvergne Romane", sees influences from Burgundy (Cluny III, Paray-le-Monial), but even for him, the "fake matroneum" is "archaic".

In 1082 some Seigneur Dalmas and his wife Étiennette gave all the properties they owned in "Castrumin Montanis", including a church, to Cluny. This legal act was important enough to get an official approval from Pope Urban II in 1095. A priory was set up - and a small church was erected. Parts of this church can still be found in the church seen here, built 1100 - 1200. The priory never really flourished, the community of monks was small - and already from 1462 on, the church was used as a parish church. The church is quite large for a remote village of a population well under 500 (today). When it was planned during the boom of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, Châtel-Montagne was ideally placed on one of the many "Chemin de St-Jacques" in France. The semicircular choir and the ambulatory around it. Ambulatories are common in churches, visited by many pilgrims, as so the masses could easily walk around the altar, where relics were kept. Here the choir has six pillars. The capitals have floral decorations. Behind the pillars two of the apse chapels can be seen. Above is a blind arcade with three windows.

The church (seen here from south/east) is quite large for a remote village (pop. under 50). It was planned and built during the boom of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella. Châtel-Montagne was ideally placed on one of the many "Chemin de St-Jacques" in France. This one connected Vezelay (via Nevers) to Clermont (and Le Puy). The church, built from local grey granite, is a basilica with a transept, an ambulatory (typical for churches built for pilgrims), and four radial chapels.

In 1082 some Seigneur Dalmas and his wife Étiennette gave all the properties they owned in "Castrumin Montanis", including a church, to Cluny. This legal act was important enough to get an official approval from Pope Urban II in 1095. A priory was set up - and a small church was erected. Parts of this church can still be found in the church seen here, built 1100 - 1200. The priory never really flourished, the community of monks was small - and already from 1462 on, the church was used as a parish church. The church, a basilica with a transept, is quite large for a small, remote village (pop well under 500). When it was planned in this dimension, during the boom of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, Châtel-Montagne was ideally placed on one of the many "Chemin de St-Jacques" in France. This one connected Vezelay (via Nevers) to Clermont (and Le Puy). The church is built from local grey granite, what is quite a difference to the golden, soft sandstone used in the nearby Brionnais. Note the huge narthex on the left. The length of the total structure is 41,35m.

In 1082 some Seigneur Dalmas and his wife Étiennette gave all the properties they owned in "Castrumin Montanis", including a church, to Cluny. This legal act was important enough to get an official approval from Pope Urban II in 1095. A priory was set up - and a small church was erected. Parts of this church can still be found in the church seen here, built 1100 - 1200. The priory never really flourished, the community of monks was small - and already from 1462 on, the church was used as a parish church. The church is quite large for a remote village of a population well under 500 (today). When it was planned during the boom of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, Châtel-Montagne was ideally placed on one of the many "Chemin de St-Jacques" in France. As seen already, not only the architectoral structure is built from granite, the carved capitals are carved from this extrem hard stone as well. So they cannot be that fine and detailled as sandstone-carvings can be. They do have a certain kind of roughness. A very flexible atlant, a bit like the merman/atlant seen before, bit this one has a very strange face. I agree with Bernard Craplet, who describes this as an atlant "with the head of an ape". Well, the feet are pretty ape-like as well, and as apes are very flexible - the atlant seen here probably is an ape.

In 1082 some Seigneur Dalmas and his wife Étiennette gave all the properties they owned in "Castrumin Montanis", including a church, to Cluny. This legal act was important enough to get an official approval from Pope Urban II in 1095. A priory was set up - and a small church was erected. Parts of this church can still be found in the church seen here, built 1100 - 1200. The priory never really flourished, the community of monks was small - and already from 1462 on, the church was used as a parish church. The church is quite large for a remote village of a population well under 500 (today). When it was planned during the boom of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, Châtel-Montagne was ideally placed on one of the many "Chemin de St-Jacques" in France. As seen already, not only the architectoral structure is built from granite, the carved capitals are carved from this extrem hard stone as well. So they cannot be that fine and detailled as sandstone-carvings can be. They do have a certain kind of roughness. Bernard Craplet, author of "Auvergne romain", the most helpfull book, when touring the Auvergne, sees in this capital "horses (or elephants)". I´m not sure. These could be nearly any large four-legged animal. But as elephants are pretty rare, I´ll add them to my still small "Medieval Elephants Set".

In 1082 some Seigneur Dalmas and his wife Étiennette gave all the properties they owned in "Castrumin Montanis", including a church, to Cluny. This legal act was important enough to get an official approval from Pope Urban II in 1095. A priory was set up - and a small church was erected. Parts of this church can still be found in the church seen here, built 1100 - 1200. The priory never really flourished, the community of monks was small - and already from 1462 on, the church was used as a parish church. The church is quite large for a remote village of a population well under 500 (today). When it was planned during the boom of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, Châtel-Montagne was ideally placed on one of the many "Chemin de St-Jacques" in France. As seen already, not only the architectoral structure is built from granite, the carved capitals are carved from this extrem hard stone as well. So they cannot be that fine and detailled as sandstone-carvings can be. They do have a certain kind of roughness. Bernard Craplet describes this as a "siren". I have the impression, this is a baldy, smiling merman. There are fins on the thighs. It does not have the alluring, seductive touch mermaids often have. And, despite being a merman, he works here as an atlant.