Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Chanson de Roland

The stele on the pass commemorates the "Battle of the Roncevaux Pass". In the spring of 778, a large Christian army, under the command of Charlemagne, invaded Moorish-controlled Spain. The campaign was not particularly successful. During the retreat, the army attacked Pamplona. Charlemagne had his troops sack it and destroyed the city walls, thereby making the Basques his enemy. On August 15, his army crossed the Pyrenees at the Col de Roncevaux. In this narrow passage, the army was forced to march in a long line. The Basques, significantly outnumbered, waited for the right opportunity to attack. They let the main body of the army pass and then pounced on the rear guard. The Franks were taken completely by surprise. The rear guard was cut off from the rest of the army. A battle broke out in which the Frankish soldiers were slaughtered to the last man. The Basques retreated into the mountains. Among the victims was the governor of the Breton March, Count Roland, who owned the miracoulous sword "Durandal" manufactured by Wayland the Smith (aka "Völund") and given to Charlemagne by an angel. When Roland was about to die he threw his sword (containing a tooth of Saint Peter) over a distance of about 400kms to Rocamadour, where it still sticks in the cliff today.... Pilgrims knew the whole "story" from "The Song of Roland" ("Chanson de Roland"), the oldest surviving major work of French literature.

The city of Calbe was first mentioned in 936 under the name of Calvo in a document from King Otto I. It is assumed that a settlement probably existed as early as the 8th or early 9th century. Due to the good traffic situation in the eastern part of what was then Germany as a starting point for trade with the colonized Slavic areas, Calbe was granted market rights around 1160. To 1680 Calbe belonged to the Archdiocese of Magdeburg and the Archbishops had their summer seat at Calbe Castle. The figure of Roland, known through the "Chanson de Roland", had the status of a folk hero in the Middle Ages. The fame goes back to the fate of Hruotland, the alleged nephew of Charlemagne, who died in a skirmish against the Basques in the Pyrenees in the Roncesvalles Valley. His legendary sword is stuck in a rock at Rocamadour. A statue of Roland existed in Calbe as early as 1370. In 1656 a new statue was commissioned because the old Roland was in danger of decaying. The new Roland was over four meters high and carved from an oak trunk. Today's Roland was created in 1976 based on the 1656 figure. It consists of sandstone and is 4.50 m high.

Since my first visit, Rocamadour is one of my favourite places. In 2009, when I followed the Via Podensis, I took a detour, to reach Rocamadour by foot, like so many pilgrims since medieval times. Rocamadour attracted pilgrims over centuries and hass a legend, similar to that of Santiago de Compostella . Here in 1166 the grave of St. Veronica´s husband Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19) was found. He had moved from Jerusalem to this place in Gaul / France in his older age and lived here as a hermit under the name of Amadour. The medieval pilgrims climbed up the 216 steps to the sanctuary, a cluster of churches and chapels, on their knees. Here is "Notre Dame de Rocamadour" (aka "La Vierge Noire", "Black Madonna of Rocamadour", "Our Lady of Rocamadour"..). Near the chapel they could see a sword sticking in the cliff. The legend told, that this was the magical sword Durendal. Durandal manufactured by Wayland the Smith (aka "Völund") and given to Charlemagne by an angel. Charles endowed the sword to his palladin Roland (aka Errolan, Roldán, Orlando, Rotllà). Roland was killed by Basques near Roncevalles on the return from Spain ("Battle of Roncevaux Pass"). He had battled the Maurs with Charemagne´s armee. To preserve his sword Durendal (containing a tooth of Saint Peter) from heathenly hands, he threw it over a distance of about 400kms to Rocamadour, where it still sticks in the cliff today.... Pilgrims seeing the sword knew the whole "story" from "The Song of Roland" ("Chanson de Roland"), the oldest surviving major work of French literature.

Dubrovnik was founded probably within the 6th century. It grew in medieval times and was known as "Republic of Ragusa" between 1358 to 1808. It was added to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy - and after the Congress of Vienna was part of the Habsburg Empire. The old town of Dubrovnik, since 1979 on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, is a wonderful city - and a major tourist destination. The center of Dubrovnik is small, so it can get pretty crowded, when two cruise ships have arrived - even in October. A Roland statue (Roland - Orlando - Hruodland) in the center of Dubrovnik. Roland was a (mythical) military leader under Charlemagne, who got killed at the Battle of Roncevaux in 778. The oldest major work of French literature, the "Chanson de Roland", tells the story about this battle. His legendary sword Durendal can still be seen, sticking in the cliff over Rocamadour. In Germany Roland became a symbol of the independence of the growing cities. In the late Middle Ages many cities placed statues of Roland in their marketplaces. There are still some dozends Roland statues in Northern Germany (eg in Bremen fom 1366, Wedel from 1450). This Roland statue, dated to the early 15th century, is the southernmost I have ever seen.