Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Abraham's bosom

Through Charlemagne, the mission base here became a bishop's see in 804. The Bishop was granted market, minting and customs rights by King Otto III in 989. He held the secular power in the Harzgau and thus over the inhabitants of Halberstadt. The first cathedral was consecrated in 992. By 1068, there was already an emerging merchant class, under which the city began to emancipate itself from control by the bishop's see around about 1105. In 1146, possibly the first Jews arrived in Halberstadt coming from Halle. In 1189 Jews persecuted during the Third Crusade reached the city. In 1261, the first episcopal letter of protection is documented for them. Henry the Lion destroyed the city, cathedral and cathedral castle in 1179 in the course of a feud by setting a major fire. In 1199 the construction of the city wall is mentioned for the first time, which lasted until 1236. Between 1236 and 1239, the construction of the new cathedral began. In 1241, a town hall for the city is mentioned for the first time; moreover, the city already had its own seal at this time. In 1343 the Jews were attacked by the Counts of Mansfeld and Regenstein and fled, a decade later the new so-called "Judendorf" became the first closed Jewish settlement in the city. St. Martini was probably founded in the 10th century. It was first mentioned in 1186. The building is a five-bay Gothic hall church. The octagonal spires of different heights are connected by a covered bridge. The choir is associated with indulgences in the years 1267, 1274 and 1285. The west building was probably started before 1311, the date when the church was placed under the Johannisstift. The city of Halberstadt was 82 percent destroyed by bombing at the end of WWII. The degree of destruction of the Martini Church was also estimated at 80%. From 1945 to 1954 St. Martini was restored. The main focus was on the restoration of the towers and the roof, which characterize the cityscape. The bronze baptismal font is a work from the end of the 13th century. It is carried by four men, symbolizing the rivers of paradise. There are nine flat reliefs depicting the childhood and youth of Christ. The coloring was renewed in the 19th century. The "Slaughter of the Innocents". The souls of the innocent kids are in Abraham's bosom.

Otranto occupies the site of an ancient Greek city. It gained importance in Roman times, as it was the nearest port to the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. After the end of the Roman Empire, it was in the hands of the Byzantine emperors until it surrendered to the Norman troops of Robert Guiscard in 1068. The Normans fortified the city and built the cathedral, that got consecrated in 1088. When Henry VI., son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, married Constanze of Sicily in 1186 Otranto came under the rule of the Hohenstaufen and later in the hands of Ferdinand I of Aragón, King of Naples. Between 1480 and 1481 the "Ottoman invasion" took place here. Troops of the Ottoman Empire invaded and laid siege to the city and its citadel. Legends tell that more than 800 inhabitants were beheaded after the city was captured. The "Martyrs of Otranto" are still celebrated in Italy, their skulls are on display in the cathedral. A year later the Ottoman garrison surrendered the city following a siege by Christian forces and the intervention of Papal forces. - Otranto had been one of the last Byzantine strongholds in Apulia, but finally Robert Guiscard could take it. It had probably been such a stronghold, as Otranto had hosted an autocephalous bishopric, only dependent of the patriarchal see of Byzantium since 968. So (Roman) Catholicism had to perform something "convincing" for the so long (Byzantine) Orthodox christians. One was to erect a huge church. The Otranto Cathedral was erected, over ruins of a Paleo-christian church from 1080 on and was consecrated in 1088. It is 54 metres long by 25 metres wide and is built on 42 monolithic granite and marble columns. I had come to Otranto, to see the mosaic. I had planned to stay one night in Otranto, I spent three nights - and still had not seen all the details. I was so overwhelmed, that I took hundreds of photos, but the mosaic is "endless". I will upload only a couple. It was created by a monk named Pantaleon and his workshop between 1163 and 1165. Pantaleon lived at the monastery San Nicola di Casole, located a few kilometres south of Otranto. The mosaic covers the nave, both aisles, the apse and the presbytery. This sums up to a total of 1596 m². About 10 000000 (10 million!) "tesserae" were used. There are scholars, who have counted up to 700 different "stories", that are told here. Though, these "stories" are often disputed, as today's interpretations are mostly very "vague". German historian Carl Arnold Willemsen published the most important book about the mosaic in Italian " L'enigma di Otranto", that since the 1970s is translated in many languages. I followed his theories. As the church is a parish church, there are benches placed on the mosaic floor. Only for the Sunday service, the ropes are open so that the parishioners can reach the benches. I stayed up to Sunday to mix with the locals. The left aisle has like the nave and the right aisle a tree in the middle. Here it separates hell (right) from heaven (left). Here the damage of the mosaic is obvious. The souls are welcomed to heaven by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but not much more than the elbow and the name of Jacob survived the times. The icon refers to Lk 16,22–23 "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession. Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century. A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status +of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful, The court of Roger II became melting out of culture from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans cooperated and created some extraordinary buildings. In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages. - William II of Sicily built from 1172 here a fort-like complex of buildings, which included a cathedral, an archepiscopal palace, a royal palace and a Benedictine monastery. In 1183 the monastery became the seat of the archdiocese of Monreale. The town then developed around this complex. According to a legend, William fell asleep while hunting. The Holy Virgin appeared to him in a dream, suggesting him to build a church here. After removing a tree, a treasure was found, whose coins were used to finance the construction. Well, it is much more likely that Monreale was founded in competition with the bishop of Palermo, who had commissioned the large Cathedral of Palermo. This would explain the vast dimensions and the splendour of the "Duomo di Monreale" and the adjoining cloister, the only structures of the large complex, that survived the times. The cloister (completed ~ 1200) measures 47x47 metres. Each side has 26 arches resting on columns. The carvings of the capitals (and the columns) are very detailed and complex, the themes vary and some capitals are "hard to read" and interpret. The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:22-24 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’"