Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: love couple

Santa María de los Ángeles is located on top of a rocky promontory that dominates the entire town. It is next to the Castle , within the old town. Around it is a wall that surrounds the old town, in which the so-called "pilgrims' gate" can be distinguished, as this town is within the Northern Way or the Coast of the Jacobean routes. Its construction began in the 13th century, and continued throughout the following centuries with other additions. The main part of the church was completed in the 14th century. However, reforms began in the 15th century, with side chapels . Then, around 1530, the transept , the apse, the tower, the crypt and the high choir . The bell tower dates back to the end of the 19th century. Two love couples under the roof. The male figure on the left has had his genitals hammered away by pious descendants.

Ely was founded in 673 by St Æthelthryth, daughter of King Anne of East Anglia, by founding an abbey to the north of the village of Cratendune in the Isle of Ely. Queen Æthelthryth from Northumbria was on the run from her husband Ecgfrith, whom she refused to sleep with for twelve years in order not to break an oath of chastity. Ten years after her death, her body is said to have remained uncorrupted. She was reinterred in a marble sarcophagus, which was described as miraculous and attracted many pilgrims. When the Normans under William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, Ely was successfully defended under Hereward the Wake until the clergy handed over the Isle of Ely to the king in 1071 on condition that they were allowed to retain all the rights and privileges they had enjoyed since the time of Edward the Confessor. A diocese of Ely was founded as early as 1109. Ely Cathedral is widely recognised as a prime example of Romanesque-Norman architecture due to its Romanesque core and Norman basic concept. A large number of its structural elements are in Gothic forms, the use of which began here as early as the 12th century. Under William the Conquerer, the new Romanesque abbey church was begun in 1083 by the Norman abbot Simeon, a former monk of St Ouen near Rouen, who was already 90 years old at the time. Work began with the choir. The eastern transept was built between 1087 and 1093 with aisles originally running around three sides of the wings. The arcades of this transept are now the oldest parts of the first construction phase. The 12-bay nave dates from the 12th century and has the highest nave in England. It was completed in 1180 and has a three-part elevation with alternating columns and galleries. The portal on the south aisle dates from around 1140 with a depiction of the Majestas Domini. An influence from south-west France is likely. The door led to the cloister, which no longer exists. After a break of thirty years, the west tower and west transept were completed. The new master builder succeeded in completing the work, which had begun in Romanesque forms, by consistently using early Gothic pointed arches, without creating disharmony between old and new. Under Bishop Hugh of Northwold, the polygonal Romanesque choir was demolished and replaced from 1234 by the present six-bay Gothic choir, completed in 1252. The Prior's Door (1135) Details of the right side A love couple, musicians

The town of Toro lies on a plateau above the Duero River about 40 km east of Zamora. In medieval times Toro had some importance. Ferdinand III of Castile was crowned king in Toro in 1230, his wife Elisabeth of Swabia died here five years later. The large collegiate church Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor, whose construction began in 1160 under Alfonso VII, but lasted possibly even until the end of the 13th century. During the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, it was elevated to a collegiate church. The architectural highlight of the church building is the two-story crossing tower (“cimborrio”) with its sixteen-sided floor plan, with four sides being particularly highlighted by round corner towers, which serve both for architectural decoration and for static stabilization. While the corner towers in the lower part hardly have any architectural decoration, the two levels of the central tower with their windows - accompanied by small columns and ending in oriental-looking multi-aisle arches - are designed in exactly the same way. A farewell

Türi was first mentioned in 1347 by the German name of Turgel. The construction of the church, dedicated to St. Martin, probably started in the late 13th century. The ceiling was completed in the early 14th century. The design of the facades in which bricks have been used resembles Northern German brick Gothic. Though altered within the Baroque period it still retains much of its medieval look, including carved stone details such as consoles in the form of human heads

Around 1050 Count Gerard, Duke of Lorraine, built a castle herre called Nanciacum, from which the town was to develop. In 1218 troops of Emperor Frederick II., fighting Theobald I, Count of Champagne, pilagged and looted the town. Rebuilt and surrounded by a wall, Nancy was granted city rights in 1265 and became the capital of the duchy in the following decades. In 1477, Charles the Bold of Burgundy failed in the Battle of Nancy in his attempt to seize the city - and died during the battle. Nancy belonged to the Duchy of Lorraine and thus to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation until the 18th century. Finally, the Duchy of Lorraine came to the Kingdom of France in an exchange between the House of Habsburg and the French King in the 18th century. Louis XV awarded Lorraine in 1737 to the deposed Polish king, Stanislaus I Leszczyński, who ruled the duchy from Nancy as Duke of Lorraine. After his death, in 1766, Nancy and the duchy finally fell to the French crown. "Saint-François-des-Cordeliers" was erected around 1620 under and funded by René II of Lorraine after the battle of Nancy, it was consecrated in 1487, next to the Ducal Palace rebuilt at the same time. The church became the burial place of the Dukes of Lorraine. The building has a total length of 73 metres and a width of only 9 metres. The large single nave is typical of the architecture of the Cordeliers' churches. The convent´s buildings that survived the times are now used as museums, just like the church. The sculpture, created end of the 12th century, shows a knight returning from a crusade. The sculpture comes from the priory of Belval a Portieux, in the Vosges. There are two theories as to who is depicted here. Augustin Calmet (aka "Dom Calmet") described the sculpture in the "Histoire de Lourraine" (1745) and believed that it is Gerard de Vaudemont and his wife Helvide de Dabo, founder of Belval a Portieux. However, most historians today follow Michel Antoine. He recognises Hugues I de Vaudemont and his wife Adeline de Lorraine. Hugues I founded the abbey of Ferrières and the abbey of Flabémont. In 1147, he joined King Louis VII of France for the Second Crusade. Hugh did not return home with the king, which is why he was considered dead by his contemporaries. It was not until around 1153 that an old crusader arrived in Vaudémont, identified by the countess as Hugh. He died shortly afterwards and was buried in the priory of Belval.

Troia was probably founded by Greek settlers under the name of Aecae. The current Troia was founded as a fortified town in 1018 the by the Byzantine general Basil Boiannes. For long it was a stronghold against the Normans and got besieged by the emperors Henry II and Frederick II, who destroyed the town in 1229. He did not touch the "Concattedrale della Beata Vergine Maria Assunta in Cielo", erected in the first quarter of the 12th century where a Byzantine church formerly stood, that was apparently constructed largely from the remains of Roman buildings. The Concattedrale di Troia is reckoned a masterpiece of Apulian Romanesque architecture and is particularly noted for the rose window and the bronze doors of the west front. Once it was the seat of the Bishops of Troia, it is now a co-cathedral in the diocese of Lucera-Troia. The central rose window of the facade is very complex. The upper half is framed by a semicircle populated by strange, mythical animals, atlants - and this medieval love couple.

The church, dedicated to Saint-Jean-Baptiste, dates from the 12th century, but got remodelled and rebuilt later. The Romanesque western facade did survive the time. The modern perception of "love" is very different from the medieval one. Nobles never married for love, but for politics, many others married to produce kids, who could support the parents. Here is a medieval love couple, that looks very "modern".

The island of Corsica is one of the 18 regions of France. It was colonized the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Romans. After the Roman empire collapsed, Corsica got invaded by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths. For a short while the island belonged to the Byzantine Empire, then the Franks granted the island to the Pope, in the early 11th century Pisa and Genoa together freed the island from the threat of Arab invasion. The island came under the influence of the Republic of Pisa, later it belonged to Genua for centuries. In 1755 after a long fight for independence from Genoa the independent Corsican Republic was proclaimed, but in 1769, when the island was conquered by France. As the areas near the coast over centuries have been threatened by attacks and raids of pirates many old hamlets and dwellings are wide inland, high in the mountains. So most of the old churches are in the mountains and some of them are hard to find. Santa Maria Assunta is located in the hamlet Pieve, belonging to Canari. It was a single nave church (17m x 8.25m), erected in Pisan style, that was first mentioned in 1124. Probably a predessening church existed, as some carved stones are dated to the 10th century. They got reused here. The church got enlarged and remodeled in the 17th century, when lateral chapels were added. Along the outer walls of the nave are medaillons and corbels in that rough style, that is typical for Corsica.This large carving is dated to an older building (10th c.). What is depicted here? A love couple? A nude female reaches out for a male (without legs!)? What does the right (male?) person hold? And is the full moon between them?

Saint-Nazaire was erected in the 12th century. The church has a very elaborate southern portal (prev. upl.). The geometrical design of the archivolts is typical for the "style saintongeais". Above the archivolts are some interesting corbels. A love couple. She sits on his lap.

Saint-Pierre of today is a fortified church dating back to the 12th century. It replaced a small chapel, that existed here since 989. The Romanesque facade got remodeled a couple of times over the centuries, but there are still many great carvings and sculptures. One of the corbels has this nice love couple.

Milan is the city capital of the Lombardy and the second most populous city in Italy after Rome. Known during Roman times as "Mediolanum" it was the place, where in 313 Constantine I and Licinius met and "signed" the "Edict of Milan", giving Christianity a legal status within the Roman empire. At the end of the Roman empire Milan was besieged by the Visigoths in 402, looted by the Huns in 452, and taken by the Ostrogoths in 539. Only 30 years later is belonged to the Kingdom of the Lombards, until in 774 Charlemagne defeated the Langobards and added Milan to the Carolingian empire. During Barbarossa´s (Frederik I) "Italian Campaigns" Milan was taken and destroyed to a great extent. The "Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio" is much older and was not destroyed by Barbarossa´s troops. It is one of the most ancient churches in Milan, built by St. Ambrose in 379–386, outside the city of Milan on the site of a cemetery, where the martyrs of the Roman persecutions had been buried. The first name of the church was "Basilica Martyrum". Ambrose, born into a noble family about 340 in (present-day) Trier (Germany), was governor of Liguria and Emilia for two years before he became the Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. He was a staunch opponent of Arianism. Only very few traces of the first church can still be found, as in the centuries after its construction, the basilica underwent numerous restorations and reconstructions. The current Romanesque church, mostly built in brickwork, was begun around 1080. In 789, a Benedictine monastery was established here. The canons of the basilica, however, retained their own community. So two separate communities shared the basilica. In the 11th century, the canons adopted orders and became Canons Regular. From then on two separate monastic orders following different rules lived in the basilica. The canons were in the northern building, the cloister of the canons, while the monks were in the two southern buildings. The two towers symbolize the division in the basilica. The 9th century Torre dei Monaci ("Tower of the Monks") tower was used by the monks. However, the canons did not have a bell tower and were not allowed to ring bells until they finished the Canons' bell tower in the 12th Century. This tower got two additional levels in 1889. In 1943 the basilica got severely damaged by bombings. It took a decade to rebuilt and reconstruct the church. The ambo stands on the left side of the nave. From here the monks and canons read the Gospel. The ambo, supported by nine slender ancient columns, was built over a 4th century sarcophagus, known as "Stilicho's Sepulchre", between 1130 and 1143. When the roof of the basilica collapsed in 1196, the ambo got severely damaged, but it got rebuilt already in 1201. Between the ambo and the sarcophagus are some semicircular lunettes. They again differ style and in icons. Couples can often be found in medieval art, but "love-couples", like this one, are pretty rare. Here both partners "float" doing a handshake, the other hand rests on the partner's shoulder.

Saint-Genès, erected in the 11th and 12th century, was the church of the priory Saint-Etienne, dependent from the important Abbaye Notre-Dame in Déols. This abbey, now in ruins, had been founded in 917 and developed into one of the most powerful regional institutions. It was one of the first in the Cluniac network. Odo of Cluny (+ 942) was abbot of three monasteries: Cluny, Massy and Deols. This is important, as Saint-Genès has architectural parralells to Cluny II. The building got severely damaged, when Louis VII (aka "Louis le Jeune", 1. husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine) burnt down the town in 1152 during a feud with Abbo II de Déols, a supporter of Henri Plantagenêt (aka Henry II, "Curtmantle", 2. husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine). In 1569 the Huguenots set fire here - and many restorations followed that. During the French Revolution the bell tower was destroyed and the church became a "Temple of Reason". The walls of the nave are embellished with many sculpted capitals and corbels. Some of the corbels under the roof are very rough. An explicit work of art. A sexual act, created about 800 years, before the phrase "Make love, not war" was coined. Here is a couple - making love.

An abbey, dedicated to Saint Saturnin, first bishop of Toulouse, is mentioned already in 825. In 870 the relics of Saint Hilaire, who had evangelized the region in the 6th century and was the first bishop of Carcassonne were "translated" to the abbey. During the Albigensian Crusade the monks were accused of heresy - and the abbey got looted. It got re-established, but the plague and the Hundred Years' War caused more difficulties to the abbey and the village around it. The fortifications erected at that time did not prevent severe damages during the Wars of Religions. After a period of decline, the abbey closed in 1748, since then the church served the parish of the village. After a long restoration process, the former quarters of the abbot are open to the public again. The painted details between the beams of the wooden ceiling are dated to the late 15th century.

"Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay" is a church outside of Aulnay, in the center of an old graveyard. The setting has not changed for centuries. For the pilgrims of the 12th century this church was a major halt - and it still is for all the tourists... A predecessing church „Saint-Pierre-de-la-Tour“ had been here, that, when the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella got more and more popular, was obviously too small, as Aulnay was conveniently situated between Poitiers and Saintes on the Via Turonensis. A new, larger church was needed, so the place was handed over to the chapter of the cathedral in Poitiers. The canons then probably planned this church, that was erected from about 1130/1140 on. "Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay" (here seen from east) is a gem of the "style saintongeais". For Peter Strafford ("Romanesque Churches Of France") this is "one of the best examples of late Romanesque architecture in what used to be Aquitaine". I have uploaded many photos already taken during previous visits. So I will now add only a few.