Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: umbraculum

Marseille, today the second most populous city in France, was founded around 600 BC by Greek settlers. It was known to the ancient Greeks as Massalia. There were always conflicts with the Celtic tribes that ruled Gaul. 125 BC Massalia summoned the troops of the Roman Empire for help against the attacks of Gallic tribes. During the course of the war, the entire territory of southern Gaul was annexed by the Romans as the province of Gallia Narbonensis. The city itself was able to retain its independence for several decades but in 49 BC it was finally conquered and integrated into the province of Narbonensis. At the beginning of the 5th century AD, the monastery of Saint-Victor was founded, which was to become the residence of the bishops of Marseille from 750 to 960. In 481 Marseille fell to the Visigoths, 508 to the Ostrogoths and 536 to the Franks. Destroyed by the Saracens, the city was rebuilt in the 10th century and placed under the Vicomtes de Marseille. For a few years, Marseille was an independent republic but when Charles of Anjou, brother of King Louis IX. of France, became Count of Provence, he submitted to Marseille. In 1423 Alfonso V of Aragon conquered and devastated the city. René, Count of Provence, rebuilt it and after the death of his successor, Count Charles of Maine, it became part of the French crown in 1481. In the early 5th century there was already a bishop's church with a baptistery on the site of today's cathedral. The foundations of the complex were excavated during the construction of the Nouvelle Major. The church was destroyed during three Saracen raids, the last in 923, and then restored. Nevertheless, it was in such a state of disrepair that a complete rebuild started in 1073. This 11th-century Romanesque cathedral was a three-aisled basilica on a rectangular plan. During the French Revolution, the diocese of Marseille was abolished, the cathedral became a parish church and later temporarily closed later. The bells were melted down, the sculptures destroyed and the historical furnishings sold. The building suffered severe damage. In 1823 the poorly restored Vieille Major became a bishop's church again. 1852 visited Napoleon III. Marseilles and laid the foundation stone for the present cathedral, the "Nouvelle Major". It was built on an enormous scale (141 m long with a 50 m transept) in the Byzantine and Roman Revival styles. The foundation stone was laid by Emperor Napoleon III in 1852. It was designed by Léon Vaudoyer and Henri-Jacques Espérandieu. It was completed in 1896. The small red-gold umbrella on the right side is the "umbraculum". It indicates that the Pope promoted the cathedral to a "Basilica minor".

Boppard (known in Roman times as Vicus Baudobriga) lies on the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. After the end of the Roman Empire the population continued to live in the former Roman fort, that in the 5th century became a Merovingian royal seat. A century later a predecessor of today's St. Severus Church was built from the remains of the abandoned Roman bath. In medieval times Boppard was often visited by the German kings, who then resided in the royal court. Excavations proofed that the early Christian church from the 6th century was a 9 × 32 meter church room with a small apse to the East. This church burnt down in the 10th century and got replaced by a smaller building. Around 1000 canons had formed a collegiate and cared for the pastoral needs. Today´s St. Severus church was erected in the 12th and 13th centuries. The two church towers date from the middle of the 12th century (the helmets are from the 17th century), the nave was built at the beginning of the 13th century and its likely completion is dated to 1225. The choir finally dates to around the year 1234. The triumphal cross is 285 cm high and 248 cm wide. It was masterly created around 1220/1230. Christ does not wear a crown of thorns but a royal crown that characterizes him as the victor over death. Seen to the left is the top part of the umbraculum. The symbol is bestowed by the pope when he elevates a church to the rank of a minor basilica.

Since the 13th century a small church, dedicated to the Virgin, was known here, that developed into a place of pilgrimage. Rich donations made the erection of the church seen today possible. The construction started in 1405 and was completed in 1527. Basilique Notre-Dame, located in a village (pop. ~600), is about 59 metres long. Here is the nave. On the 17th-century rod screen is the red and yellow "umbraculum", one of the symbols bestowed by the pope, when he elevated the church to the rank of a "basilica minor". Below is a replica of the miraculous statue of the Virgin. According to a legend the statue was found by shepherds in the Middle Ages in a burning thorn bush.

The "Basilique du Sacré Coeur" in Paray-le-Monial. A monastry existing here since 974 became a dependency of nearby Cluny in 999. The first church "Paray I" was consecrated by Odilo of Cluny in 1004. Though enlarged later to "Paray II" by the still existing westwork and narthex, abbot Hugh of Cluny started the building of now existing church "Paray III" in 1090. As it has lots of similarities to the only little older "Cluny III", it is sometimes called "Small Cluny". Paray-Le-Monial played a role in the medieval pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Today pilgims are back. Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque lived here, a nun and mystic, who had visions in 1673. She promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. So Paray-le-Monial now again is a place of pilgrimage in France. Even the patronage of the basilique changed in the 19th century from "Basilique du Notre Dame" to "Basilique du du Sacré Coeur". I have already uploaded a lot of photos of Paray-le-Monial, I took during other visits. So I will only add some new photos, like this one. Standing in the nave, near the crossing looking into the choir. Over years this area got renovated. There was an huge, ugly wooden wall installed in the nave. In 2010 I saw this choir the first time. There is a yellow/red umbrella on the very right.. This is not an ordenary parasol. It is an "umbraculum" (aka "conopeum), one of the papal emblems of a "basilica minor".

In 1134 Diederik van de Elzas (= Thierry d'Alsace"), Count of Flanders, commissioned to erect a chapel next to the his residence "Oud Steen" (now the town hall of Bruges). The chapel was dedicated to Saint Basil the Great. The basilica consisted of a lower and upper chapel, as a second chapel was erected on top of the Saint Basil chapel. Diederik joined the Second Crusade in 1147 and - according to the tradition - returned to Bruges with the relic of the "Holy Blood", allegedly collected by Joseph of Arimathea. So during the first half of the 13th century, the name of the upper chapel was changed to the Chapel of the Holy Blood. This (upper) chapel got severely damaged after the French Revolution and got rebuilt and renovated during the 19th century, giving it a very "neo-Gothic" touch. As the phial, containing the Holy Blood is on display here, the chapel was overcrowded by people standing in line to see and venerate the relic. Seen next to the screen is an "Umbraculum" - a yellow/red umbrella. A symbol bestowed by Pope Pius XI when he elevated the church to the rank of a "Basilica Minor" in 1923. www.holyblood.com/?lang=en