Dettaglio del bullo del santuario in bronzo del XII secolo sulla porta nord della Cattedrale di Durham. Un serpente mangia la gamba di un uomo. Il design del bussatore si basa sulla ‘bocca di Hellmouth’, un’immagine medievale di ingresso all’inferno attraverso la bocca di una bestia. Il battente completo raffigura un leone, la sua criniera che forma un'aureola, divorando un uomo. Le gambe dell'uomo sporgono da entrambi i lati della bocca del leone e vengono mangiate dai serpenti.
2767 x 2767 px | 23,4 x 23,4 cm | 9,2 x 9,2 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
28 maggio 2009
Ubicazione:
Durham Cathedral, Durham, County Durham, England
Altre informazioni:
Questa immagine potrebbe avere delle imperfezioni perché è storica o di reportage.
Durham, County Durham, England: detail of replica of original bronze 12th century sanctuary knocker on north door of Durham Cathedral. A man's leg is eaten by a snake. The complete knocker depicts a lion, its mane forming a halo, devouring a man. The man's legs stick out on either side of the lion's mouth and are eaten by snakes. This design is based on the ‘Hellmouth’, a medieval image of entrance to hell through the mouth of a beast. In medieval times, this knocker was a symbol of the Cathedral’s political role. Until 1623, when the right of sanctuary was abolished, those being pursued for certain crimes could enter the Cathedral by grasping hold of the ring and be offered a safe place or ‘sanctuary’ for 37 days. After that they would be required to leave the country or face trial. The current knocker is a replica. The original is displayed in the Cathedral Treasures exhibit inside the cathedral. Durham Cathedral is a Norman Romanesque cathedral church, built between 1093 and 1133 and founded as a monastic cathedral to house the shrine of St Cuthbert (c. 635 - 687 AD) and dedicated to him. The cathedral also houses the shrine of the ‘Venerable’ St Bede (673 - 735 AD). About 80 miles north of Durham is the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and among the saints there was St Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne from 695 until his death. In 875, after Viking raids, the monks fled Lindisfarne carrying St Cuthbert’s relics, which were brought to Durham in 995 and housed in a cathedral built by Saxons specifically for that purpose. Venerable Bede’s bones were buried alongside St Cuthbert’s relics in 1022. The Normans wanted a symbol of their power and authority and, in 1093, the old Saxon church was demolished and building of the present mighty Cathedral began, next to a great Norman fortification, Durham Castle. D1116.B33329
