The Leaning Tower is the main tourist attraction in Pisa. Zillions of photos are taken here each week.
The construction of the tower started exactly on August 14, 1173. Architects were either Bonanno Pisano, who created the bronze doors (previous uploads) or Diotisalvi, the architect of the Baptistery.
The tower's tilt began already during the construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft to properly support the structure's weight. Due to wars, Pisa waged against Genoa, Lucca and Florence, it was on halt for a century, but was continued and completed in 1372.
A long discussion started in the 20th century, how to prevent the tower from toppling. 800 tonnes of lead counterweights got installed. In 1989, after a medieval tower in Pavia had collapsed, the Leaning Tower was closed to the public. Engineers were able to straighten the tower by 45 cms and the tower was opened to the public again end of 2001.
In 2008, after the removal of 70 tons of ground, engineers announced that the Tower had been stabilized. They stated it would be stable for at least 200 years.
Tags: Pisa Leaning Tower Torre pendente Schiefer Turm Tour de Pise Toskana Tuscany Italy
© All Rights Reserved
Epinal was founded end of the 10th century by Dietrich I, Bishop of Metz (cousin of Emperor Otto I). A church will have existed here, that mid of the 11th century got replaced by a Romanesque structure, consecrated by Pope Leo IX, who was born in the near Alsace. This church probably had the same dimensions as the building today as some walls of the nave can be traced back to that church.
The polychrome "Mise au tombeau" (Burial of Jesus) was created end of the 15th century by an unknown artist.
Tags: Epinal Saint-Maurice Dietrich I Thierry de Hamelant Otto I Pope Leo IX Mise au tombeau Vosges 88 Grand Est France
© All Rights Reserved
Transept, choir, ambulatory and the radiating chapels of Notre-Du-Port from outside! In the residential-building opposite the church is a public balcony up the third floor, to see this! "Merci beaucoup!" to the people living there, tolerating all the tourists on their stairs up and down.
Unfortunately my camera does not offer the wide angle, needed to take the photo, I wanted...
These "multi-staging" chevets/apses are very typical for the romanesque churches of the Auvergne. Compare this to "Saint-Nectaire" or "Notre-Dame d’Orcival". The mosaics and the capitals are renovated, but still pretty original. Only the roof-tiles got replaced recently.
Note the carved capital in the middle under the roof. Two griffons drinking out of a chalice.
Tags: Clermont-Ferrand Notre-Dame-du-Port capital ambulatory chevet radiating chapel griffon chalice pyramid Auvergne Puy-de-Dôme 63 romanesque romain romanisch France
© All Rights Reserved
In the center of Le Douhet, a village just 12 kms north east of Saintes, is Saint Martial, a 12th century structure, that had to be stabilized by buttresses within the 15th century, when a steeple was built.
The western facade is richly decorated with friezes and archivolts over the portal and the flanking blind arches. There are as well some remarkable corbels. Here is a mouth puller, presenting his ivories.
Tags: Le Douhet Saint-Martial Saintonge corbel mouthpuller Poitou-Charentes Charente-Maritime Charente 17 France
© All Rights Reserved
The Romans have been here -on the banks of the Danube- for about 400 years. When they withdrew a group of Bavarii settled here, lead by a person named Strupo. Accordingly the settlement was called Strupinga - and today is Straubing. The market place, seen before is about 500 meters east n the "new town", the old center was here, all around the Carolingian predecessor of the church of St. Peter, seen here.
St. Peter, built around 1200, is a Romanesque basilica. Since ceturies the church is surrounded by an old graveyard. The structure of the church looks very "complete", what is the result of the reconstruction of the 19th century. Upto then the towers were not finished - and the higher one was decorated with a Baroque onion dome since about 1700.
Fortunately the Romanesque carvings of St. Peter have survived the times of modernisation. Carvings like this tympanum of the southern portal, which is a side portal to the basilica. A lion to the right battles a beast, that may be a dragon with some griffin-genes.Do they really fight? Or does the lion just pose to the onlooker - while the dragon licks the lion´s ear.
Tags: Straubing St. Peter Bavarii Strupo Strupinga graveyard tympanum tympan lion dragon Bayern Bavaria Germany
© All Rights Reserved