Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Last Judgment

Salamanca is a "real city" with a population of more than 140.000 inhabitants. Under Roman and Visigothic rule called “Helmantica,” the city developed into an important trading center. In the 8th century, Salamanca was taken by the Moors, but in 939 it became Christian again as a result of the Battle of Simancas. Salamanca became a border town to the Islamic south of the Iberian Peninsula and was subsequently exposed to constant attacks, which resulted in depopulation and only after the conquest of Toledo by Alfonso VI. León's rule ended in 1085. In 1102 the period of repopulation began. The Christian new settlers rose against Castile-León in 1162 and called on Portugal for help in 1163, which occupied Salamanca for two years. Salamanca experienced its heyday in the 16th century. In 1524, the construction of the church and monastery of San Esteban began and at the same time, the new cathedral was built. The old cathedral, together with the adjacent larger new cathedral, is the episcopal church. The construction of the Romanesque-early Gothic basilica began around 1150. The work continued well into the 13th century. The cathedral school was founded in 1174, from which the University of Salamanca emerged in 1218. The church is a cruciform basilica. The nave is 52 m long and 16.70 m high. All three naves close with semicircular apses. The left transept arm was cut off during the construction of the new cathedral. The Last Judgment above the altarpiece was made by Niccolò Delli (aka "Niccolò Florentino") around 1450, On the left, the good souls go to heaven dressed in white, while the bad souls are thrust naked into hellmouth.

Salamanca is a "real city" with a population of more than 140.000 inhabitants. Under Roman and Visigothic rule called “Helmantica,” the city developed into an important trading center. In the 8th century, Salamanca was taken by the Moors, but in 939 it became Christian again as a result of the Battle of Simancas. Salamanca became a border town to the Islamic south of the Iberian Peninsula and was subsequently exposed to constant attacks, which resulted in depopulation and only after the conquest of Toledo by Alfonso VI. León's rule ended in 1085. In 1102 the period of repopulation began. The Christian new settlers rose against Castile-León in 1162 and called on Portugal for help in 1163, which occupied Salamanca for two years. Salamanca experienced its heyday in the 16th century. In 1524, the construction of the church and monastery of San Esteban began and at the same time, the new cathedral was built. The old cathedral, together with the adjacent larger new cathedral, is the episcopal church. The construction of the Romanesque-early Gothic basilica began around 1150. The work continued well into the 13th century. The cathedral school was founded in 1174, from which the University of Salamanca emerged in 1218. The church is a cruciform basilica. The nave is 52 m long and 16.70 m high. All three naves close with semicircular apses. The left transept arm was cut off during the construction of the new cathedral. The main altarpiece The work can be dated between 1430 and 1450, and there are three artists who worked on the 53 panels of the altarpiece. The main works are by the Italian Daniel Delli (aka "Dello Delli"), who painted the first 12 panels. Dello Delli was assisted by his two brothers. Sanson Delli created some of the panels in the center section of the altar, the third brother, Niccolò Delli (aka "Niccolò Florentino") painted some of the last panels of the work and the painting of the Last Judgment, located in the apse of the cathedral. The altarpiece depicts a cycle of the life of the Virgin Mary and Jesus.

León was founded in 68 AD for a Roman legion from which they were supposed to pacify the rebellious mountain dwellers of Asturias and Cantabria. The name of the settlement that was then developed is based on a refined form of the Latin word "legio". After the end of the Roman Empire, the city was conquered by the Visigoths and in 712 by the Moors. In 856, after the reconquest under King Ordoño I of Asturias, the city was repopulated. Ordoño II made León the capital of his kingdom of León in 914. Sacked by Almanzor in about 987, the city was reconstructed and repopulated by Alfonso V, León was an important stop on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. Traders and artisans settled in the suburbs and had a strong influence on the development of the city from the 13th century onwards. In the early Middle Ages, the city became prosperous through the cattle trade. However, from the 16th century until the 19th century, the economy and population declined. The main construction period of the cathedral was between 1255 and 1303. The first architect was "Master Enrique", who had previously built the transept and nave of Burgos Cathedral between 1243 and 1260. "Master Enrique" directed the construction from 1255 to 1277, using Reims Cathedral as a model. The experience he gained in Burgos prompted him to take a risk, which paid off centuries later, as many openings later had to be bricked up for stability reasons. In the middle of the 19th century, the structure was on the verge of collapse and had to be completely restored. Reconstruction lasted from 1859 to 1901. In 1302, the work was apparently stopped, probably for financial reasons. This may also be the reason for the comparatively short nave with only five bays, for the lack of a tower in the transept. The upper parts of the cathedral were not completed until 1439. The five-part porch on the west façade was built in the mid to late 13th century. The design of this sophisticated three-portal complex was based on the most important model of the time, the transept portals of Chartres Cathedral. The tympanum shows the Last Judgment. In the centre of the lower level, St. Michael stands holding the scales. After the "weighing of the souls", the saved ones go to St. Peter on the left (there is even music), while the damned are thrown into the pots of hell on the right.

Payerne Priory (= Peterlingen), a former Cluniac monastery, was founded around 962 by Empress Adelheid as the burial place of her mother Queen Berta of Burgundy. It was annexed to the reform abbey of Cluny in 962 as one of the first daughter monasteries. It was richly endowed by the kings of Burgundy and the German emperors and had extensive landholdings In 1033, Conrad II was crowned King of Burgundy in Peterlingen. The priory was first directly managed by the abbots from Cluny, but starting in 1050 the local prior led the monastery with increasing independence. Saint Ulrich of Zell, was prior here in the later 11th century. He later founded two Cluniac monasteries in the Black Forest. In 1444, the antipope Felix V raised the priory to an abbey. This elevation brought no benefits to the monastery. The Reformation and the weakening of Savoy's power led to the dissolution of the monastery. After the Bernese conquest of Vaud, some of the buildings were demolished. The former abbey church of Notre Dame is an example of Cluniac architecture and an important Romanesque church building. The current construction was started in the 11th century by Abbot Odilo of Cluny on the site of the previous 10th-century church. Parts of the previous building, including the archaic capitals, were included in the new church. After the Reformation, the church was profaned and served in the 17th century as a bell foundry, in the 18th century as a granary, and later also as a prison and barracks. Since 1926 a careful restoration was carried out. Aproaching eternal hell The scene is part of a depiction of the Last Judgment.

Payerne Priory (= Peterlingen), a former Cluniac monastery, was founded around 962 by Empress Adelheid as the burial place of her mother Queen Berta of Burgundy. It was annexed to the reform abbey of Cluny in 962 as one of the first daughter monasteries. It was richly endowed by the kings of Burgundy and the German emperors and had extensive landholdings In 1033, Conrad II was crowned King of Burgundy in Peterlingen. The priory was first directly managed by the abbots from Cluny, but starting in 1050 the local prior led the monastery with increasing independence. Saint Ulrich of Zell, was prior here in the later 11th century. He later founded two Cluniac monasteries in the Black Forest. In 1444, the antipope Felix V raised the priory to an abbey. This elevation brought no benefits to the monastery. The Reformation and the weakening of Savoy's power led to the dissolution of the monastery. After the Bernese conquest of Vaud, some of the buildings were demolished. The former abbey church of Notre Dame is an example of Cluniac architecture and an important Romanesque church building. The current construction was started in the 11th century by Abbot Odilo of Cluny on the site of the previous 10th-century church. Parts of the previous building, including the archaic capitals, were included in the new church. After the Reformation, the church was profaned and served in the 17th century as a bell foundry, in the 18th century as a granary, and later also as a prison and barracks. Since 1926 a careful restoration was carried out. Psychostasia /Weighing of souls Archangel Michael holds the scales. The scene is part of a depiction of the Last Judgment.

Payerne Priory (= Peterlingen), a former Cluniac monastery, was founded around 962 by Empress Adelheid as the burial place of her mother Queen Berta of Burgundy. It was annexed to the reform abbey of Cluny in 962 as one of the first daughter monasteries. It was richly endowed by the kings of Burgundy and the German emperors and had extensive landholdings In 1033, Conrad II was crowned King of Burgundy in Peterlingen. The priory was first directly managed by the abbots from Cluny, but starting in 1050 the local prior led the monastery with increasing independence. Saint Ulrich of Zell, was prior here in the later 11th century. He later founded two Cluniac monasteries in the Black Forest. In 1444, the antipope Felix V raised the priory to an abbey. This elevation brought no benefits to the monastery. The Reformation and the weakening of Savoy's power led to the dissolution of the monastery. After the Bernese conquest of Vaud, some of the buildings were demolished. The former abbey church of Notre Dame is an example of Cluniac architecture and an important Romanesque church building. The current construction was started in the 11th century by Abbot Odilo of Cluny on the site of the previous 10th-century church. Parts of the previous building, including the archaic capitals, were included in the new church. After the Reformation, the church was profaned and served in the 17th century as a bell foundry, in the 18th century as a granary, and later also as a prison and barracks. Since 1926 a careful restoration was carried out. Christ in Majesty. The scene is the center of a depiction of the Last Judgment, Note the Elders to the left.

Duke Frederick II the One-Eyed (1090-1147) of Swabia built a hunting lodge on an island in the Moder. The settlement that grew around was the beginning of Haguenau. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa fortified the settlement and gave it town rights, important for further development, in 1154. On the site of the hunting lodge, he founded an imperial palace he regarded as his favorite residence. In this palace were preserved the "Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empire", i.e. the jeweled imperial crown, scepter, imperial orb, and sword of Charlemagne. The Romanesque church building began under Duke Frederick II the One-Eyed of Swabia and replaced an older Romanesque chapel. In 1143 the Strasbourg bishop granted the construction of the church, which was completed in 1189. The architecture recalls the style of the Hirsau Abbey which influenced the Romanesque architecture of Swabia. A Gothic choir was added to the Romanesque nave, which remained unaffected except for the vaults that were inserted later. The choir was consecrated in 1283. The winged altar was created in the 19th century by adding two late Gothic paintings as wings to the centerpiece depicting the "Last Judgement". This is a work by Diebold Martin, a contemporary of Grünewald. The "Weighing of Souls" and the Mouth of Hell. The "Weighing of Souls" and the Hellmouth. It looks like the better-off Petrus is taking to heaven while the lower class enters hell.

Duke Frederick II the One-Eyed (1090-1147) of Swabia built a hunting lodge on an island in the Moder. The settlement that grew around was the beginning of Haguenau. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa fortified the settlement and gave it town rights, important for further development, in 1154. On the site of the hunting lodge, he founded an imperial palace he regarded as his favorite residence. In this palace were preserved the "Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empire", i.e. the jeweled imperial crown, scepter, imperial orb, and sword of Charlemagne. The Romanesque church building began under Duke Frederick II the One-Eyed of Swabia and replaced an older Romanesque chapel. In 1143 the Strasbourg bishop granted the construction of the church, which was completed in 1189. The architecture recalls the style of the Hirsau Abbey which influenced the Romanesque architecture of Swabia. A Gothic choir was added to the Romanesque nave, which remained unaffected except for the vaults that were inserted later. The choir was consecrated in 1283. The winged altar was created in the 19th century by adding two late Gothic paintings as wings to the centerpiece depicting the "Last Judgement". This is a work by Diebold Martin, a contemporary of Grünewald.

Gdańsk is mentioned the Vita of Saint Adalbert of Prague who baptised the inhabitants of "urbs Gyddannyzc" in 997. Later the site was a duchy of Poland. In 1224/25, merchants from Lübeck were invited Significant German influence did not appear until the 14th century, after the takeover of the city by the Teutonic Knights. In 1300, the town had an estimated population of 2,000. Low on funds, the Pomeranian Samborides lent the settlement to Brandenburg, although they planned to give it to Poland. Poland threatened to intervene, and the Brandenburgians left the town. Subsequently, the city was taken by Danish princes in 1301. The Teutonic Knights were hired by Polish nobles to drive out the Danes. In 1308, the town was taken by the Teutonic Knights. Primary sources record a large massacre carried out by the Knights against the population. In 1358, Danzig joined the Hanseatic League. After a series of Polish-Teutonic Wars, the Order had to acknowledge that it would hold Pomerelia as a fief from the Polish Crown. The city thrived as a result of increased exports via the Vistula River trading routes. While under the control of the Teutonic Order German migration increased. A new war broke out in 1409, culminating in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. The city came under the control of the Kingdom of Poland. Only a year later, with the Peace of Thorn, it returned to the Teutonic Order. In 1440, the city participated in the foundation of the "Prussian Confederation", an organisation opposed to the Teutonic Knights. Upon the request of the organisation King Casimir IV of Poland reincorporated the territory to the Kingdom of Poland in 1454. This led to a war between Poland and the Teutonic Order. Casimir IV of Poland granted the town the Great Privilege. With this, the town was granted full autonomy and protection by the King of Poland. The privilege removed tariffs and taxes on trade within Poland, Lithuania and Ruthenia. Gaining privileged access to Polish markets, the seaport prospered while simultaneously trading with the other Hanseatic cities. Being the largest and one of the most influential cities of Poland, it enjoyed voting rights during the royal election period in Poland. In the 1575 election of a king to the Polish throne, Danzig supported Maximilian II in his struggle against Stephen Báthory. Stephen became monarch but the city shut its gates against him. After the 6 months siege of Danzig in 1577 the city's army was defeated. A compromise was reached: Stephen confirmed the city's special status and its privileges. The city recognised him as ruler of Poland and paid the enormous sum of 200,000 guldens in gold as payoff. During the Reformation, most German-speaking inhabitants adopted Lutheranism. The "Battle of Westerplatte" was the first battle of the German invasion of Poland, marking the start of WW II in Europe. The historic city centre of Gdansk was 90% destroyed at the end of WWII. It was reconstructed by Poles at great expense and today attracts tourists. According to tradition in 1243 Duke Swietopelk had a wooden church built where the Bazyliką Mariacką is now. Construction of a new hall church on a Romanesque predecessor began in 1343. By 1447 the eastern part of the church was finished, and the tower was raised by two floors in the years 1452–1466. From 1485 the work was continued by Hans Brandt and after 1496, the church was finally finished under Heinrich Haetzl In the course of the Reformation most Danzigers adopted Lutheranism. After a short wave of turbulent religious altercations in 1525 and 1526 the authorities favored a smooth transition to Lutheran religious practice. In 1529 the first Lutheran sermon was given here. From 1536 on both Lutheran services and Catholic masses were held. After King Sigismund II Augustus had granted Danzig the religious privilege of celebrating communion with both bread and wine in 1557, the City Council ended Catholic masses in all Danzig churches except St. Mary's, where Catholic masses continued until 1572. The "Sąd Ostateczny" (Last Judgment) is a triptych painted by Hans Memling in Bruges between 1467 and 1471. The original is the National Museum in Gdańsk. A copy is on display in the basilica. The work was commissioned by Angola di Jacopo Tani from the Bruges branch of the Medici bank and was originally intended for the family chapel of San Michele in Badia Fiesolana near Florence. In 1473, while being transported to Italy aboard a galley, it was captured by the Danzig caper Paul Beneke commanding a ship named "Peter of Danzig". The owners of the caper ship donated Memling's altarpiece to the Marienkirche. A lengthy lawsuit against the Hanseatic League demanded its return to Italy, but that was never finalized. In the Napoleonic era was transported to the Louvre in Paris as a war trophy. Later it was brought to Berlin and finally returned to Gdansk in 1817. At the end of WW II Memling's work was taken by the Germans to Thuringia, where it fell into the hands of the Red Army. As a war trophy, it was exhibited in the Leningrad Hermitage. In 1958 it finally returned to Gdansk. The triptych depicts the Last Judgment. The central panel shows Jesus sitting in judgment on the world, while St Michael the Archangel is weighing souls.

Saint-Seurin was originally built outside the city walls close to an ancient necropolis. The Abbey of St. Seurin bears the name of the venerated fourth bishop of Bordeaux. A first building, confirmed towards mid 5th century, got destroyed by the Normans in the 8th century. It was reconstructed above the crypt of St. Seurin from the 11th to 13th centuries. The church underwent many modifications and got a new facade during the 19th century. Behind this new facade parts of the Romanesque portal got saved. The Gothique side portal - seen here - depicts the "Last Judgment", an icon that often can be found along the "chemins". Bordeaux was one of the major halts on the Via Turonensis. The grave of Saint-Seurin was an important place for the many pilgrims. Another precious relic, shown here, was the ivory horn of Roland, who died at Roncevaux and whose (legendary) burial place most pilgrims will have seen in Blaye. Tradition claims that the horn "olifant", still reported in the 17th century and lost before the French Revolution, had been left by the Charlemagne on the altar of St. Seurin.

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 (see previous uploads for the other). The "Last Judgment". Around Christ are the twelve apostles. Below the graves open...

Todi was founded by the Umbri, in the 8th-7th century BC. The settlement on top of a mountain was named "Tutere". It was conquered by the Romans in 217 BC and changed the name to Tuder. Christianity reached Todi early and already in the 2nd century a bishop resided here. The Ostrogoths took the town after a siege and in 759 the Longobards followed. After negotiations between Pope Paul I and Desiderius, last King of the Lombards and Charlemagne´s father in law, Todi became incorporated into the Duchy of Rome. After Charlemagne had the marriage annulled, he attacked and defeated Desiderius, assumed the title King of the Lombards (774) and disposed of his ex-father in law, who lived from then on in the abbey of Corbie. The Duomo di Todi (aka "Concattedrale della Santissima Annunziata") stands on the site of a Roman temple in the former forum. The earlier church here was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1190. The rebuilt cathedral was finished in the 14th century, but the structure has been refurbished and altered several times since then. Seen from the nave is the giant fresco depicting the "Last Judgment", created by Ferraù Faenzone (aka "Il Faenzone") in 1594/5.

On the ruins of a older basilica begann, just next to the Baptistère Saint-Jean the construction of large Cathédrale Saint-Pierre in 1162. The building, the new the seat of the Archbishop of Poitiers, was greatly funded by Henry II of England (aka "Henri II Plantagenêt") and Eleanor of Aquitaine. The construction started as usual in the east and was completed with the western facade end of the 13th century. The transition from the late Romanesque to the Gothic style is visible. The three Gothic portals of the western facade seem influenced by the Gothic cathedrals from northern France. The tympanum of the central portal depicts the "Last Judgment", a "traditional" theme, as this can often found on Romanesque tympana. The tympanum is densely populated and delicately carved. Tombs open on the lowest tier, while above them souls go to heaven (left) or enter the "Mouth of Hell" (right). Christ is flanked by angels, who hold the "Arma Christi". The icon "Instruments of the Passion" got popular during the 13th century.