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dog
Henry II of England
100 Years´ War
Via Turonensis
style saintonge
Surgères
Poitou-Charentes
Aunis
Plantagenet
Poitou
Charente-Maritime
France
wolf
doctor
17
Eleonor of Aquitaine


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Surgères - Notre-Dame

Surgères - Notre-Dame
Notre-Dame de Surgères was erected in the center of a large castle in the 12th century. The fortification, founded in the 9th century as a motte, when the area was raided by the Vikings, then guarded the border of the historical province of Aunis once.

When the church was built a small town had developed around the defence already. Later a small priory and a "hopital" existed, as this was a halt on the Via Turonensis. The pilgrims had a lot to gape here, the facade is stunning 23 meters wide.

Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II of England in 1152, so the area changed hands and was ruled by the House of Plantagenet. During the Hundred Years' War Surgères experienced a long period of decline. Louis XI´s troops conquered the town in 1472 and the fortifications got destructed. During that time Notre Dame lost the tower and large parts of the nave, but not the facade!

Six blind arches once flanked the door, five arches above them on "the second floor". There are more than 100 capitals and corbels all over the facade. This seems to be a medieval encyclopedia.

A scene in the doctor´s room.

At least on the first sight, the patient (dog or wolf) is on the left, while the doctor is sitting relaxed on a chair to the right. The doctor just said "Say Aaah" as he want to make sure, the patient´s tonsils are ok.

But the doctor does not use a wooden tongue depresser. I see the handle of a knife in his hand! The guy is killing the creature!

Comments
 Martin M. Miles
Martin M. Miles club
I am not sure about the knife actually.. But St. Jerome only pulled a thorn out of the paw of the friendly lion. Nah! That cannot be Jerome.
10 years ago.

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