Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: bearded

The island of Corsica is one of the 18 regions of France. It was colonized the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Romans. After the Roman empire collapsed, Corsica got invaded by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths. For a short while the island belonged to the Byzantine Empire, then the Franks granted the island to the Pope, in the early 11th century Pisa and Genoa together freed the island from the threat of Arab invasion. The island came under the influence of the Republic of Pisa, later it belonged to Genua for centuries. In 1755 after a long fight for independence from Genoa the independent Corsican Republic was proclaimed, but in 1769, when the island was conquered by France. As the areas near the coast over centuries have been threatened by attacks and raids of pirates many old hamlets and dwellings are wide inland, high in the mountains. So most of the old churches are in the mountains and some of them are hard to find. The former convent of San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph) is an ensemble of a Romanesque church from the late 12 century and the adjoining Capucin monastery founded in 1552 and erected from 1630 on. It was founded by Mariano de Nebbio, founder of the Capuchin province of Corsica. In 1796, the monks were expelled and the convent sold as national property. It is in the center of agricultural land with trees and shrubs. It was very much in ruins, when it was privately bought in the early 1970s and since then the owners are rebuilding and renovating the old structure. It seems to be an endless task. The owners were very friendly, let us in and showed us around. Merci beaucoupl More details of the facade of the Romanesque church.

This unique church complex, once part of a collegiate and dedicated to Saint-Jaques, combines a round church and attached to this a rectangular basilica. A local noble named Eudes of Deols, who had traveled to the Holy Land in 1027, founded this church around 1040, a replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. Over centuries this was a major stop-over for pilgrims following the Via Lemovicensis. Eleven pillars form the rotunda, that has a diameter of 8,30m. The number "11" may stand for the number of apostles after Judas left. The pillars have massive capitals. While the wild men were dancing on the previous upload, here the carvers concentrated on the wild men´s faces with nicely combed beards and phrygian caps.

This unique church complex, once part of a collegiate and dedicated to Saint-Jaques, combines a round church and attached to this a rectangular basilica. A local noble named Eudes of Deols, who had traveled to the Holy Land in 1027, founded this church around 1040, a replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. Over centuries this was a major stop-over for pilgrims following the Via Lemovicensis. Eleven pillars form the rotunda, that has a diameter of 8,30m. The number "11" may stand for the number of apostles after Judas left. The pillars have massive capitals. Here is one of them.

San Pedro de Echano (aka "Ermita de San Pedro de Echano") is not easy to find, as the church is a few kilometers east of Oloriz in the middle of fields and bushland. In medieval times, when the church got erected, there might have been a village or settlement nearby, but nowadays there are no houses near to the church. This church was a big surprise and I was lucky, to find the door open. A wedding was scheduled for that afternoon and so the interior of the church got cleaned and decorated. Under the roof of San Pedro de Echano are more than 30 carved corbels. Some of the sculptures are unusual, as they seem to be "portraits" of individuals. This is one of them. An elderly man, elegantly clothed, with a very long, well combed beard.

A collegiate had been founded here in 1039. A settlement existed probably since Roman times. "Faye" obviously derived from "fagus", the Roman word for "beech". Within the 12th century the small church of the collegiate, placed on top of a hill, got replaced by the large and prestigious "Saint-Georges", that today serves the small parish of Faye-la-Vineuse. The collegiate suffered during the Wars of Religion, when the church got severely damaged. It got completely renovated end of the 19th century. Most of the capitals in "Saint-Georges" are carved in a very "soft" Romanesque style, that sometime seems to be Baroque. Here is a different, more minialistic style, created by a different workshop. Two bearded devils.