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Notre Dame : 850 years
Parisians, tourists and the faithful present in front of Notre-Dame de Paris have probably noticed nothing. But last night, the famous cathedral has lost some of its “voice.” The four bells that once sat at the top of the north tower for nearly 150 years have been lowered to make room, starting next year, a new sound equipment. To celebrate the 850 years of the cathedral, the association of the Jubilee of Notre Dame offered nine new bells to the old lady: eight small instruments (about 1 ton nonetheless) that will be installed in the north tower and a new drone (a very big bell) who will join Emmanuel, the historic bell in the south…
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Happy medieval year 2012 !
Let’s begin this new year together and hope we will work hard to create a great community and why not, a real magazine for all medieval lovers ! Do not hesitate to share our contents, pictures, articles or videos. Medieval Magazine is always happy to share the best of the medieval period. Best wishes ! Please click for HD picture.
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The Angelicus Pictor
Fra Angelico and art in Florence in the first half of the 15th century The exhibition, which is opening its doors at the Jacquemart-André Museum in Paris, aims to present the public with a vast retrospective dedicated to the painter Fra Angelico, whilst at the same time recreating the complexity of the cultural climate in Florence during the first half of the quattrocento. This is an exceptional event as it is the first exhibition in France dedicated to one of the major artists of the Florentine Renaissance. Originally from Vicchio del Mugello, the homeland of the Medici family who were important patrons, Fra Angelico began painting before taking holy orders. At the beginning of the…
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Gaston Phoebus, the “Sun-Prince”
We have just visited the exhibition about Gaston Phoebus, at the museum of Cluny, in Paris. What an intriguing and fascinating character! Famous lord of war of the Hundred Years War, outstanding hunter, and lover of music and arts, Phoebus has forged his own legend in his lifetime. Gaston Phoebus, a exceptional prince Gaston III (1331 – 1391), Count of Foix, Viscount of Bearn, lord of Andorra in the Pyrenees, and of many other lands, has traced his fate in the heart of the Hundred Years War, mixing his own war against his rival of Armagnac for political supremacy of the South of France, to the war between the two kingdoms, England and France. Count…
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The medieval family (part. 2)
We have seen in the first part of the article how medieval family was structured, and what were social and religious norms in this time. Today, we will focus on the education of the children. By whom was it given and what were the values transmitted. Education in the family The mother… The feelings that the medieval mother feels for her child are very strong. Numerous documents left to see signs of affection and tenderness. In the stories of miracles in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the mother carries her baby on close monitoring, she is always very attentive to him. The metaphor involving God or the Church to the mother, and the child…
EXHIBITIONS
The Angelicus Pictor
Fra Angelico and art in Florence in the first half of the 15th century The exhibition, which is opening its doors at the Jacquemart-André Museum in Paris, aims to present the public with a vast retrospective dedicated to the painter Fra Angelico, whilst at the same time recreating the complexity of the cultural climate in Florence during the first half of the quattrocento. This is an exceptional event as it is the first exhibition in France dedicated to one of the major artists of the Florentine Renaissance. Originally from Vicchio del Mugello, the homeland of the Medici family who were important patrons, Fra Angelico began painting before taking holy orders. At the beginning of the…
Gaston Phoebus, the “Sun-Prince”
We have just visited the exhibition about Gaston Phoebus, at the museum of Cluny, in Paris. What an intriguing and fascinating character! Famous lord of war of the Hundred Years War, outstanding hunter, and lover of music and arts, Phoebus has forged his own legend in his lifetime. Gaston Phoebus, a exceptional prince Gaston III (1331 – 1391), Count of Foix, Viscount of Bearn, lord of Andorra in the Pyrenees, and of many other lands, has traced his fate in the heart of the Hundred Years War, mixing his own war against his rival of Armagnac for political supremacy of the South of France, to the war between the two kingdoms, England and France. Count…
Conquered and conquering
From the collections of the Duke of Aumale, owner of the domain of Chantilly(France) in the nineteenth century and himself “conqueror” of Algeria – but also an art lover and scholar – the pieces presented are intended to arouse wonder and questioning the impact of conquest on the peoples. Manuscripts and incunabula give excellent example of the Middle Age visions on these subjects. You could almost feel the texture of the manuscripts through the Western union locations windows, highlighted by a dim light. The medieval period is full of episodes that could be debated without end: Evangelization of non-Christians peoples, the Crusades, Roman and Germanic conquests and encounters of the “Roman” with Christianity… Territories…
Medieval shrine from the MET Museum
This rare devotional shrine is designed to make manifest the miracle of the Incarnation, by which God became man. Closed, it is a statuette of the enthroned Virgin Mary nursing the Christ Child. When opened, the shrine is transformed into an altarpiece showing a sculptural representation of the Trinity (the figure of Christ and the dove of the Holy Spirit are lost), mystically revealing that salvation is achieved through Christ incarnate. On the wings are painted scenes of the Nativity. Made in Rhine valley Oak, linen covering, polychromy, gilding, gesso. Dimensions: Overall: 14 1/2 x 13 5/8 x 5 1/8in. (36.8 x 34.6 x 13cm) closed: W. 5in. (12.7cm)
The Sword Uses, Myths and Symbols – Exhibition review
The Sword Uses, Myths and Symbols 28 April – 26 September 2011 Musée de Cluny, Musée national du Moyen Âge This summer has been proposed an exhibition about the medieval swords at the National Museum of the Middle Ages, or Museum of Cluny, in Paris. The sword is probably the object which most powerfully represents the Middle Ages. It is a weapon, a sign of power and justice and a ceremonial object. No other secular object from the time has aroused such interest and exerted such fascination. The Sword. Uses, Myths and Symbols is the first exhibition on this theme. It brings together a hundred and twenty works: a collection of swords spanning the entire…
Fra Angelo – Exhibition review
“Fra Angelico and the masters of the light”, Jacquemart Museum (Paris); through january, 2012 Discover Fra Angelico, a famous and highly praised painter from Italian Renaissance. Also known as ” il Beato Angelico“, in reference to his skills in painting religious subjects. For all medieval art lovers, we will soon make a whole review of this exhibition. Soon , a complete english review.
MAGAZINE
Happy medieval year 2012 !
Let’s begin this new year together and hope we will work hard to create a great community and why not, a real magazine for all medieval lovers ! Do not hesitate to share our contents, pictures, articles or videos. Medieval Magazine is always happy to share the best of the medieval period. Best wishes ! Please click for HD picture.
The medieval family (part. 2)
We have seen in the first part of the article how medieval family was structured, and what were social and religious norms in this time. Today, we will focus on the education of the children. By whom was it given and what were the values transmitted. Education in the family The mother… The feelings that the medieval mother feels for her child are very strong. Numerous documents left to see signs of affection and tenderness. In the stories of miracles in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the mother carries her baby on close monitoring, she is always very attentive to him. The metaphor involving God or the Church to the mother, and the child…
The medieval family (part. 1)
It is only in the XIth century that the family, as we know it until the XXth century – and still today, appeared. With the Gregorian Reform, family and sexuality were redefined. At this time, the nobility was familiar with adultery, repudiations, consanguineous marriages… A situation that cannot stand the Church. The legists of the church, in charge of matrimonial affairs, codify new standards. They argue forcefully that the consent of both parties is necessary to establish the legitimacy of marriage. The canonists also attack incestuous marriages, which they give a very broad definition : from the eighth century, the prohibition of marriage between blood relations extends to the seventh degree of kinship. A couple…
Dhuoda, portrait of a carolingian woman
Who was Dhuoda? Born in the early ninth century, we know nothing of her ancestry, except she comes from the aristocracy. In 824, Dhuoda became wife of Bernard Septimanie, son of William of Gellone, cousin of Charlemagne. William, their eldest son, was born in 826. Dhuoda remains in Uzès while her husband officiates at the court of Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen). Political unrest that occurred after the birth of William explained that their second son, Bernard, was born in 841. Her husband took the child while he was not yet baptized. William remains alongside his father and Charles the Bald. At this time, Dhuoda began writing her Liber manualis.This collection of biblical texts, exhortations and inspiring examples…
532 : Beginning of the “medieval” period ?
The year 532. Justinian’s reign with an iron fist on Constantinople. In Gaul, the Franks have taken definitely an advantage over the other Germanic kingdoms. The Visigoths controlled the Iberian Peninsula. The future England is still a patchwork of smaller kingdoms, played between the Britons and the Germanic tribes, Angles, Frisians, Jutes, and Saxons. In short, there are few remains of the roman dream, dying for almost two centuries, and finally broken by the deposition of the last emperor, Romulus Augustus. It has sometimes been suggested that the Roman Empire collapsed at once to make way for a period of anarchy, war and decline. Suddenly, “civilization” disappeared, giving way to barbarism. A misconception : Europe…
