Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Commarque is a castle located between Sarlat and Les Eyzies, in the commune of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil in the Dordogne département, southern France. It stands on a rocky outcrop in the valley of the river La Beune in the Vezere valley region The castle was founded during the 12th century, or possibly slightly prior to it, upon the request of the abbots of Sarlat. At this time the Château de Commarque was only a wooden tower, and its primary concerns were to discourage the ambitions of the Beynac family and to insure the safety of the valley. It was placed at the crossing of two important commercial roads: the road from Périgueux to Cahors and the road from Brive-la-Gaillarde to Bergerac. After the Beynac family took the control of the castle, the wooden tower was replaced by a stone keep. The fortification was enhanced, and the keep was gradually heightened until the 18th century. The Beynacs, lords of the area, dwelt in the keep. During the Hundred Years' War, it was captured by the English who held the place for several years. Later during the French Wars of Religion, the castle was taken by the Catholics, due to the Beynacs being Protestant partisans. There is a prehistoric cave under the castle. The castle has been undergoing restoration since 1994. It has been listed since 1943 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture info courtesy wiki - photo by erica abroad


Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Statue of Lucifer Cathédrale Saint-Paul , located in Leige Liège is about 60 miles east of Brussels in the French speaking part of Belgium, not far from the borders with Germany and the Netherlands. The Cathedral of St. Paul is in the center of the city, a few blocks from the Meuse River. A marble Lucifer hides behind the pulpit of this Gothic cathedral. Photographer and Description Courtesy, Philippe Herbet © Cathédrale de Liège Supposed to symbolize "the Triumph of Religion on the Genius of Evil", the pulpit made by Guillaume Geefs for St. Paul's Cathedral includes causing a representation of the genius of evil from the chisel of Joseph Geefs (work today ' hui preserved at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium). Established in 1843, this statue does not satisfy the Cathedral Church Council. The newspapers of the time reported that "The hell there is too sublime" (quoted by VAN LENNEP, after Emancipation, August 4, 1844) and that it may distract young parishioners. To replace the work, the Church Council passes control to Guillaume Geefs a new version of the Genius of evil, installed in the back of the chair in 1848. Like his brother, Guillaume Geefs represents the devil in the guise a young man sitting on a rock, wearing a simple cloth and provided with a large pair of bat wings. His fallen angel is more consistent with the satanic imagery. Chained to the rock, he holds his head to keep out the divine punishment. With his left hand, he hugged a crown and a broken scepter. Two small horns emerge tousled hair. His face contorted expressed remorse and despair. At his feet, hooked nails, are the forbidden fruit and part of the scepter. The work of Guillaume Geefs succession of neoclassicism by his aesthetic. It also relates to the Romantic movement: representing the fallen angel in the guise of an attractive man, the artist evokes the theme of the beauty of the devil. According to Jacques Van Lennep, the work is inspired by the poem or Eloa Sister Angels Alfred de Vigny. Soo Yang Geuzaine and Alexia Creusen