Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Annunciation to the Shepherds

In 74 BC, the Roman city was founded by Pompejus on the site of a local settlement. The city served to secure the Pyrenees crossing from Roncesvalles. Pamplona was destroyed several times in the course of its history: 466 by the Visigoths, 542 by the Franks, 778 by Charlemagne, 924 by Abd ar-Rahman III and in 1521 during the Franco-Spanish War by troops of Francis I. Its location on the Way of St. James from France gave the capital of the Kingdom of Navarre a boom in the 11th century. With the division of Navarre, the city ultimately came to Spain. After the conquest of the country and its incorporation into Castile in 1512-1515, Pamplona became one of the outposts of the Spanish crown on the French border. Its mission for 300 years was to secure the border against a possible invasion from France. Fortifications and walls were a vital system of defense, but at the same time prevented the city from expanding. The museum is located in the old hospital “Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia de Pamplona” from the 16th century. However, only the facade with the main entrance and the former chapel remain of the hospital. Maestro de Olite, Annunciation to the Shepherds, wall painting, around 1330

In 192 BC, the Romans conquered the area and founded the outpost Toletum. Due to its iron ore deposits, Toledo developed into an important settlement. Since the first barbarian invasions, the ancient walls were reinforced. In 411 the Alans and later the Visigoths conquered the city. Toledo was the capital of the Visigoths' empire from about 531 to 711. The Moors conquered the place in 712. Toledo experienced its heyday during the period of Moorish rule as Ṭulayṭula during the Caliphate of Córdoba until its conquest by Alfonso VI in 1085, after a four-year siege. In 1088, only a few years after the conquest, Archbishop Bernard of Toledo obtained confirmation from Pope Urban II that Toledo should hold the "primatus in totis Hispaniarum regnis" (primacy in all the kingdoms of the Iberian dominions). The Archbishop of Toledo is still today the Primate of the Catholic Church of Spain. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Toledo school of translators translated ancient philosophical writings (Plato, Aristotle) that had been translated from Greek into Arabic, but also genuinely Arabic writings from the fields of astronomy, mathematics, Islamic religion and theology into Latin. After the conquest by Alfonso VI, Toledo became the residence of the Kingdom of Castile in 1087 and remained the capital of Spain until 1561. The cathedral was founded in 1226. Ferdinand III (aka “the Saint”) laid the first stone in 1227 after he had the old Visigothic church demolished. This had previously been converted into a mosque by the Moors and they wanted to radically remove this influence. The first architect, named “Master Martín” is mentioned in 1227. He either was French or had worked there before, as this building was clearly modeled after the Bourges Cathedral. It is widely believed to be one of the most important Gothic churches in Spain. It measures 120 meters in length by 59 meters in width and 44.5 meters high. It consists of five naves with a transept and double ambulatory. The story, the tympanum tells, starts on the left side of the bottom row: Annunciation - Visitation - Nativity - Annunciation to the Shepherds - The Magi leaving Herod - The Adoration of the Magi - The Dream of the Magi - Massacre of the Innocents It continues from right to left, starting with the Flight into Egypt

Due to its location and importance, Benevento was an important base for Roman rule in southern Italy for centuries. After the expansion of the Lombards, Benevento became the seat of Lombard dukes but repeatedly fell into dependence on the Franks and the German emperors. In 840, Benevento was occupied by the Muslims for a few years. The city has been the seat of the Archbishopric of Benevento since 969. In 1047 it fell into the hands of Norman princes with the exception of the city, which Emperor Henry III gave to Leo IX in 1053. In the 11th and 12th centuries, four councils were held in Benevento. On February 26, 1266, in the Battle of Benevento, the Hohenstaufen Manfred, natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, was defeated by Charles of Anjou, after which the latter seized Apulia, Sicily, and Tuscia. The Duomo di Benevento Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishops of Benevento. It dates back to the Longobard foundation of the Duchy of Benevento in the late 8th century, but was largely rebuilt in the 1960s after being destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II. The massive bell tower was built beginning in 1279, as an inscription on the east facade attests. It remained largely undamaged during the bombings. Benevento Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishops of Benevento. It dates back to the Longobard foundation of the Duchy of Benevento in the late 8th century, but was largely rebuilt in the 1960s after being destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II. The medieval bronze door, created around 1200, was found in fragments in the rubble of the church after the bombings of 1944. However, it could be reconstructed almost completely. The content of the door consists of two parts. The upper two-thirds is filled with a relief cycle on the life of Jesus. The lower third consists of individual figures. The life of Jesus is depicted in 43 scenes, from the Annunciation to the Ascension. Ursula Mende, author of "The Bronze Doors of the Middle Ages" sees strong parallels with the mosaics in the Cathedral of Monreale and ivory works from Byzantium of the 11th century. The finely crafted figures look almost plastic against the background. Annunciation - Visitation - Nativity (incl. First Bath) - Annunciation to the Shepherds

Villeneuve-l’Archevêque was founded by the Archbishop of Sens in the second half of the 12th century. The town was built on a checkerboard plan and protected by a wall. All the straight and wide streets were aligned parallel. Two transverse lanes and a few alleys, connect the parallel streets. Due to hostile feudal neighbours, fearing the loss of political power, the start was pretty difficult. It was supported by the Archbishop of Sens Guillaume aux Blanches Mains, whose brother was the Count of Champagne. Villeneuve experienced a certain economic success. In 1177, the king allowed the establishment of a market there. A hall was built to house the stalls and two fairs were established here. Notre-Dame dates from the time, when the village was founded. The church was largely remodelled in the 13th century with its Gothic nave, then in the 16th century, with the reconstruction of the transept and the choir in 1530-1540. Its remarkable north portal is an exceptional example of 13th-century Gothic artwork, centred around the "Coronation of the Virgin", a "young" Gothic icon, as most Romanesque tympana were connected to the "Last Judgement". It is believed that the first "coronation" was carved in Senlis around 1170. A detail of the lintel: The Nativity and the Annunciation to the shepherds.

Villeneuve-l’Archevêque was founded by the Archbishop of Sens in the second half of the 12th century. The town was built on a checkerboard plan and protected by a wall. All the straight and wide streets were aligned parallel. Two transverse lanes and a few alleys, connect the parallel streets. Due to hostile feudal neighbours, fearing the loss of political power, the start was pretty difficult. It was supported by the Archbishop of Sens Guillaume aux Blanches Mains, whose brother was the Count of Champagne. Villeneuve experienced a certain economic success. In 1177, the king allowed the establishment of a market there. A hall was built to house the stalls and two fairs were established here. Notre-Dame dates from the time, when the village was founded. The church was largely remodelled in the 13th century with its Gothic nave, then in the 16th century, with the reconstruction of the transept and the choir in 1530-1540. Its remarkable north portal is an exceptional example of 13th-century Gothic artwork, centred around the "Coronation of the Virgin", a "young" Gothic icon, as most Romanesque tympana were connected to the "Last Judgement". It is believed that the first "coronation" was carved in Senlis around 1170. The lintel fltr: The Visitation - The Nativity - The Annunciation to the Shepherds - Presentation at the Temple (?) - The Magi

La Chaise-Dieu was founded in 1043 by Robert de Turlande. It was named "Casa Dei", from which La Chaise-Dieu developed. From the 11th to the 13th century, the abbey experienced rapid and significant development. When the founder died in 1067, already 300 monks lived here. In the Auvergne La Chaise-Dieu gained importance similar to that of the Burgundian Cluny Abbey. The abbey received many donations from noble families and administered 42 daughter monasteries. Popes who visited the abbey include Urban II, Calixt II, Alexander III. and Innocent II. In 1342, Pierre Roger, who had lived as a monk in La Chaise-Dieu, became Pope in Avignon under the name Clement VI. He financed a new building of the abbey church, in which he was finally buried. The building was completed in 1378 under the pontificate of Gregory XI, a nephew of Clement VI. Since 1516 La Chaise-Dieu, like most other French abbeys, became "in commendam" so the commendatory abbot drew the revenue of the monastery but without fulfilling the duties of the abbot or even residing at the monastery. Calvinist troops looted the abbey in August 1562. After most of the monastery buildings were destroyed by fire in 1695, they were rebuilt by the monks in the decades that followed. In 1786, Cardinal de Rohan, who was involved in the "Affair of the Diamond Necklace" was exiled to La Chaise-Dieu. While the abbey had 40 monks at that time, religious life ended at the beginning of the French Revolution. La Chaise-Dieu is known for the tapestries, once woven to embellish the monks´ choir. They were commissioned by Jacques de Saint-Nectaire and were woven by a Flemish workshop between 1501 and 1518. The collection includes 14 tapestries of which two are different and may have been ordered by the abbot for his personal use. The 12 other tapestries constitute a complete continuation of the Annunciation to the Last Judgment. An inventory prior to the Revolution mentions 18 tapestries, so four tapestries have therefore disappeared. The tapestries were only exhibited during major liturgical feasts. They were rolled up and kept during the troubles during the Wars of Religion and the Revolution. In 2013 the tapestries were removed. They got restored and returned to the abbey in July 2019. I was lucky to see them in August 2019. Some of the tapestries are not part of the serie, like this "Nativity". There are around the Nativity scene: the "Annuciation", the "Visitation", the "Adoration of the Magi", the "Annunciation to the Shepherds" and the "Presentation of Jesus at the Temple".