Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Tree of Jesse

Santo Domingo de Silos is a village with a population of about 300 - and at least one nice hotel. The first monastery was founded here in the Visigoth period (~ 590), but this monastery did not survive the Muslim period. A monastery was founded here again in 929, but it came to a standstill again after the raids under Almansor in the last quarter of the 10th century. In 1002 the monastery was destroyed and had to be founded again. During the term of abbot Domingo de Silos from 1041- 1073, the monastery was strongly supported by King Ferdinand I, who was in power 1035 - 1065. Under Abbot Domingo, construction began on a Romanesque church with three naves, a transept and five apses. The consecration took place in 1088 before the construction as a whole was completed after the turn of the 12th century. After abbot Domingo's death, his veneration began and the monastery adopted him as its patron saint. It was called Santo Domingo de Silos from about 1110. In the 18th century, there was a need for a larger church. The Romanesque church was demolished and replaced by a baroque new building. The Romanesque cloister has two stories. The lower floor was of course built sometime earlier than the upper floor. The dates are disputed. The oldest parts may date from the late tenure of Saint Domingo. The upper one was completed around 1160/80. The "Tree of Jesse" shows the ancestors of Jesus Christ

Chaumont (pop. ~ 22.000) is located in the centre of Haute Marne. Peasants and artisans settled around an early existing fortified motte and so started the development of Chaumont, owned since the 12th century by the Counts of Champagne. - "Saint-Jean-Baptiste" was built at the beginning of the 13th century to meet the needs of a growing population. It was made a collegiate church in 1474 by Pope Sixtus IV and raised to "basilica minor" in 1948 by Pope Pius XII. -The "Tree of Jesse" was carved 1530/40. The limestone sculpture is 4,50m high and (at the base) 3,20m wide. Jesse sitting in the centre is asleep. The tree is crowned with a Madonna and Child. On the first branch, on the left, sits David carrying his harp. Below him on the ground lies Goliath's enormous head.

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior". The legend tells, that Saint Kunibert, who was bishop of Cologne and advisor to King Dagobert I, founded a monastery here. In its center existed a church, dedicated to Saint Clemens, where St. Kunibert was buried. Around 1210 the construction of a new church began. The choir was completed in 1226. St. Kunibert was consecrated in 1247, just a year before he Gothic cathedral was begun. So this is the "youngest" of the Romanesque churches in Cologne. As a result of the secalurization the monastery ceased to exist in 1802. The church remained in use by the local parish. In 1830 the the western tower collapsed during a storm. It got rebuilt until 1860 but got ruined in 1944, when the church fell into ruins due to the air raids. Reconstruction of choir and nave were finished 1955, however rebuilding of transept and western tower were only started in the late 1970s, after a long controversial dispute. Reconstruction work was finally finished in 1993. Some windows of the choir date back to 1220/1230. Here the "Tree of Jesse" is depicted. The nativity scene is a detail of that window.

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior". The legend tells, that Saint Kunibert, who was bishop of Cologne and advisor to King Dagobert I, founded a monastery here. In its center existed a church, dedicated to Saint Clemens, where St. Kunibert was buried. Around 1210 the construction of a new church began. The choir was completed in 1226. St. Kunibert was consecrated in 1247, just a year before he Gothic cathedral was begun. So this is the "youngest" of the Romanesque churches in Cologne. As a result of the secalurization the monastery ceased to exist in 1802. The church remained in use by the local parish. In 1830 the the western tower collapsed during a storm. It got rebuilt until 1860 but got ruined in 1944, when the church fell into ruins due to the air raids. Reconstruction of choir and nave were finished 1955, however rebuilding of transept and western tower were only started in the late 1970s, after a long controversial dispute. Reconstruction work was finally finished in 1993. Some windows of the choir date back to 1220/1230. Here the "Tree of Jesse" is depicted.

Parma, part of the Holy Roman Empire since Charlemagne´s times, was locally ruled by its bishops. During the long Investiture Controversy, Parma was (mostly) member of the Imperial party ("Ghibellini"). Two of Parma´s bishops even became antipopes: Càdalo as Honorius II and Guibert as Clement III. An almost independent commune was created around 1140. After the Peace of Constance confirmed the Italian communes' rights of self-governance in 1183, quarrels with the neighbouring communes (eg Piacenza and Cremona) developed over the trading lines along the Po river. When in 1248 Papist families ("Guelphs") gained control over the city, Emperor Frederick II (aka "Stupor Mundi") besieged Parma with no success. This were the circumstances, when in 1196 the City Council of Parma commissioned the building of the Battistero di San Giovanni to Benedetto Antelami. In 1216 the second tier was completed. The work stopped under a temporary roof. It continued in 1249 and the octagon, located next to the cathedral, was finally completed in 1270. The Baptistery has three (!) portals. Here is the tympanum of one of them. Seated under the semicircular Tree of Jesse is Virgin Mary, young Jesus on her knees. To the left the Magi approach (names written above them) adoring, to the right Joseph gets a message from an angel. On the lintel below Jesus is getting baptised by John the Baptist. John later gets beheaded during an evening meal of the Herodes family.