Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Weighing of the Souls

Auxerre was a Gallo-Roman centre, then called Autissiodorum. It became the seat of a bishop already in the 3rd century. In the 5th century, it received a cathedral. Wine cultivations starting from the twelfth century made Auxerre a flourishing town. Auxerre suffered during the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion. In 1567 it was captured by the Huguenots, and many of the Catholic edifices were damaged. The Cathédrale Saint-Étienne is actually the 5th on the spot. The erection started in 1215 around the same time when the building of the cathedrals in Reims and Amiens started. The church was erected over a still existing crypt from the previous building (~ 1030). The choir was completed in 1235. At the same time, the construction of the facade began. The sculptured portal is dated to around 1320. I have been here a couple of times and have uploaded already many photos, so this time I will cut it down to just a few. The three tympana of the facade are pretty damaged. Seen on the left side of the lintel is a "Weighing of the Souls". The "bad ones" go directly into the "Mouth of Hell" to suffer while the "good ones" are carried away by angels.

Brive´s parish church is a former collegiate church. The large church was erected in the 12th/13th century, where already Gregory of Tours mentions a church. This was built over the tomb of missionary "Saint Martin l'Espagnol" (aka "Saint Martin den Brive") at the end of the fifth century . For the first two centries the collegiate, founded end if the 11th century, prospered, supported by the Bishops of Limoge, but entered financial difficulties later. The cloister of the collegiate was destroyed in 1764, after the Augustin canons living here, joined the Priory of Port-Dieu. After the Revolution the the conventual buildings were bought by City and demolished in 1835. There are many interesting capitals. Here is a "Weighing of Souls" (aka "Psichostasia"). Archangel Michael weighs the soul in a scale the good and bad deeds, while the devil intervenes, using trickery to make the scale fall on his side and take the soul to Hell. The small body symbolizes the soul. I have already uploaded lots of photos from previous visits, so I will just add a few.

The Karner is dated to the 12th century - and so is older than the neighbouring parish church. Some of the frecoes, that since the 14th century beautify the walls survived the centuries. Seen here is a Psychostasia, the "Weighing of the Souls".

Maria Gail is an important center of pilgrimage in Carinthia since centuries. It is locally claimed, that Langobardian missionaries may have founded Maria Gail within the 6th century. The church was mentioned the first time in 1136. The once massive Romanesque church got enlarged (in Gothic style) between 1400 and 1450. In 1478 the church got severely damaged by Turkish troops during the Ottoman incursions. It got rebuilt and re-consecrated in 1486. During a renovation in 1950 late Romanesque frescoes (13th.) were discovered under the plaster along the walls of the nave. Fixed onto the southern outer wall outise are some Romanesque scupltures, that probably originate from the preciding church, that got ruined by the Turkish troops. These two angels belonged once to a large "Last Judgement"-group. The right one blows the horn, while the left one is (smiling!) Archangel St. Michael, who holds the scale for the "Weighing of the Souls".

The construction of the Cattedrale di San Giorgio began in the early 12th century, when the city was taken by Matilda of Tuscany (aka "Matilde di Canossa"). When the new cathedral was consecrated in 1135 it was not completed at all. It was - and still is - located in the center of the city. The lower part of the facade is Romanesque was probably built in the first half of the 11th century. The building process was continued a century later in Gothic style. A "renovation" of the Ferrara Cathedral done in the early 18th century resulted in a demolition. Only the facade and the outer walls survived. The the medieval interior and the apses, that once existed are lost. The portal is attributed to Master Niccolò (aka "Nicholaus"), who (or his workshop) worked as well in Verona (San Zeno) and Piacenza (Cathedral). The upper part of the narthex depicts the "Last Judgement", a popular theme (eg Conques, Autun, Moissac, Sangüesa) here is seen in a delicate style of transition from from Romanesque to Gothic. Souls rise from open graves. Above them Archangel Michael holds a scale doing the "Weighing of the Souls". A little devil tries to hold down the right side. The sinners leave -naked- to the right side, the good souls - nicely dressed to the left. Above all Christ in a mandorla, showing the "Five Holy Wounds". I have added the neighbouring carvings (in a larger scale). To the left the good souls are saved in the "Bosom of Abraham", to the right the poor souls are stuffed by evil devils into the "Mouth of Hell".