Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Birds drinking from a chalice

Sainte-Trinité dates back to the early 12th century. It is Romanesque, described as "style bourguignon". The dedication to the Holy Trinity is not very frequent in this period. Autry was part of the convent Montet-aux-Moines (20kms south), itself a priory dependent on Saint-Michel-de-la-Cluse in Piedmont ("Sacra di San Michele" near Turino, Italy). Later the parish passed under the authority of the Abbess of Saint-Menoux, just a few kilometers north. The portal of Sainte-Trinité is impressive (previous uploads). This capital depicting two birds/griffins drinking from a chalice, a very common icon in medieval times, is on its left side.

A church with a baptismal font (= pieve) existed here within the 8th century, when the area was ruled by Liutprand, King of the Lombards. The (Latin Cross) church of today was erected in the 12th and 13th century. An inscription on the lintel of one of the three (!) portals reads ".. MCCLXXXXVIII..", what 1298. Santi Quirico e Giulitta was a parish church upto 1648, when it became collegiate church. "Birds drinking from a chalice" is a very common Romanesque icon. Here the birds are obviously peacocks. The couple below (griffins ?) play peek-a-boo with a lion. The Romanesque portal may have been originally produced for a planned double portal of the Abbazia di Sant'Antimo (13kms west). When the abbey run out of funds mid 13th century, the plans were cut down to a single portal - and the redundant portal was used here, where "Santi Quirico e Giulitta" was still a construction site.

Two Syrian hermits named Lazzaro and Giovanni had lived in the 5th century, where Faruald, Duke of Spoleto, founded this abbey within the 8th century "over the hermits´ tombs". In 724, Faroald's son Thrasimund rebelled and disposed his father into the monastery. For some generations the abbey was the burial ground for the Dukes of Spoleto Saracen troops looted and destroyed the Benedictian abbey end of the 9th century, but Otto III ordered a rebuilding soon after. In 1016 the abbey was completed. There is a long discussion about the church, as it may not have been "destroyed", but maybe was only "damaged" by the Saracens. In "Ombrie romane" Adriano Prandi cites a couple of scholars who date the church back to the 8th century, while he (taking in account the T-floorplan) dates it to the first half of the 11th. He actually connects this church to Cluny II and Saint Michael in Hldesheim, both completed somne decades before 1000. When Otto III, son of Otto II and his wife Theophanu, marched through on 996 in his way to Rome, where he claimed the titles King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor, he may have been accompanied by experienced and well travelled architects. They may have cared for the rebuilding of the church, that Otto III had ordered. Here is a more detailed look on that sculpted slab´s signature seen on the previous upload. There are two figures in a kind of "adorante gestus". Over the head of the right person are "Two Birds drinking from a Chalice", an icon often symbolizing baptism. The right person seems to juggle with balls. There is another inscription. Next to the hand on the left "UR", next to the hand of the right "SUS", then it continues. It reads: "URSUS MAGESTER FECIT" = Master Ursus created this.

Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of the oldest churches of Rome. Legends have it that Pope Callixtus I (217-222) had the church built and that it got remodelled later a couple of times. Pope Innocent II (1130-1143) had it rebuilt on its old foundations. Since then It has the present form with three naves, lintelled columns, apse and transept, created largely by materials gleaned from the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla. The walls of the nartzhex are tiled with spolia. Here are some of spolia. The birds drinking from a chalice, but the barrel and the ship are clearly ancient graffiti.

The Roman colony of "Turris Libisonis" existed already in the first century, where now is the town of Porto Torres. This even was a bishopric seat from 489 until 1441, when the see was moved to Sassari. Two older basilicas, dating to the 5th – 7th centuries, built over the tomb of Saint Gabinus, a local martyr, existed - and got replaced by this large building in the 11th century. The church was built by Pisan masters and got consecrated in 1080. With a lengths of 55 metres this is the largest Romanesque church on the island. The interior is sober. The columns, that line the nave, were taken from ancient buildings. Some of the capitals may be Roman, this one is Christian. The "Birds drinking from a chalice"- icon.

Silver and lead were mined in Melle since Roman times. In Merovingian and Carolingian times it was a home of a mint. In 2008 archaeologists found a silver penny under the floor of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen (Aix La Chapelle). It was minted at METVLLO what is Melle today. In medieval times Melle was a prosperous town, attracting many pilgrims following the Via Turonensis. The town (today´s pop. ~4000) still hosts three Romanesque churches, built during the 11th and 12th centuries. Saint-Hilaire de Melle was the church of a priory, a dependency of the important Benedictine abbey in Saint-Jean-d’Angély. It was built on the bank of the Beronne river. The eastern part were built in the first half of the 12th century, while the nave and the western portals may be some decades younger. Two winged creatures drinking from a chalice. - As I have uploaded many photos from here already, I will just add a few.

Saint-Mandé-sur-Brédoire is about 4 kms west of Aulnay, a distance an able man walked probably in less than an hour. It is absolutely clear, that the master-workshops working in Aulnay, did work here as well. Saint-Brice, a small single nave structure, has many parallels to Saint-Pierre in Aulnay. Some icons were tried here, before they were carved in another scale and another quality for Saint-Pierre. So this church may have served as a "sample book". Most surprising is Saint-Brice´s side portal. Here is the capital of one of the flanking portals. A common icon . "Two birds drinking from a chalice". Here the chalice is the fountain of life.

Pavia once was the last stronghold of the Ostrogoths, but was conquered by the Lombards (aka Longobards) after a three-years-siege in 572. From the 7th century on Pavia was the capital of the Lombard kingdom. A chapel, dedicated to Saint Michel, existed here as part of the palace, when the Lombards ruled from here. When Frankish troops invaded Northern Italy and defeated the Lombard armee in 773, Charlemagne laid siege to Pavia. After taking the fortified town, Charlemagne crowned himself King of the Lombards. The former palace-chapel burnt down in 1005, about a century after the Hungarians (= "Magyars") had looted Pavia. The church seen here was begun in the 11th century and was completed by 1155. In 900 the chapel had seen the coronation of Louis III (aka "Louis the Blind", as he was blinded in 905 by Berengar). In the current church Frederick I (aka "Frederick Barbarossa") received the Iron Crown and the title of King of Italy. The basilica´s facade is dotted with carvings, but as it was built from sandstone, most carvings are very weathered. www.sanmichelepavia.it/html/en_home.html

A church, dedicated to "Santo Stephano", was erected in a cemetery area, outside the city walls within the 5th century. The church underwent a couple of enlargements, buildings and renovations, so that most, what is seen from here is probably 11th century. This relief is on the right corner of the facade. Two birds drinking from a chalice.

Venice (ital. Venezia) is one of the most important tourist destinations worldwide with about 30 million visitors each year. As each tourist takes at least 100 photos (minimum!) in Venice 3000000000 photos are taken here per year, what means more than 8 millions per day. Many of them are uploaded and can be found in the web. So, I will only upload a couple of photos - and not add many words.. - Exhausted tourists taking a rest on a wall of St. Mark's Basilica. The carvings displayed here may well be trophy pieces brought to Venice from elsewhere during the many wars the Venetians fought over centuries. There are two "Birds drinking from a chalice" - icons and on the frieze below a hunting scene with a nice hare.