Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: exotism

Málaga's history spans around 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe. The city was founded around the 8th century BC by seafaring Phoenicians, who called the city Malaka. From the 6th century BC, the city was under the hegemony of ancient Carthage and from the Second Punic War (218 BC) under Roman rule. The city experienced an economic boom thanks to the production of garum. The Migration Period meant eventful years for Málaga. After the Vandals and the Alans, Visigoths and Eastern Romans fought for control. In 571, the city was briefly occupied by troops of the Visigothic king Leovigild, but it was not until around 616 that the Eastern Romans finally handed the city over to the Visigoths. The Moors conquered Málaga in 711 and the city gained importance in the 11th century when the Hammudids established one of their residences here. In 1053, the King of Granada had the last Hammudid caliph poisoned and conquered the city. After the conquest by the Catholic Monarchs in the course of the Reconquista in 1487, "reforms" began to transform the city into a Christian settlement. In Muslim times, the Jewish quarter was located in the eastern part of the city. In the 11th century, the city took in numerous Jews who had fled from the intolerant Berbers in Córdoba. In the middle of the 11th century, around 200 Jews lived in Málaga out of a population of around 20,000. After the city was conquered by Castile in 1487, all of Malaga's Jews were taken prisoner. Around 1490 it was decided that the city should be repopulated by Christians. Jews and Muslims had to leave Málaga within 15 days. The Cathedral of Málaga was built by the Christian conquerors from 1528 over a mosque. As a result of the 254-year construction phase up to 1782, the church consists of a mixture of different styles. The Renaissance style is predominant, but it also has Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical elements. To defray the enormous expenses of the work, the Crown imposed a tax on the ships that called in Málaga. This group is labelled "Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, Archbishop of Lima headling a sick Indian"

When the Muslims conquered the area in 714, they recognized the value of this strategic location and built a fortress between two ravines. In 1076, Cuenca was unsuccessfully besieged by Sancho Ramírez of Aragon. In 1080 there was a treaty between King Yahya al-Qadir and Alfonso VI. of León and Castile, through which some fortresses were ceded in exchange for military aid. Cuenca was then conquered by Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad in 1086. However, when his country was attacked by the Almoravids, he again offered Cuenca to Alfonso in return for military support. The first Christian troops entered the city in 1093. However, the Almoravids conquered it in 1108. As part of the Reconquista, King Alfonso VIII conquered the city from the Moors in 1177 after a nine-month siege. The Diocese of Cuenca was founded in 1183. Alfonso X gave Cuenca the title “ciudad” in 1257. Cuenca is divided into two different areas, the Old Town and the New Town. The first is located on a rocky hill bordered on the north by the gorges of the Júcar River and on the south by its tributary, the Huécar River. Cuenca is a vibrant city with a population of about 55.000. The Cathedral, inspired by the early Gothic architecture of Central Europe (Soissons, Laon...), was built between 1196 and 1257, but many changes were made repeatedly in the following centuries. The entire choir area was renovated in the 15th century, and the decor of the apse were only created in the 17th/18th century. In 1902, the bell tower collapsed after a lightning strike and damaged the facade, whose reconstruction in the neo-Gothic style, which was not true to the original, began eight years later. The current appearance shows that the structure remains unfinished. The exploration of the non-European world created a boom in Christian missionary work. This in turn often led to exotic motifs.

The first mention of Castelsarrasin dates back to 961, when Count Raymond I of Rouergue bequeathed the Saint-Sauveur church to the Moissac monastery. With its castle and fortifications, Castelsarrasin became an important fortress in the county of Toulouse. During the Middle Ages, the city and area were ravaged by wars. In 1320, during the Shepherds' Crusade (Croisade des pastoureaux), many Jews sought refuge in Castelsarrasin. A Jewish author told, that 200 Jews there took their own lives when they realized that they could not escape their persecutors. According to a Latin source, it was the Pastoureaux who massacred 152 Jews, not just at Castelsarrasin but also in neighboring localities. The Saint-Sauveur church, already mentioned in 961, was rebuilt in 1254 due to the growth of the population. Priory of Moissac Abbey until 1626, it remained the most important of the churches in the diocese of Bas-Montauban until the 1789 Revolution. It is built entirely of brick in the style of the early Gothic architecture of southern France.- Two very exotic faces on the choir stalls. The worldwide missionary work opened churches to such strange icons.

Sélestat was probably not more than a village when Charlemagne stayed here over Christmas 775. Nowadays Sélestat claims to be the place of origin of the christmas-tree, based on an invoice from 1521. The "Église Sainte-Foy de Sélestat" was built in only 10 years between 1170 and 1180, succeeding an earlier ("Holy Sepulcre") church from around 1085 built by Hildegard von Egisheim. Of this church, only the rectangular crypt (and some carvings) remained. Hildegard´s grandson Frederick I Barbarossa funded the construction of the new church, which was the center of a benedictine monastery, depending on the abbey St. Foy in Conques. The 18th and 19th centuries were times of colonization and many European missionaries were activeall over the world, supported by their native communities. This often brought this kind of "exotism" into the churches.

Napoli is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy. Its metropolitan area has a population of more than 3 million. Founded by Greek settlers before 900 BC, Napoli was an important part of Magna Graecia and played a major role in the merging of Greek and Roman society. Following the decline of the Western Roman Empire Napoli was shortly ruled by the Ostrogoths. Byzantine troops captured the city in 536m but after the Byzantine exarchate Ravenna fell a Duchy of Naples was created. Over centuries the Duchy´s relations to Rome or Byzanz were hard-fought. In 836 Napoli could repel a siege of Lombard troops with the help of the Saracens, what did not prevent Muhammad I Abu 'l-Abbas in the 850s loot Napoli. In the 11th century, the Duchy hired Norman mercenaries and about 1140 it came under Norman control under Roger II, then King of Sicily. In 1228 Emperor Frederick II founded the first university in Europe here, making Napoli the intellectual centre of the kingdom. The conflict between the House of Hohenstaufen and the Papacy led in 1266 to Pope Innocent IV crowning the Angevin duke Charles I King of Sicily. Charles officially moved the capital from Palermo to Napoli. In 1282 after the "Sicilian Vespers", a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily against the rule of King Charles I, the Kingdom of Sicily was divided into two. The Angevin Kingdom of Naples included the southern part of the Italian peninsula, while the island of Sicily became the Aragonese Kingdom of Sicily. By the 17th century, Naples had become Europe's second-largest city – second only to Paris – with around 250000 inhabitants. The "Complesso Monumentale Donnaregina" consists of two churches. The younger "Donnaregina Nuova" from the 17th century and the "Donnaregina Vecchia" from the 14th century. Today the complex houses the "Museo Diocesano". St. Francis Xavier converts the Indians. Created around 1820 I have already uploaded many photos from Naples from previous trips and will now only add a few. You can find more photos here: www.ipernity.com/doc/323415/album/1336774

Already in the 7th century, it was the location of a fortified Slavonic settlement, at a ford in the Vistula river. Thorn was established in 1231 under the administration of the Teutonic Order. The Teutonic Order had been called earlier by the Polish Duke Conrad of Mazovia to Christianize the pagan Baltic Pruzzes. However, the Order became active only after Emperor Frederick II granted it the right to rule over the land to be conquered in 1226. The foundation stone of the city of Thorn was laid in 1231 and soon after immigrants from Westphalia populated the town. In the 14th century, Thorn joined the Hanseatic League. The Order's efforts to simultaneously expand its sovereignty and control trade led to warlike conflicts. The city was captured by Poland in 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War however, after the First Peace of Thorn was signed in 1411, the city fell back to the Teutonic Order. In the 1420s, Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło built the Dybów Castle, located in present-day left-bank Toruń. In 1440, the gentry of Thorn co-founded the Prussian Confederation to further oppose the Knights' policies. The Confederation rose against the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights in 1454 and its delegation submitted a petition to Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon asking him to regain power over the region as the rightful ruler. These events led to the Thirteen Years' War. The citizens of the city conquered the Teutonic castle and dismantled the fortifications. In May 1454, a ceremony was held in Toruń, during which the nobility, knights, landowners, mayors, and local officials solemnly swore allegiance to the Polish King. During the war, Toruń financially supported the Polish Army. The Thirteen Years' War ended in 1466, with the Second Peace of Thorn, in which the Teutonic Order renounced any claims to the city and recognized it as part of Poland. During the Great Northern War (Deluge), the city was besieged by Swedish troops. In the second half of the 17th century, tensions between Catholics and Protestants grew. In the early 18th century about half of the population, especially the gentry and middle class, was German-speaking and Protestant, while the other half was Polish-speaking Roman Catholic. The old town of Torun is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. - The erection of the Toruń Cathedral (Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist) was started as a parish church of the old town in about 1270 in the form of a basilica. In 1351, a fire destroyed parts of the building, after which the nave was renewed, abandoning the basilical scheme in favor of a hall church. In 1406 the church tower collapsed, it was rebuilt from 1407 to 1433. Since 1557 the church was evangelical. From 1583 to 1596 Protestants and Catholics used it together. I am not sure to whom this very exotic altar is dedicated. The saint depicted was obviously a missionary "in the distance", where tall palm trees grow under which camels and giraffes walk. The people are dark-skinned, some wear turbans or crowns. The name readable above is "Antonius". Since he is holding a child, I assume that it is Anthony of Padua (1195 - 1231), who for a while lived in Morocco to baptize the Muslims, but fell seriously ill and left Northern Africa. A detail

Already in the 7th century, it was the location of a fortified Slavonic settlement, at a ford in the Vistula river. Thorn was established in 1231 under the administration of the Teutonic Order. The Teutonic Order had been called earlier by the Polish Duke Conrad of Mazovia to Christianize the pagan Baltic Pruzzes. However, the Order became active only after Emperor Frederick II granted it the right to rule over the land to be conquered in 1226. The foundation stone of the city of Thorn was laid in 1231 and soon after immigrants from Westphalia populated the town. In the 14th century, Thorn joined the Hanseatic League. The Order's efforts to simultaneously expand its sovereignty and control trade led to warlike conflicts. The city was captured by Poland in 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War however, after the First Peace of Thorn was signed in 1411, the city fell back to the Teutonic Order. In the 1420s, Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło built the Dybów Castle, located in present-day left-bank Toruń. In 1440, the gentry of Thorn co-founded the Prussian Confederation to further oppose the Knights' policies. The Confederation rose against the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights in 1454 and its delegation submitted a petition to Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon asking him to regain power over the region as the rightful ruler. These events led to the Thirteen Years' War. The citizens of the city conquered the Teutonic castle and dismantled the fortifications. In May 1454, a ceremony was held in Toruń, during which the nobility, knights, landowners, mayors, and local officials solemnly swore allegiance to the Polish King. During the war, Toruń financially supported the Polish Army. The Thirteen Years' War ended in 1466, with the Second Peace of Thorn, in which the Teutonic Order renounced any claims to the city and recognized it as part of Poland. During the Great Northern War (Deluge), the city was besieged by Swedish troops. In the second half of the 17th century, tensions between Catholics and Protestants grew. In the early 18th century about half of the population, especially the gentry and middle class, was German-speaking and Protestant, while the other half was Polish-speaking Roman Catholic. The old town of Torun is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. - The erection of the Toruń Cathedral (Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist) was started as a parish church of the old town in about 1270 in the form of a basilica. In 1351, a fire destroyed parts of the building, after which the nave was renewed, abandoning the basilical scheme in favor of a hall church. In 1406 the church tower collapsed, it was rebuilt from 1407 to 1433. Since 1557 the church was evangelical. From 1583 to 1596 Protestants and Catholics used it together. I am not sure to whom this very exotic altar is dedicated. The saint depicted was obviously a missionary "in the distance", where tall palm trees grow under which camels and giraffes walk. The people are dark-skinned, some wear turbans or crowns. The name readable above is "Antonius". Since he is holding a child, I assume that it is Anthony of Padua (1195 - 1231), who for a while lived in Morocco to baptize the Muslims, but fell seriously ill and left Northern Africa.

The history of Wroclaw dates back more than a thousand years. At various times, it has been part of the Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria, the Kingdom of Prussia, and Germany. Wrocław became part of Poland again in 1945 as part of the result of extensive border changes and expulsions after WWII. In 990 Mieszko I of Poland conquered Silesia and Wrocław. The town became a commercial center. In the 12th century Polish, Bohemian, Jewish, Walloon, and German communities existed here. Wroclaw was devastated in 1241 during the first Mongol invasion of Poland. In the 13th century due to migration from Saxony and Bavaria, Wroclaw got germanised. The population adopted the German language and culture and the name changed to Breslau. Between 1342 and 1344 two fires destroyed large parts of the city, which was a part of the Bohemian Kingdom at that time. Charles IV`s , successors Wenceslaus and Sigismund became involved in a long-lasting feud with the city and its magistrate, culminating in the revolt in 1418 when local craftsmen killed seven councilors. After the city had defeated the Bohemian Hussites the city was besieged by a combined Polish-Czech force in 1474, however, a ceasefire was signed, according to which the city remained under Hungarian rule. The Reformation reached Breslau already in 1518, and in 1523 the town council unanimously appointed a new pastor and thus introduced the Reformation in Breslau. In 1526, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria inherited Bohemia, Silesia, and the city of Breslau. In 1609 German emperor Rudolf II granted the free exercise of church services to all Bohemian and Silesian Protestants. In the following Thirty Years' War, the city suffered badly. It was occupied by Saxon and Swedish troops and lost 18,000 of its 40,000 residents to the plague. The Counter-Reformation had started with Rudolf II who encouraged Catholic orders to settle in Breslau. The dominance of the German population under the Habsburg rule in the city became more visible, while the Polish population diminished in numbers. After Frederick the Great besieged the city for a year, it surrendered in 1741. In 1742, Queen Maria Theresa handed over Silesia to the Prussian king. - An African trio at a corner of Plac Solny (Salt Market). Probably it was a reference to a nearby tobacco or cigar shop.

Schwerin is the capital German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with less than 100000 inhabitants it is the least populous of all German state capitals. Schwerin is enclosed by lakes. In the middle part of these lakes was a settlement of the Slavic Abodrites way before 1000. The settlement was first mentioned in 1018. After Henry the Lion had defeated the Abodrites, he had the defences rebuilt and granted city rights. 1160 is therefore traditionally regarded as the "German" year of Schwerin's foundation. Otto Preussler bought this building in 1924 and opened a tobacco and cigar shop on the ground floor. Since he was not allowed to advertise his shop with a large sign, he had the façade of the building designed with exotic smokers. www.zigarrenhaus-preussler.de/Hiostorie.htm