Ogni venerdì santo, dal XIII secolo, lungo le vie di Gubbio sfila una processione pregna di sacralità. Alla luce di falò e fiaccole, al suono di un antichissimo canto in latino, il Miserere [ www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AEuEl7jYuI ], che si è tramandato per secoli oralmente, al ritmo delle preghiere e del suono cupo dei penitenti con le caratteristiche “battistrangole” e il rumore dei passi lenti sul selciato, si richiama alla penitenza, alla purificazione e alla redenzione.

La processione del venerdì santo di Gubbio rievoca i simboli della passione che sfilano portati da uomini in saio e incappucciati: sono il teschio che rappresenta il Golgota, l’uomo con la croce, altri uomini con croci, il calice, i 40 denari, la corda, la colonna, il gallo, i flagelli, la corona di spine, la scritta Inri, il velo della Veronica, il sudario, i chiodi, il martello, la spugna, la lancia, i vestiti di Gesù, i dadi, la scala, le tenaglie. Questi simboli sono proceduti dagli uomini della confraternita che recano in mano il battistrangole, uno strumento in ferro che, scosso, determina un suono lugubre e sordo e richiama la popolazione alla processione e alla sua sacralità.

Seguono le statue del Cristo Morto e della Madonna Addolorata, entrambe preziose statue lignee, la prima si presume cinquecentesca, la seconda ottocentesca. Sono trasportate da uomini che indossano saio bianco con cappa nera (statua del Cristo) e saio bianco con cappa blu (statua della Madonna). Tutti i luoghi più significativi della storia di Gubbio sono raggiunti dal corteo: dal “pietrone”, antichissima pietra sacrificale che indica le origini pre-romane di Gubbio, ai conventi cittadini, all’ospedale, attraversando le vie del centro storico. In piazza San Pietro, Via Dante e Largo San Marziale sono accesi i fuochi e i bracieri. L’attenzione, il coinvolgimento con cui viene seguita la processione dai presenti determina una forte solennità e suggestione.

[di Chiara Zirino]

www.medioevoinumbria.it/ita/folklore/miserere2.htm

location: Nativity altarpiece, parish church in Levoča

(please do not use without permission)

Pashupatinath in Nepal

location: Šariš, eastern Slovakia

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

AMDG

One of the most charming medieval churches in the Gemer region is preserved in the village of Chyžné, near Jelšava. Its tall east-oriented brick gable and massive fortifications around the church dominates its surroundings. The church was built in the second half of the 13th century as a one-nave edifice with a quadratic chancel and an annexed sacristy. Later, a detached belltower, a traditional wooden construction from the 18th century, and a groundfloor building of a former school were added. The church chancel is vaulted by a cross ribbed vault, and the nave has a flat painted ceiling. The walls and vaults of the chancel, including the so-called Triumphal Arch, are covered with frescos dating back to the 70s-80s of the 14th century.

location: Central Slovak Museum, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia

provenance: Selce pri Banskej Bystrici

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

2006. 1 x 1 x 0,2 m. Wooden crucifix, projector, dvd player. More information about this artwork can be found at: www.markuskison.de/crucifixion

Rimavské Brezovo, like many other municipalities in the region, is associated with mining history. The originally early Gothic church, towering over the silhouette of low village houses, used to be dedicated to the Birth of the Virgin Mary before the Reformation. The name of the village was given according to the first written historical reference from the year 1334 as Brezou and, for some time, it was also the county seat of Malohont. The single-nave church was probably built in the first half of the 14th century with a square-ended chancel and a rib vault. Due to the population increase connected with the establishment of iron works facility in the village at the end of the 18th century, the church capacity was insufficient. Therefore, the largest reconstruction of the temple was undertaken in 1893. The original sacristy on the northern side was demolished, the entrance was walled and the nave was extended southwards. The older chancel thus lost its role and started to be used as a sitting space. Thanks to this reconstruction, medieval murals were found under layers of lime paint and their restoration was then devoted to I. Möller and I. Huszek. Unfortunately the work was not always done in the most sparing way. Quality interior paintings in the original Gothic section are probably the work of artists from the workshop of the Master of Ochtiná chancel. The most striking element is Christ in Glory, the figure of the blessing Christ in the shining circle with the Sun and the Moon, depicted in the eastern part of the vault. The winged lion and the golden-winged eagle on the sides symbolize the evangelists Mark and John. Opposite to them are an angel and a winged bull as Matthew and Luke. The Marian theme is elaborated in two bands around the perimeter of the entire chancel. The lower band of the northern wall belongs to the depiction of the Death of the Virgin Mary, above this composition we find a quite unique, for this region, Italian-Byzantine motif of the Assumption with the figure of Christ in the mandorla. A small child stands on his knees as the soul of the Virgin Mary, the whole scene is held by four stylized angels. Beneath the Marian cycle, the entire perimeter of the walls is painted with a template ornament, into which the strip of four-leaf-shaped medallions with heads of prophets is inserted. This part of the paintings appears to be the least affected by the re-paintings and is preserved in a very good condition and in the original colours. On the walls of the nave, due to various building modifications, the frescoes were preserved only in fragments. The most intact frescoes are on the southern part of the triumphal arch: the Christ in a mandorla, a blessing angel, or St. Bartholomew, who was skinned alive, he carries the skin on a stick. Remnants of the Christological Cycle, such as the Christ carrying the cross or the Crucifixion, were preserved on the northern wall of the nave. The southern wall was largely destroyed during the redevelopment. However, research has revealed a depiction of St. Anne as a madonna with a child in her arms, with women carrying gifts in baskets walking into her direction. They also carry young pigeons to prepare a traditional strengthening soup for the fresh mother. This scene is very likely utterly unique on the territory of Slovakia. Comprehensive restoration and research were carried out in successive stages from 2005 till 2019, and the original approximately 700-year-old paving in the chancel was a valuable discovery as well. The restoration of the chancel was awarded by the main prize of the Cultural monument of the year 2012, the artworks were renewed by M. Janšto and R. Boroš. The church logo symbolically depicts a fresco of a young maiden attacked by devils in the hell from the church nave

location: Šariš, eastern Slovakia

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

AMDG

Pashupatinath in Nepal

Kristus karaļa kalnā

provenance: St Ann´s church, Bardejov, north-east Slovakia

location: Šariš Museum Bardejov

IMHO the statue comes from 1480s

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

The construction of the church in Kyjatice dates back to the end of the 13th or the beginning of the 14th century. Like the surrounding villages, Kyjatice adopted ideas of the Reformation: we know the names of evangelical pastors working here since the 1620s. With a short break during the re-Catholicization, the Kyjatice Church has always been and still is Lutheran. This originally fortified Romanesque-Gothic single-nave church with a square chancel, an eastern tower and a northern sacristy, hides rare murals. The fresco decoration of the church comes from two stages – from the end of the 14th (chancel, triumphal arch) and the first half of the 15th century (north wall of the nave).

After the adoption of the Reformation, the murals were whitewashed, but discovered in 1894 (by István Groh) and repainted. Their discovery and restoration took place in the 1980s, when a comprehensive research of the church took place. We find scenes of apostles, several saints and prophets in medallions, the figures of wise and obscure virgins on the triumphal arch lining. On the triumphal arch, we find scenes from the life of Christ – the kiss of Judas, Christ before Pilate, Carrying the Cross, the Crucifixion and Lamentation of Christ (Pietà). The nave is dominated on the northern wall by a unique depiction of the Last Judgment in the form of a large circle, centered on Jesus in the almond tree. On the fresco, Jesus judges the living and the dead, rising from the graves, and dividing them into righteous and condemned. The nine fields of the circle represent the onset of nine distinctive angelic choirs and crowds of the victorious church. The painting is reminiscent of illustrations in the manuscripts of St. Hildegard of Bingen. The painting is dated to the year 1486. In addition to frescoes, the Gothic is also represented by a southern late Gothic portal and doors and a simple portal to the sacristy. The wooden coffered ceiling with Renaissance floral ornaments dates from 1637, from the times when the church was used by the Lutherans (similar to other wooden furniture – the western tribune or the so called patronage bench). On the ceiling, there are also the names of the masters: Lazar Galko and Jakub Stephanik, the mayor. The simple stone baptismal font is probably from the 13th century. The Renaissance altar from 1678 fills the entire façade of the chancel. The sculptures of the three apostles have a central position, with Jesus Christ and two angels in the extension. The richly carved wooden baroque pulpit dates from the first third of the 18th century.

Altar of the Doctors of the Church, 1510-1520

author of the statues: Master Paul of Levoča

author of the paintings: Master Petrus

location: Šariš, eastern Slovakia

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

AMDG

location: Šariš, eastern Slovakia

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

AMDG

location: Spiš Museum Levoča

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

Ogni venerdì santo, dal XIII secolo, lungo le vie di Gubbio sfila una processione pregna di sacralità. Alla luce di falò e fiaccole, al suono di un antichissimo canto in latino, il Miserere [ www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AEuEl7jYuI ], che si è tramandato per secoli oralmente, al ritmo delle preghiere e del suono cupo dei penitenti con le caratteristiche “battistrangole” e il rumore dei passi lenti sul selciato, si richiama alla penitenza, alla purificazione e alla redenzione.

La processione del venerdì santo di Gubbio rievoca i simboli della passione che sfilano portati da uomini in saio e incappucciati: sono il teschio che rappresenta il Golgota, l’uomo con la croce, altri uomini con croci, il calice, i 40 denari, la corda, la colonna, il gallo, i flagelli, la corona di spine, la scritta Inri, il velo della Veronica, il sudario, i chiodi, il martello, la spugna, la lancia, i vestiti di Gesù, i dadi, la scala, le tenaglie. Questi simboli sono proceduti dagli uomini della confraternita che recano in mano il battistrangole, uno strumento in ferro che, scosso, determina un suono lugubre e sordo e richiama la popolazione alla processione e alla sua sacralità.

Seguono le statue del Cristo Morto e della Madonna Addolorata, entrambe preziose statue lignee, la prima si presume cinquecentesca, la seconda ottocentesca. Sono trasportate da uomini che indossano saio bianco con cappa nera (statua del Cristo) e saio bianco con cappa blu (statua della Madonna). Tutti i luoghi più significativi della storia di Gubbio sono raggiunti dal corteo: dal “pietrone”, antichissima pietra sacrificale che indica le origini pre-romane di Gubbio, ai conventi cittadini, all’ospedale, attraversando le vie del centro storico. In piazza San Pietro, Via Dante e Largo San Marziale sono accesi i fuochi e i bracieri. L’attenzione, il coinvolgimento con cui viene seguita la processione dai presenti determina una forte solennità e suggestione.

[di Chiara Zirino]

www.medioevoinumbria.it/ita/folklore/miserere2.htm

Franciscan church in Bratislava, Slovakia

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

AMDG

Rimavské Brezovo, like many other municipalities in the region, is associated with mining history. The originally early Gothic church, towering over the silhouette of low village houses, used to be dedicated to the Birth of the Virgin Mary before the Reformation. The name of the village was given according to the first written historical reference from the year 1334 as Brezou and, for some time, it was also the county seat of Malohont. The single-nave church was probably built in the first half of the 14th century with a square-ended chancel and a rib vault. Due to the population increase connected with the establishment of iron works facility in the village at the end of the 18th century, the church capacity was insufficient. Therefore, the largest reconstruction of the temple was undertaken in 1893. The original sacristy on the northern side was demolished, the entrance was walled and the nave was extended southwards. The older chancel thus lost its role and started to be used as a sitting space. Thanks to this reconstruction, medieval murals were found under layers of lime paint and their restoration was then devoted to I. Möller and I. Huszek. Unfortunately the work was not always done in the most sparing way. Quality interior paintings in the original Gothic section are probably the work of artists from the workshop of the Master of Ochtiná chancel. The most striking element is Christ in Glory, the figure of the blessing Christ in the shining circle with the Sun and the Moon, depicted in the eastern part of the vault. The winged lion and the golden-winged eagle on the sides symbolize the evangelists Mark and John. Opposite to them are an angel and a winged bull as Matthew and Luke. The Marian theme is elaborated in two bands around the perimeter of the entire chancel. The lower band of the northern wall belongs to the depiction of the Death of the Virgin Mary, above this composition we find a quite unique, for this region, Italian-Byzantine motif of the Assumption with the figure of Christ in the mandorla. A small child stands on his knees as the soul of the Virgin Mary, the whole scene is held by four stylized angels. Beneath the Marian cycle, the entire perimeter of the walls is painted with a template ornament, into which the strip of four-leaf-shaped medallions with heads of prophets is inserted. This part of the paintings appears to be the least affected by the re-paintings and is preserved in a very good condition and in the original colours. On the walls of the nave, due to various building modifications, the frescoes were preserved only in fragments. The most intact frescoes are on the southern part of the triumphal arch: the Christ in a mandorla, a blessing angel, or St. Bartholomew, who was skinned alive, he carries the skin on a stick. Remnants of the Christological Cycle, such as the Christ carrying the cross or the Crucifixion, were preserved on the northern wall of the nave. The southern wall was largely destroyed during the redevelopment. However, research has revealed a depiction of St. Anne as a madonna with a child in her arms, with women carrying gifts in baskets walking into her direction. They also carry young pigeons to prepare a traditional strengthening soup for the fresh mother. This scene is very likely utterly unique on the territory of Slovakia. Comprehensive restoration and research were carried out in successive stages from 2005 till 2019, and the original approximately 700-year-old paving in the chancel was a valuable discovery as well. The restoration of the chancel was awarded by the main prize of the Cultural monument of the year 2012, the artworks were renewed by M. Janšto and R. Boroš. The church logo symbolically depicts a fresco of a young maiden attacked by devils in the hell from the church nave

location: Spiš Museum Levoča

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

Parish church of the Holy Cross, Kežmarok, Spiš county, Slovakia

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

AMDG

location: parish church of St Nicholas in Prešov, eastern Slovakia

dating: c 1720s

(please do not use without permission)

provenance: St Ann´s church, Bardejov, north-east Slovakia

location: Šariš Museum Bardejov

IMHO the statue comes from 1480s

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

Ogni venerdì santo, dal XIII secolo, lungo le vie di Gubbio sfila una processione pregna di sacralità. Alla luce di falò e fiaccole, al suono di un antichissimo canto in latino, il Miserere [ www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AEuEl7jYuI ], che si è tramandato per secoli oralmente, al ritmo delle preghiere e del suono cupo dei penitenti con le caratteristiche “battistrangole” e il rumore dei passi lenti sul selciato, si richiama alla penitenza, alla purificazione e alla redenzione.

La processione del venerdì santo di Gubbio rievoca i simboli della passione che sfilano portati da uomini in saio e incappucciati: sono il teschio che rappresenta il Golgota, l’uomo con la croce, altri uomini con croci, il calice, i 40 denari, la corda, la colonna, il gallo, i flagelli, la corona di spine, la scritta Inri, il velo della Veronica, il sudario, i chiodi, il martello, la spugna, la lancia, i vestiti di Gesù, i dadi, la scala, le tenaglie. Questi simboli sono proceduti dagli uomini della confraternita che recano in mano il battistrangole, uno strumento in ferro che, scosso, determina un suono lugubre e sordo e richiama la popolazione alla processione e alla sua sacralità.

Seguono le statue del Cristo Morto e della Madonna Addolorata, entrambe preziose statue lignee, la prima si presume cinquecentesca, la seconda ottocentesca. Sono trasportate da uomini che indossano saio bianco con cappa nera (statua del Cristo) e saio bianco con cappa blu (statua della Madonna). Tutti i luoghi più significativi della storia di Gubbio sono raggiunti dal corteo: dal “pietrone”, antichissima pietra sacrificale che indica le origini pre-romane di Gubbio, ai conventi cittadini, all’ospedale, attraversando le vie del centro storico. In piazza San Pietro, Via Dante e Largo San Marziale sono accesi i fuochi e i bracieri. L’attenzione, il coinvolgimento con cui viene seguita la processione dai presenti determina una forte solennità e suggestione.

[di Chiara Zirino]

www.medioevoinumbria.it/ita/folklore/miserere2.htm

location: Nativity altarpiece, parish church in Levoča

(please do not use without permission)

provenance: Fričovce, Šariš county, north-east Slovakia

location: Šariš Museum Bardejov

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

provenance: Zlaté, Šariš county, north-east Slovakia

location: Šariš Museum Bardejov

for educational purpose only

please do not use without permission

For more information about this slide, visit CSlide - history.medsci.ox.ac.uk/cslide/flickr/set/72157638378477883