Oloron-Sainte-Marie Things to Do

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The lower middle level of voussoirs recognizes every day life, particularly activities of everyday life, but at its center are a pair of what appear to be devils. As to the toils, some can be seen to be important as nearby types of activity. Most prominent is the fishing of salmon, boar hunting, mining, creating barrels and the growing of grapes. There is some hint of the way of dress at work.

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The broad width above the tympanum has four arcades with the middle two levels comprised of sculpted blocks. The upper of these contains the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse surrounding a central group that displays the Holy Lamb and Angels. Each Elder has a viol or rebec in one hand and perfumes in the other one. In subtle ways each king has a different appearance and details in the instruments and how they are held. This is one of only a small number of such creations before 1200.

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The tympanum of the Descent from the Cross illustrated here in the center is surrounded by several figures that are part of that scene. Beyond at each side are Saints in separate roundel settings surrounded on the left by lions involved in persecuting the church and on the right lions triumphantly kissing the Savior.

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There is a trumeau between the portals to the church which is thought to have been installed during the construction of the church. The remarkable quality of the local marble and workmanship make this the first example of a Victory Monument in Modern Western Art. I cannot find anything about how such Saracen captives would be be used in a statue on a church or creation of contemporary figures for any reason in the 12C.

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A large square porch extends from the center of the West end of the church. Laterally the church extends down to low aisles with six projecting buttresses and small lower nave windows and round upper central nave ones. There is a short tower at the crossing. The most interesting part of the entire church however is the presence of a large square tall porch projecting from the west end topped with a short rounded top. The upper two-thirds of the porch is plain with a few small windows and two fine finished small west end windows. Below this on the outer walls are very tall Gothic type enterings. Inside the porch, above the double church portal, it is decorated by a tympanum above which are four arcades each of which is differently, the two central ones being completely covered by sculptured historiated figures. Ousisde the porch is an old chapel to the north.