Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: San Biagio

Oria was known as Hyria in classical times and was a Roman colony, when - as legends tell - St. Peter passed through here, preached the Gospel and consecrated the first bishop. After the fall of the Roman Empire Oria shared the fate of all towns in Southern Italy. Looted by Langobards and Ostrogoths. In 880 it fell into Byzantine hands, in 924 the Saracens set the city on fire and in 977 and was completely destroyed by Saracen troops. Norman Humphrey of Hauteville ("Unfredo di Altavilla") conquered Oria in 1062. Oria had one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe. Jewish scholarship in Oria included the study of philosophy, the Talmud, languages such as Greek and Latin, and medicine and natural sciences. The small church dedicated to San Biagio was erected within the 18th century directly on the wall, that once protected the town.

Erected by monks of a near Cistercian abbey in the 12th century, the church, as well as the (lost) "hopital" served the pilgrims, that walked the Via Francigena to Rome (and back home). It was modified over the centuries, but a renovation in the 1930 brought back the Romanesque structure, that it was originally. San Biagio has an extraordenary tympanum. Seen is the "Weighing of souls" (= Psichostasia). Saint Michael weighs the souls in a scale the good and bad deeds, while the devils intervenes, using trickery to make the scale fall on his side and take the soul to Hell. Small heads symbolize the souls. On the left side of the scale seems to be the soul of a monk (tonsur). The soul on the far right - is already on the way to eternal damnation. The Weighing of Souls can often be found in France cand Spain along the "caminos" to Santiago de Compostella, but is not that often in Italy. Sergio Stocchi ("Italia romanica"), attributes this work to the workshop of Benedetto Antelami and dates it to the end of the 12th century.

Erected by monks of a near Cistercian abbey in the 12th century, the church, as well as the (lost) "hopital" served the pilgrims, that walked the Via Francigena to Rome (and back home). It was modified over the centuries, but a renovation in the 1930 brought back the Romanesque structure, that it was originally.