Noah´s many arks

It is unknown when this important abbey was founded here. Legends tell, that Charlemagne was involved as well as his son Louis the Pious and Benedict of Aniane. The church was erected from about 1050 on. As in the crypt of the large church the relics of St. Savin and St. Cyprian were displayed, a large ambulatory with five radial chapels was added for the many pilgrims. The church burnt down during the Hundred Years' War, but got rebuilt and reconstructed in the 17th and 19th century. As many medieval frescoes and murals have survived here since 1983 the "Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe" has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are about 400m² of frescoes. Under the barrel vault of the nave´s ceiling, 17 meters over ground, is indeed a "picture book". André Malraux hailed this as "the Sistine Chapel of the Romanesque period". It is well restored and breathtaking! Here is Noah's Ark.

It is unknown when this important abbey was founded here. Legends tell, that Charlemagne was involved as well as his son Louis the Pious and Benedict of Aniane. The church was erected from about 1050 on. As in the crypt of the large church the relics of St. Savin and St. Cyprian were displayed, a large ambulatory with five radial chapels was added for the many pilgrims. The church burnt down during the Hundred Years' War, but got rebuilt and reconstructed in the 17th and 19th century. As many medieval frescoes and murals have survived here since 1983 the "Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe" has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here is a large part of the nave´s ceiling. This is indeed a "picture book", 17 meters over ground. André Malraux hailed this as "the Sistine Chapel of the Romanesque period". It is well restored and breathtaking! Seen in the center is Noah's Ark.

The Catedral de Santa Maria in Tudela was erected late 12th century on the place, where the Great Mosque of Tudela (9th c.) had stood before. The cathedral is really large (65m x 52m) but unfortunately was closed, so I could not see the well known cloister. I was very impressed by the late-Romanesque "Puerta del Juicio". The slightly pointed portal, created wirthin the 13th century, has eight archivolts and 122 different icons. This is one of 16 (!) capitals of the "Puerta del Juicio", it is pretty damaged, but I was surprised by the dromedary (aka "Arabian camel"). This scene may depict Noah's Ark, but I am not sure. To the right, God is talking to Noah. Under the arch to the left are four persons (Noah´s family?) and below the small ark with a lion (?). The dromedary seems ready to embark.

Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession. Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century. A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status +of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful, The court of Roger II became melting out of culture from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans cooperated and created some extraordinary buildings. In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages. Palermo, founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians, became a possession of Carthage and later was part of the Roman Empire. From 831 to 1072 the city was under Arab rule. Following the Norman conquest, Palermo became the capital of a new Kingdom of Sicily and the capital of the Holy Roman Empire under Emperor Frederick II and King Conrad IV. The "Cappella Palatina" was built between 1132 and 1140 under King Roger II in the Norman-Arab-Byzantine style as the royal chapel inside the "Palazzo dei Normanni". It was consecrated in 1140, though it was not comleted when Roger II died in 1154. The "Cappella Palatina" was built between 1132 and 1140 under King Roger II in the Norman-Arab-Byzantine style as the royal chapel inside the "Palazzo dei Normanni". It was consecrated in 1140, though it was not completed when Roger II died in 1154. The interior is breathtaking for any visitor. Unfortunately, there are no seats for the elder who are blinded by the splendour. Noah's Ark Mose 1:8-13 "8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth"

Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession. Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century. A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status +of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful, The court of Roger II became melting out of culture from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans cooperated and created some extraordinary buildings. In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages. - William II of Sicily built from 1172 here a fort-like complex of buildings, which included a cathedral, an archiepiscopal palace, a royal palace and a Benedictine monastery. In 1183 the monastery became the seat of the archdiocese of Monreale. The town then developed around this complex. According to a legend, William fell asleep while hunting. The Holy Virgin appeared to him in a dream, suggesting him to build a church here. After removing a tree, a treasure was found, whose coins were used to finance the construction. Well, it is much more likely that Monreale was founded in competition with the bishop of Palermo, who had commissioned the large Cathedral of Palermo. This would explain the vast dimensions and the splendour of the "Duomo di Monreale" (= "Cattedrale di Santa Maria Nuova"), that with the cloister, is the only building that survived the times. The interior is breathtaking, but as the cathedral is about 100 m long, there are distances here, not like inside the "Capella Palatina", where all the mosaics are so "near" - plus the visitors can sit down here - and gaze. It is overwhelming. Here are more than 6000m² of byzantine mosaics. The sides of the nave show many very strong parallels to the Cappella Palatina. Here and there probably the same workshop. Probably a large, maybe even a generation-spanning studio of Byzantine artists. Noah's Ark Genesis 6.12-16 "God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks." Genesis 8.10-17 "He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him. By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry. Then God said to Noah, "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it."

The "Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges" was erected as a replacement for an 11th-century structure. The construction started probably in the last quarter of the 12th century, around the same time when the builders and bricklayers started in Chartres. The choir of the cathedral was in use by 1214, the nave was finished 1255. The cathedral was consecrated in 1324. The cathedral covers a surface of 5,900 m². The nave is 15 metres wide and 37 metres high, the inner aisle is 21.3 metres high. There are no transepts, but two aisles on either side forming a double ambulatory around the choir. The portals are breathtaking! As I have uploaded already so many photos I took during earlier visits (just search "Bourges" on my stream), I will ad only a few more for now. some of them just small details like this one. Genesis 8:6 - 8:9 "After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark."

This small church in a Germigny des Pres (pop. 750), was built to serve as the private chapel of Bishop Theodulf of Orléans, who had a sumptuous "villa" here. Theodulf, one of Charlemagne's important counselors, had written the Libri Carolini (aka "Opus Caroli regis contra synodum") at Charles´ request, before Charlemagne appointed him Bishop of Orléans as well as abbot of Fleury Abbey (= "St-Benoit-sur-Loire"), just 7kms east. All the remains of the residence are gone. The "oratorium", that has many parallels to Charlemagne´s palace chapel in Aachen ("Aix-la-Chapelle"), is the last remaining structure. It was consecrated on January 3, 806. In 817, three years after Charlemagne had died, Theodulf was accused of treason and imprisoned in Angers until he died in 821. The church became part of a priory and was used by the parish since the 13th century, when the western wall and apse were removed to make way for a traditional Latin nave. That Romanesque nave was in turn replaced by the present larger one in the 15th or 16th century. The renovation, that was completed end of the 19th century, was not done with much "respect": much of the Carolingian masonry was replaced, two flanking apsidioles were removed, the crossing tower was shortened, most capitals were replaced. But this is still a wonderful carolingian chapel and one of the oldest still existing in France. This magnificent apse mosaic was hidden under whitewash (what may have saved it during the French Revolution). It got discovered in 1840, after local kids played with coloured glass cubes - of unknown origin. This great work of medieval art has no parallel in France and was surely done by an artist from the East. At the time this mosaic was created, the controvery over Iconoclasm was still going on in the Byzantine Empire. All forms of religious imagery were banned in the East - and many gifted artists fled to the West. Maybe the artist, who worked here, was one of them. The mosaic, made of glass and colored stone, is symmetrical, centering on the Ark of the Covenant. In a small area of starry sky the Hand of God descends. Two angels flank the scene. They enclose the sky with their wings and look down at the Ark. Two smaller angels stand atop the Ark, reaching down to it. The Ark of the Covenant is shown as a gold box with side rails for carrying. Along the bottom of the mosaic is a Latin text, which reads: ORACLUM SCM ET CERUBIN HIC ASPICE SPECTANS ET TESTAMENTI MICAT ARCA DEI HAEC CERNENS PRECIBUSQUE STUDENS PULSARE TONANTEM THEODULFUM VOTIS IUNGITO QUAESO TUIS "As you gaze upon the holy propitiatorium and Cherubim, beholder, and see the shimmering of the Ark of God's covenant, perceiving these things, and prepared to beset the Thunderer with prayers, add, I beg you, Theodulf's name to your invocations." (transation from Wikpedia)

This small church in a Germigny des Pres (pop. 750), was built to serve as the private chapel of Bishop Theodulf of Orléans, who had a sumptuous "villa" here. Theodulf, one of Charlemagne's important counselors, had written the Libri Carolini (aka "Opus Caroli regis contra synodum") at Charles´ request, before Charlemagne appointed him Bishop of Orléans as well as abbot of Fleury Abbey (= "St-Benoit-sur-Loire"), just 7kms east. All the remains of the residence are gone. The "oratorium", that has many parallels to Charlemagne´s palace chapel in Aachen ("Aix-la-Chapelle"), is the last remaining structure. It was consecrated on January 3, 806. In 817, three years after Charlemagne had died, Theodulf was accused of treason and imprisoned in Angers until he died in 821. The church became part of a priory and was used by the parish since the 13th century, when the western wall and apse were removed to make way for a traditional Latin nave. That Romanesque nave was in turn replaced by the present larger one in the 15th or 16th century. The renovation, that was completed end of the 19th century, was not done with much "respect": much of the Carolingian masonry was replaced, two flanking apsidioles were removed, the crossing tower was shortened, most capitals were replaced. But this is still a wonderful carolingian chapel and one of the oldest still existing in France. This magnificent apse mosaic was hidden under whitewash (what may have saved it during the French Revolution). It got discovered in 1840, after local kids played with coloured glass cubes - of unknown origin. This great work of medieval art has no parallel in France and was surely done by an artist from the East. At the time this mosaic was created, the controvery over Iconoclasm was still going on in the Byzantine Empire. All forms of religious imagery were banned in the East - and many gifted artists fled to the West. Maybe the artist, who worked here, was one of them. The mosaic, made of glass and colored stone, is symmetrical, centering on the Ark of the Covenant. In a small area of starry sky the Hand of God descends. Two angels flank the scene. They enclose the sky with their wings and look down at the Ark. Two smaller angels stand atop the Ark, reaching down to it. The Ark of the Covenant is shown as a gold box with side rails for carrying. Along the bottom of the mosaic is a Latin text, which reads: ORACLUM SCM ET CERUBIN HIC ASPICE SPECTANS ET TESTAMENTI MICAT ARCA DEI HAEC CERNENS PRECIBUSQUE STUDENS PULSARE TONANTEM THEODULFUM VOTIS IUNGITO QUAESO TUIS "As you gaze upon the holy propitiatorium and Cherubim, beholder, and see the shimmering of the Ark of God's covenant, perceiving these things, and prepared to beset the Thunderer with prayers, add, I beg you, Theodulf's name to your invocations." (transation from Wikpedia) For a total of the mosaic see the previous uploads. Here is a detail ..

A church existed here before the Moors conquest the iberian peninsula. This church was converted into a mosque in 717. The Franks reconquered Girona in 785 under Charlemagne, and the church was reconsecrated in 908. Bishop Roger (son of Roger I of Carcassonne) started a reconstruction in 1015. A new church and a cloister were built in romanesque style until 1064. The two towers were completed in 1117. The cloister was completed already 1064 and most parts are still in the original condition. Like the cloister of Sant Pere de Galligants (less than 500 meters north), the arches of the four galleries are supported by twin columns. But - this cloister is about one century older. Here is a different style of carving, actually here are more than just one artistic style. There are very different themes and topics themes depicted here. Scenes from the bible, dignitaries, people at work, hunting scenes, birds... Similar to Elne (now France, once Northern Catalonia), here are some magnificent friezes. Here is a smaller one, depicting Noah's Ark, flanked by a bird (left) and a winged dragon (right). Three men (Noah´s three sons?) are approaching the ark.