Psychostasia / The Weighing of Souls

Conques is a popular stop for all pilgrims traveling the Via Podiensis. This is a treat after having crossed the harsh Aubrac. I had started in Geneva in 2008 and I still remember my feelings, when I reached Conques after some weeks. A tiny convent existed here already in the 8th century. This grew into a very successful monastery, after the relics of St. Foy arrived in Conques through theft in 866. The relics were stolen by a monk from Conques, who had posed as a loyal monk in Agen for years. The arrival of the relics of St. Foy caused the pilgrimage route to shift to Conques. As the existing church was too small for all the pilgrims, a new, much larger church had to be constructed. It was completed by the end of the 11th century. As a large pilgrim´s church it had an ambulatory with five radiating chapels. A century later galleries were added over the aisle and the roof was raised over the transept and choir to allow people to circulate at the gallery level. This can still be done for an hour in the evening and is - absolutely breathtaking! The "main attraction" is probably the tympanum, a detail is seen here. The "Last Judgement" was carved around 1130 - and tells many stories. Here are the doors to heaven - and hell.

"Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay" is a church outside of Aulnay, in the center of an old graveyard. The setting has not changed for centuries. For the pilgrims of the 12th century this church was a major halt - and it still is for all the tourists... A predecessing church „Saint-Pierre-de-la-Tour“ had been here, that, when the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella got more and more popular, was obviously too small, as Aulnay was conveniently situated between Poitiers and Saintes on the Via Turonensis. A new, larger church was needed, so the place was handed over to the chapter of the cathedral in Poitiers. The canons then probably planned this church, that was erected from about 1130/1140 on. "Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay" (here seen from east) is a gem of the "style saintongeais". For Peter Strafford ("Romanesque Churches Of France") this is "one of the best examples of late Romanesque architecture in what used to be Aquitaine". Seen here is the "Weighing of souls". Archangel Michael holds the scale, while two evil devils try to pull down one side of it. I have uploaded many photos already taken during previous visits. So I will now add only a few.

The site was once a (probably Roman) cemetery. A church, dedicated to St. Peter existed here already within the 5th century. This was erected by the local Bishop Achilleo, to house the chains that supposedly once had bound St. Peter. The chains are meanwhile back in Rome and can be seen in San Pietro in Vincoli. "Extra moenia" means, that the church was outside the city walls (= extra muros). The present church was built between the 12th and 13th centuries. It was severely damaged by the Ghibellines in 1329, but was rebuilt in the following decades. The interior was transformed at the end of the seventeenth century - and so by now is Baroque. The facade, decorated with all kinds of reliefs, still is in a good condition. Here are two psychostasia - Weighings of souls! One with a good end - and one with a bad.. On top (left) Saint Peter watches the scale as well as Archangel Michael. Like always, the devil (depicted as a monkey, note the feet) tries to pull down his side of the scale, but there is a scroll, that reads "DOLEO QUIA ANTE ERAT MEUS", what translates to "I grieve because it was mine before". A clearly remorseful confession of the sins. So (further right) Saint Peter unties the rope around the poor soul´s wrists - and the Gates of Heaven will open for him.. Below is a completely different scene. Archangel Michael is leaving the "Weighings of Soul" already, turning his back to the sinner. The devil sitting on the sinner holds a scroll, but this is empty. The second devil (note the hoofs) is already pulling the sinner´s hair. Soon he will be thrown in the large vessel to the right, the mouth of hell, where the legs of another sinful soul still stick out.

A church is known in Mélas (now part of Le Teil), located at the Roman road connecting Lyon and Nîmes, since merovingien times. A noble lady named Fredegonde founded a nunnery in Mélas end of the 6th century, dedicated to Saint-Étienne and Saint Saturnin. Today´s church is younger. It consists out of three parts built in different times. The oldest part is an octogonal chapel, dated the the 9th/10th century (see previous uploads). Two of the three aisles were erected in the 12th/13th century. Here are some Romanesque capitals. This capital depicts the "Weighing of souls".

Oberwinterthur is since 1922 part of Winterthur. The parish church St. Arbogast is located on a "church hill", where in Roman times the settlement "Vitudurum" was established. Archeologists have excaveted much of the Roman "vicus", that had its center, where the church is now. It is proven, that already in the 1st century houses existed an a street was built. During the Alamanii invasions, the place got fortified. The date of the construction around 294 AD is documented by an inscription stone. At the same place the predecessor building of the St. Arbogast was erected in the 6th/7th century. The dedication to Saint Arbogast of Strassburg may link this church to Frankish king Dagobert I, the last of the Merovingians. The church of today was erected probably in the end of the 12th century. Here is the Romanesque nave. The frescoes were created in the early 14th century. Here is the "Weighing of souls".

Maria Gail is an important center of pilgrimage in Carinthia since centuries. It is locally claimed, that Langobardian missionaries may have founded Maria Gail within the 6th century. The church was mentioned the first time in 1136. The once massive Romanesque church got enlarged (in Gothic style) between 1400 and 1450. In 1478 the church got severely damaged by Turkish troops during the Ottoman incursions. It got rebuilt and re-consecrated in 1486. During a renovation in 1950 late Romanesque frescoes (13th.) were discovered under the plaster along the walls of the nave. Fixed onto the southern outer wall outise are some Romanesque scupltures, that probably originate from the preciding church, that got ruined by the Turkish troops. These two angels belonged once to a large "Last Judgement"-group. The right one blows the horn, while the left one is (smiling!) Archangel St. Michael, who holds the scale for the "Weighing of the Souls".

The Karner is dated to the 12th century - and so is older than the neighbouring parish church. Some of the frecoes, that since the 14th century beautify the walls survived the centuries. Seen here is a Psychostasia, the "Weighing of the Souls".

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 cathedral retains many of its original stained-glass windows, which dates from about 1215. This window depicts the "Last Judgement".

Kottingwörth developed from a settlement on an island ("Werder") in the Altmühl river. The first wooden church may date back to the time of Christianisation. The first stone church was built in the 12th century. It got consecrated between 1183 and 1195. The towers were built between 1250 and 1310. In the first half of the 16th century, the towers were raised. In the years 1760/61, the medieval church building was replaced by a baroque new building. The oldest part of the church is the basement of the west tower, dated to the 13th century. Around 1310 the choir of the church (now the Vitus chapel) was adorned with frescoes. During the renovation work in the chapel in 1891 these murals were rediscovered under a coat of paint. The paintings are still well preserved. In the centre, above the Saints, stands Archangel Michael holding the scale. The weighing of souls (psychostasia) is done on Judgement Day. Like mostly, the demons try to interfere with the balance of scales. To the right, the evil souls go to hell.