Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: annunciation

Trani may have been founded by Greek settlers, but the known history starts late. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was dominated by Lombards, Byzantines, Saracens and again Byzantines. With the conquest of southern Italy by the Normans and after 50 days of siege by Robert Guiscard´s troops, Trani became part of the Norman Empire in 1073. Already under the Byzantines, Trani had become an important port for trade with the Orient. The heyday was in the time of the crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries, when crusaders and merchants mainly went to the Holy Land from Bari and Trani. It became an episcopal see in place of Canosa, destroyed by the Saracens. Frederick II promoted the Teutonic Knights and the Jewish community and built a massive castle. Under his rule, the city reached its highest point of wealth and prosperity. The "Chiesa di Ognissanti" (= All Saints) was probably founded in the 12th and completed in the 13th century. It is located next to the harbour, from where many crusaders sailed off to the Holy Land. The tradition links the church to the Templar Order, but following the documents, it is more likely that it was the church of the merchant colony of Ravello. It may well have been a place of blessing for the crusaders. The church became the property of the bishop of Conversano and in 1479 was donated to the Lambertini family, that originated from, Ravello. Since the 19th century, the church is as well known as "Chiesa del Purgatorio". It became the seat of several Confraternities. It served the parish up to 1975 and became the seat of the Secular Franciscan Order in the 1980s. In 2019 there was a sign that it is now "Sito ufficiale dei Templari Cattolici d´Italia". . The church is only open for two days in the evening, but I was lucky. The central portal. The annunciation is seen in the tympanum.

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 very most of the cloister was destroyed during the Wars of Religions. The portal of the chapter house has some nice capitals. Here are annunciation and visitation.

Souillac is another town, that I cannot pass, without stopping and visiting the former abbey-church. Legends tell, that the abbey was founded by Saint Eligius (Saint Eloi), advisor of Merovingian King Dagobert I. The abbey got destroyed by the Saracens, Charlemagne commissioned the reconstruction, that again ruined got by Norman invaders. Of course it got looted during the Wars of Religions, but existed upto the French Revolution. The abbey-church, today serving the parish, got built on the blueprint of a Latin Cross in the 12th century. The single nave is about 15 ms wide. Above are no vaults, but three domes, similar to Saint-Front in Périgueux and Saint Etienne in Cahors. The capitals are nice, but compared to the works around the former portal simple. Here is the "Annunciation".

The name of the first known pastor of the parish was "Elbertus de Balleve" in 1202. The church may have existed at that time, at least the main structure. The construction of the church probably began already end of the 10th / early 11th century, but most of the comparably large romanesque hall-church, with a nave, two aisles and a remarkable apse, was done later. The oldest church of this type (north of the Alps!) is the Bartholomew Chapel in Paderborn (100kms northeast), a masterpiece, created by "graecos operarios" (greek workers). So when this church in Balve got consecrated, this was still a sensationel new layout. The romanesque church (still) has four portals. It may be, that the greenish sandstone used, came from Anroechte (50kms northeast), a town between Soest and Paderborn. Quarries in Annroechte still exist today. Seen here in the middle are Mary and St. John under the Cross. Left a nativity scene. Mary on the ground, ox and ass above and Joseph wearing a "Jew´s hat", sitting to the right. This scene has parallels to a carving in Ense/Bremen (25kms north). The right part is very weathered. My first impression proved to be wrong, after I found a copy of "Bau- und Kunstdenkmale von Westfalen", volume 18 ("Kreis Arnsberg"). This book, published in 1906, seems to have the oldest photographs taken here in 1890. More than a hundred years ago, it was obvious, that an angel (note the wings / right) is approaching a person: the Annunciation. - The mountainous "Sauerland", part of the Duchy of Westphalia is known for witch-hunts in the 16th/17th century. Under the terror-regime of barbarous prosecutor Kaspar Reinhard 280 people were burned at the stakes in and around Balve between 1628 and 1630. Some villagers even tried to assassinate him, but he narrowly escaped. The failed assassinators were executed by dismemberment. The believe in witchcraft stayed stable in the Duchy for long time. In 1695 a 12 year old girl was executed in Olpe (50kms south), the last execution took place in Winterberg (60kms east) in 1728. - Green stones from Anroechte: www.anroechter-stein.de/

The first cathedral here was consecrated by St. Zeno around 380 AD. This was replaced by a larger building already two centuries later. An earthquake and/or fire destroyed that structure. The basilica that got rebuilt was destroyed by the earthquake in 1117, that wrecked so many buildings in Veneto and Lombardy. The present "Cattedrale Santa Maria Matricolare" was built in 1117-38, but many renovations were made later. Sofar I uploaded photos of the two massive capitals flanking the cathedral´s side portal, but above them are two more, smaller ones. Here is one of them. There is a lady holding a spindle and above an insription. I read ENANCILLADIVERBUDNIHFIAT... I could "detect" ANCILLA and FIAT, so my theory is: E(CCE) ANCILLA D(OMIN)I VERBU(M) D(OMI)NI (MI)H(I) FIAT, what then could be Luke 1:38 "Ecce ancilla Domini. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum." "I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!"