Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: flautist

Saint-Étienne is the parish church of Macqueville, a village of a population of about 300. The western front looks very unspectacular, compared to most Romanesque churches of the Saintonge, but there are many corbels along the nave and a very nice side portal. Here is a row of corbels. Fltr - a flute player - a hare (between them is a dolio) - a beard-puller ande a contortionist.

The Iglesia de Santiago stands surrounded by macchia at the end of a dust road about a kilometer southeast of Agüero. This isolated place is probably why it is named as well "Ermita de Santiago". It is a very strange structure and I did not have much information about. At one time within the 12th century somebody had started to build a pretty large basilica (- in the middle of nowhere). Obviously money was not an issue, as gifted sculptors and experienced builders left their marks here. Then - some decades later, the building process stopped, the church was never completed. No wonder, that the artist/workshop known as "Master of San Juan de la Peña" is even better known under the name of "Master of Agüero". I had seen his works in San Juan de la Peña and Sangüesa, but what he created here are real masterpieces. Here are the capitals from the left side, that depict music and dance. To the very left the musician seems to tune the harp (Thank you Groenling!), while the female dancer seems to wait for him, to start. The person to the right is already playing the vieille. On the right capital is a hooded flautist, with a kind of double-flute, the flexible lady in the center performs an ecstatic dance. Her long hair flow over the ground.

The Iglesia de Santiago stands surrounded by macchia at the end of a dust road about a kilometer southeast of Agüero. This isolated place is probably why it is named as well "Ermita de Santiago". It is a very strange structure and I did not have much information about. At one time within the 12th century somebody had started to build a pretty large basilica (- in the middle of nowhere). Obviously money was not an issue, as gifted sculptors and experienced builders left their marks here. Then - some decades later, the building process stopped, the church was never completed. No wonder, that the artist/workshop known as "Master of San Juan de la Peña" is even better known under the name of "Master of Agüero". I had seen his works in San Juan de la Peña and Sangüesa, but what he created here are real masterpieces. Here are the four capitals of the portal´s right side. To the left are two lions tearing a ram to pieces. Next is a female dancer, flanked by two musicians. The third capital depicts a flautist and another very flexible dancer. To the very right are two gesticulating men (one standing, one seated) obviously discussing. Then there two fighting warriors in chain mails. From this pov only one warrior can be seen.

"Santa María la Real" is one of the highlights for all people following the "Camino Aragonés" - since about 800 years. The facade is impressing it may take hours, to find out the many details. I stayed an extra day, when I had reached the town, just to see the shadows movig over the carvings. A church did exist here already in 1131 next to the bridge crossing the river Aragon. It was transferred by Alfonso I to the "Knights Hospitaller" (aka "Order of Saint John", later "Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta"). The apse is the oldest part of the structure and probably dates back to that time. The nave and the breathtaking Southern Portal of Santa María la Real were created late 12th/13th century. I have uploaded a "total overview" earlier and will now focus on some details. The archivolts around the large tympanum, depicting the "Last Judgement" are densely populated with dancers, workers, priests and mythical creatures. Here is a flautist on the right and a very flexible contortionist on the left side. The guy has an exceptional ponytail.

Though, there is not much information about the origins of this wonderful, octogonal church, it has probably been an important place for the pilgrims since the 12th century, as from here to Puente la Reina, where the "Camino Aragonés" / "Via Tolosana" joins the busy "Camino Francés" is only a short walk. The church stands completely isolated, as it was not erected in or near a village, but in the middle of fields. The floorplan of Saint Mary of Eunate is surely inspired by the "Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem". Such churches (eg Tomar, Estrella, Pisa..) are often connected to the Knights Templar, but there no proof, that they have ever been in this area. The earliest documented reference is from 1487 and just mentions the "Virgin of Eunate", but at that time, the church was already centuries old. There are a couple of carved capitals inside Saint Mary of Eunate. It is strange, that they differ widely in quality, probably as well in age. Here is one of the (maybe) older ones. The style is very simple. The left angel is playing a kind of recorder.

San Pedro de Echano (aka "Ermita de San Pedro de Echano") is not easy to find, as the church is a few kilometers east of Oloriz in the middle of fields and bushland. In medieval times, when the church got erected, there might have been a village or settlement nearby, but nowadays there are no houses near to the church. The place is abandoned. Under the roof of San Pedro de Echano are more than 30 carved corbels. Some of the sculptures are really unusual, but the most impressing is the southern portal of San Pedro de Echano. There are seven archivolts! It is strange, that a small, single nave church got such a large and impressive portal. I connect this to - the pilgrims walking the camino. San Pedro de Echano is about 8kms south of the Via Tolosana/Camino Aragonés that I had just walked. Olcoz and Eunate are only about a two hours walk away. The most interesting archivolt depicts 25 people sitting on a table and having a party (?). The composition reminds strongly on the "Elders of the Apocalypse", but the characters are obviously performing a kind of game. Legs and feet of the partiers visible, as the artist carved on both sides of the archivolt. From this pov it is better visible, that the flautist with the strange hairdo, and the hornblower (right) with the knife, both have the left foot amputated and use prothesises. Crippled persons, who try to make some money by playing instruments, can still be found in many pedestrian areas worldwide. See the previous upload for more medieval prothesises.

San Pedro de Echano (aka "Ermita de San Pedro de Echano") is not easy to find, as the church is a few kilometers east of Oloriz in the middle of fields and bushland. In medieval times, when the church got erected, there might have been a village or settlement nearby, but nowadays there are no houses near to the church. The place is abandoned. Under the roof of San Pedro de Echano are more than 30 carved corbels. Some of the sculptures are really unusual, but the most impressing is the southern portal of San Pedro de Echano. There are seven archivolts! It is strange, that a small, single nave church got such a large and impressive portal. I connect this to - the pilgrims walking the camino. San Pedro de Echano is about 8kms south of the Via Tolosana/Camino Aragonés that I had just walked. Olcoz and Eunate are only about a two hours walk away. The most interesting archivolt depicts 25 people sitting on a table and having a party (?). The composition reminds strongly on the "Elders of the Apocalypse", but the characters are obviously performing a kind of game. Legs and feet of the partiers visible, as the artist carved on both sides of the archivolt. The flautist has a very strange hairdo, but even more remarkabel is that he and the musician to the very left (with a knife) wear - prosthetic legs! Obviously both had lost a foot / part of the shank, that got replaced by a wooden prosthesis.

San Pedro de Echano (aka "Ermita de San Pedro de Echano") is not easy to find, as the church is a few kilometers east of Oloriz in the middle of fields and bushland. In medieval times, when the church got erected, there might have been a village or settlement nearby, but nowadays there are no houses near to the church. This church was a big surprise and I was lucky, to find the door open. A wedding was scheduled for that afternoon and so the interior of the church got cleaned and decorated. Under the roof of San Pedro de Echano are more than 30 carved corbels. There is a group of musicians. One of them is this flautist.