De grote pelgrimsroutes naar Santiago de Compostela
P. 146 in: TOMAN, Rolf (2004/2007). Romaanse kunst. Architectuur. Beeldhouwkunst, Schilderkunst. Ullmann & Konemann. Tandem Verlag GmbH. ISBN 10 3-8331-1039-2
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Michael BAIGENT et al. (1988) wrote an informative book on the matter of Celtic Christianity, pointing to the late-fourth century preacher Priscillian, who was murdered as a heretic in 386 AD in Trier (Germany). His body was moved back to Spain and was laid to rest in Galicia. His burial place became, in the following centuries, a center of pilgrimage for a ‘Celtic’ type of Christians. The Celtic tribes had moved to the northwestern shores of Spain from Britain and Wales in the fifth and sixth century AD.
Priscillian originated from Avila (Spain) and believed in a non-Roman type of Christianity. He denied the Trinity and rejected the narrative of Creation. His belief included elements of Gnostic Manicheism, Jewish numerology and Kabbala. His type of thinking, with a distinct Eastern/ Mesopotamian flavor, put an emphasis on dualistic features. The kingdoms of Light and Darkness, salvation from the domination of matter and a sympathy for asceticism were part of his faith. His mission came in contact with the Roman-orientated dogmas in Germany, which let to his demise.
The Roman Catholic Church considered the development of these mystical ideas as heretical and viewed them as a treat to their own power. The Church brought in the worship of S. Jacob, the brother of Jesus, as a counter-measure. Santiago de Compostela – or the Church of S. Jacob – was transformed into a stronghold of the Church to combat Priscillianism and the influence of the Celta Church of Galicia.
The village of Bretona, some hundred and fifty kilometers east of Santiago de Compostela, was originally a settlement of the before-mentioned British Celtic colonists, who came to Galicia in the population movements after the breakdown of the Roman Empire. The name ‘Bretona’ still is a reference to those early settlers. This village, situated on an existing castro (an Iron Age hill fort), became in the sixth century the center of the ‘Celtic’ brand of Christianity in northwestern Spain.
The church of Santa Maria (fig. 203) is a silent witness of a spiritual battle in the Christian Church between the more intellectual, four-fold vision and the hierarchical, three-fold outlook. The church of Bretona looks, in all its simplicity, like a looser compared to the splendor of the Church of S. Jacob in Compostela. But it might represent, on the other hand, the true spirit of Christianity.
BAIGENT, Michael; LEIGH, Richard & LINCOLN, Henry (1988). De Messiaanse erfenis. De geheime kracht van de Prieure de Sion. B.V. Uitgevers- maatschappij Tirion, Baarn/Cape, London.
ISBN 90-5121-107-4
De grote pelgrimsroutes naar Santiago de Compostela
P. 146 in: TOMAN, Rolf (2004/2007). Romaanse kunst. Architectuur. Beeldhouwkunst, Schilderkunst. Ullmann & Konemann. Tandem Verlag GmbH. ISBN 10 3-8331-1039-2
---
Michael BAIGENT et al. (1988) wrote an informative book on the matter of Celtic Christianity, pointing to the late-fourth century preacher Priscillian, who was murdered as a heretic in 386 AD in Trier (Germany). His body was moved back to Spain and was laid to rest in Galicia. His burial place became, in the following centuries, a center of pilgrimage for a ‘Celtic’ type of Christians. The Celtic tribes had moved to the northwestern shores of Spain from Britain and Wales in the fifth and sixth century AD.
Priscillian originated from Avila (Spain) and believed in a non-Roman type of Christianity. He denied the Trinity and rejected the narrative of Creation. His belief included elements of Gnostic Manicheism, Jewish numerology and Kabbala. His type of thinking, with a distinct Eastern/ Mesopotamian flavor, put an emphasis on dualistic features. The kingdoms of Light and Darkness, salvation from the domination of matter and a sympathy for asceticism were part of his faith. His mission came in contact with the Roman-orientated dogmas in Germany, which let to his demise.
The Roman Catholic Church considered the development of these mystical ideas as heretical and viewed them as a treat to their own power. The Church brought in the worship of S. Jacob, the brother of Jesus, as a counter-measure. Santiago de Compostela – or the Church of S. Jacob – was transformed into a stronghold of the Church to combat Priscillianism and the influence of the Celta Church of Galicia.
The village of Bretona, some hundred and fifty kilometers east of Santiago de Compostela, was originally a settlement of the before-mentioned British Celtic colonists, who came to Galicia in the population movements after the breakdown of the Roman Empire. The name ‘Bretona’ still is a reference to those early settlers. This village, situated on an existing castro (an Iron Age hill fort), became in the sixth century the center of the ‘Celtic’ brand of Christianity in northwestern Spain.
The church of Santa Maria (fig. 203) is a silent witness of a spiritual battle in the Christian Church between the more intellectual, four-fold vision and the hierarchical, three-fold outlook. The church of Bretona looks, in all its simplicity, like a looser compared to the splendor of the Church of S. Jacob in Compostela. But it might represent, on the other hand, the true spirit of Christianity.
BAIGENT, Michael; LEIGH, Richard & LINCOLN, Henry (1988). De Messiaanse erfenis. De geheime kracht van de Prieure de Sion. B.V. Uitgevers- maatschappij Tirion, Baarn/Cape, London.
ISBN 90-5121-107-4