Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Christophoros

The Abbaye Saint-Benoît de Quinçay was founded around 670 by Saint Achard (Acardo), who later became abbot in Jumièges. It was known under the name Quinciacus Monasterium. In 868 the monks fled, as during the Norman Invasions the monastery got destroyed and burned down. Isembert I, Bishop of Poitiers, ordered the reconstruction in the early 11th century. In 1027 it exists under the name of "Abbas Sancti Benedicti de Quinciaco" as at that time the remains of Saint Benedict of Aizenay arrived. The abbey was depended on the chapter of the cathedral of Poitiers. In 1569, when Poitiers was besieged during the Wars of Religions, infamous Gaspard II de Coligny installed the headquarters here. The chapter house was the cloister got destroyed and the chapter house was transformed into a stable. Under Louis XIV , the church was restored. The abbey rapidly declined and already in 1762 the abbey church was taken over by the parish. The French Revolution chased away the last monks and put the abbey up for sale. The buildings were acquired by the municipality in 1993 and got restored. The church, dedicated to Saint Andrew, has dated back to the 12th century. The nave is Romanesque. This Christophoros, one of the pilgrims´ patron saint, may be a little younger.

Taufers im Münstertal is just 6 kms east of Müstair. Between the villages runs the border between Switzerland and Italy, so Taufers is the westernmost village of South Tyrol. There are eight churches or chapels in Taufers, what is a lot for a population of less than 1000. Seen here is the western facade of St. Johann, the oldest church in Taufers. Probably already within the 9th century a convent existed here. It is known that the Benedictine monks gave that up in 1035. The church was ruined but got rebuilt in the early 13th century by the Knights Hospitaller. They run a hospice to provide refuge for travelers and care for the ill between 1264 and 1509. In 1790 the church got deconsecrated and was used as a stable. This caused a lot of damage, as walls covered with fresco got demolished over the next decades. The restoration of the church started 1951. The church is very long as it has a kind of two storey narthex, where the hospice once was. On the wall here is a fresco of St. Christopher, painted in the early 13th century.