Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: two headed

The island of Corsica is one of the 18 regions of France. It was colonized the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Romans. After the Roman empire collapsed, Corsica got invaded by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths. For a short while the island belonged to the Byzantine Empire, then the Franks granted the island to the Pope, in the early 11th century Pisa and Genoa together freed the island from the threat of Arab invasion. The island came under the influence of the Republic of Pisa, later it belonged to Genua for centuries. In 1755 after a long fight for independence from Genoa the independent Corsican Republic was proclaimed, but in 1769, when the island was conquered by France. As the areas near the coast over centuries have been threatened by attacks and raids of pirates many old hamlets and dwellings are wide inland, high in the mountains. So most of the old churches are in the mountains and some of them are hard to find. The small eye catching Romanesque church San Michele is easy to find, located on an isolated hill just outside Murato. It was erected from mid-12th century on and was consecrated in 1280. At that time Corsica was ruled by Pisa and so it was built in a bicolor typical Pisan style recognizable by the alternation of green (serpentine) and white (limestone) stones, very similar to the "Basilica di Saccargia" on the neighbouring island of Sardinia. The single nave church presents remarkable naive motifs on the walls that are amazing in their imagination and variety. Above the two careless birds doing such a risky dance with the snakes is strange quadruped animal - with two heads! - ?

The abbey "Sainte-Marie d'Arthous" was founded around 1160. This was filiation of the Premonstratensian "Abbaye de la Case-Dieu" in Gers (120 kms east). The building of the church, seen here, was started soon after. It got already consecrated in 1167. The neighbouring bastide Hastingues was founded in 1289 by John Hastings, seneschal of Gascony. This was done following a treaty between Edward I of England, Duke of Aquitaine and the monks of the Abbaye d'Arthous. During the War of Religions the abbey got ruined and lost the importance it once had. Though restored, only 5 monks lived here in 1766, so after the Revolution the abbey was sold by the state - and used as a farm. Two warriors fight a scaly beast/dragon with two heads. The larger left head of the dangerous creature is damaged.