Matera - Cattedrale di Matera
Lindau - St. Stephan
Pommevic - Saint-Denis
León - Basílica de San Isidoro
Troia - Concattedrale di Troia
Thiviers - Notre-Dame de l'Assomption
Thiviers - Notre-Dame de l'Assomption
Bergamo - Palazzo della Ragione
Millstatt am See - Stift Millstatt
Dijon - Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne
Châteaumeillant - Saint-Genès
La Celle - Saint-Blaise
Trogir - Cathedral of St. Lawrence
Melle - Saint-Hilaire
Salles-lès-Aulnay - Notre-Dame
Tholbath - St. Leonhard
Regensburg - Schottenkloster St. Jakob
Saint-Restitut - Saint-Restitut
Verona - Duomo di Verona
Laas - St. John the Baptist
San Quirico d'Orcia - Collegiata dei Santi Quirico…
Sens - Cathedral
Sens - Cathedral
Civaux - Saint Gervais et Saint Protais
Civaux - Saint Gervais et Saint Protais
Civaux - Saint Gervais et Saint Protais
Le Mans - Saint-Julien du Mans
Barneville-Carteret - Saint-Germain
Caen - Saint-Nicolas
Caen - Abbaye aux Hommes
Gournay-en-Bray - Saint-Hildevert
Solignac - Saint-Pierre
Agüero - Iglesia de Santiago
Sangüesa - Santa María la Real
Oloriz - San Pedro de Echano
Puente la Reina - Iglesia del Crucifijo
Puente la Reina - Iglesia del Crucifijo
Chauvigny - Saint-Pierre
Chauvigny - Saint-Pierre
Chauvigny - Saint-Pierre
Chauvigny - Saint-Pierre
Oyré - Saint-Sulpice
Oyré - Saint-Sulpice
Airvault - Saint-Pierre
Airvault - Saint-Pierre
Matha - Saint-Pierre de Marestay
Matha - Saint-Hérie
Gensac-la-Pallue - Saint-Martin
Aulnay - Saint-Pierre
Rétaud - Saint-Trojan
Rétaud - Saint-Trojan
Rioux - Notre-Dame de l’Assomption
Rioux - Notre-Dame de l’Assomption
Biron - Saint-Eutrope / Notre-Dame
Fontaines-d'Ozillac - Saint-Martin
La Seu d’Urgell - Cathedral of Santa Maria
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Otranto - Cattedrale di Otranto
Otranto occupies the site of an ancient Greek city. It gained importance in Roman times, as it was the nearest port to the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea.
After the end of the Roman Empire, it was in the hands of the Byzantine emperors until it surrendered to the Norman troops of Robert Guiscard in 1068. The Normans fortified the city and built the cathedral, that got consecrated in 1088. When Henry VI., son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, married Constanze of Sicily in 1186 Otranto came under the rule of the Hohenstaufen and later in the hands of Ferdinand I of Aragón, King of Naples.
Between 1480 and 1481 the "Ottoman invasion" took place here. Troops of the Ottoman Empire invaded and laid siege to the city and its citadel. Legends tell that more than 800 inhabitants were beheaded after the city was captured. The "Martyrs of Otranto" are still celebrated in Italy, their skulls are on display in the cathedral. A year later the Ottoman garrison surrendered the city following a siege by Christian forces and the intervention of Papal forces.
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Otranto had been one of the last Byzantine strongholds in Apulia, but finally Robert Guiscard could take it. It had probably been such a stronghold, as Otranto had hosted an autocephalous bishopric, only dependent of the patriarchal see of Byzantium since 968. So (Roman) Catholicism had to perform something "convincing" for the so long (Byzantine) Orthodox christians. One was to erect a huge church. The Otranto Cathedral was erected, over ruins of a Paleo-christian church from 1080 on and was consecrated in 1088. It is 54 metres long by 25 metres wide and is built on 42 monolithic granite and marble columns.
I had come to Otranto, to see the mosaic. I had planned to stay one night in Otranto, I spent three nights - and still had not seen all the details. I was so overwhelmed, that I took hundreds of photos, but the mosaic is "endless". I will upload only a couple.
It was created by a monk named Pantaleon and his workshop between 1163 and 1165. Pantaleon lived at the monastery San Nicola di Casole, located a few kilometres south of Otranto.
The mosaic covers the nave, both aisles, the apse and the presbytery. This sums up to a total of 1596 m². About 10 000000 (10 million!) "tesserae" were used.
There are scholars, who have counted up to 700 different "stories", that are told here. Though, these "stories" are often disputed, as today's interpretations are mostly very "vague". German historian Carl Arnold Willemsen published the most important book about the mosaic in Italian " L'enigma di Otranto", that since the 1970s is translated in many languages. I followed his theories.
As the church is a parish church, there are benches placed on the mosaic floor. Only for the Sunday service, the ropes are open so that the parishioners can reach the benches. I stayed up to Sunday to mix with the locals.
An evil creature (snake, bird, human..) is going to devour devours a person, that is clearly darker than the workers on the left. An (Arabian?) Saracen? A "dark soul"? Anyway - a very poor soul.
After the end of the Roman Empire, it was in the hands of the Byzantine emperors until it surrendered to the Norman troops of Robert Guiscard in 1068. The Normans fortified the city and built the cathedral, that got consecrated in 1088. When Henry VI., son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, married Constanze of Sicily in 1186 Otranto came under the rule of the Hohenstaufen and later in the hands of Ferdinand I of Aragón, King of Naples.
Between 1480 and 1481 the "Ottoman invasion" took place here. Troops of the Ottoman Empire invaded and laid siege to the city and its citadel. Legends tell that more than 800 inhabitants were beheaded after the city was captured. The "Martyrs of Otranto" are still celebrated in Italy, their skulls are on display in the cathedral. A year later the Ottoman garrison surrendered the city following a siege by Christian forces and the intervention of Papal forces.
-
Otranto had been one of the last Byzantine strongholds in Apulia, but finally Robert Guiscard could take it. It had probably been such a stronghold, as Otranto had hosted an autocephalous bishopric, only dependent of the patriarchal see of Byzantium since 968. So (Roman) Catholicism had to perform something "convincing" for the so long (Byzantine) Orthodox christians. One was to erect a huge church. The Otranto Cathedral was erected, over ruins of a Paleo-christian church from 1080 on and was consecrated in 1088. It is 54 metres long by 25 metres wide and is built on 42 monolithic granite and marble columns.
I had come to Otranto, to see the mosaic. I had planned to stay one night in Otranto, I spent three nights - and still had not seen all the details. I was so overwhelmed, that I took hundreds of photos, but the mosaic is "endless". I will upload only a couple.
It was created by a monk named Pantaleon and his workshop between 1163 and 1165. Pantaleon lived at the monastery San Nicola di Casole, located a few kilometres south of Otranto.
The mosaic covers the nave, both aisles, the apse and the presbytery. This sums up to a total of 1596 m². About 10 000000 (10 million!) "tesserae" were used.
There are scholars, who have counted up to 700 different "stories", that are told here. Though, these "stories" are often disputed, as today's interpretations are mostly very "vague". German historian Carl Arnold Willemsen published the most important book about the mosaic in Italian " L'enigma di Otranto", that since the 1970s is translated in many languages. I followed his theories.
As the church is a parish church, there are benches placed on the mosaic floor. Only for the Sunday service, the ropes are open so that the parishioners can reach the benches. I stayed up to Sunday to mix with the locals.
An evil creature (snake, bird, human..) is going to devour devours a person, that is clearly darker than the workers on the left. An (Arabian?) Saracen? A "dark soul"? Anyway - a very poor soul.
Ernest CH, aNNa schramm have particularly liked this photo
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