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Founded: 1270Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)
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Église Saint-Maurice (Church of Saint Maurice) is the medieval parish church of the small town of Soultz. The church is noteworthy for its refined and light Gothic design, and for the works of art it contains, including a Renaissance pulpit and a 1750 Silbermann pipe organ.
The work on the church was begun in 1270, at the site of a previous Romanesque church from the 11th century, of which some remains have been uncovered by 1990s archaeologists. The transept was finished before 1310 and the nave around 1340, but the overall construction was only completed in 1489 with the addition of a bay at the western end, because the church had been found too small for the town's population at that time. The top of the spire was added in 1611.
The height of the crossing tower is 66 metres, including the sun-shaped weather vane on top of the cross. The church's floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross, with a central nave and two aisles.
The church lost much of its original furniture during the French Revolution. Today, it contains 14th- and 15th-century frescos and an elaborate wooden pulpit from around 1616.
On the outside, the southern portal has retained its tympanum from around 1320, representing Saint Maurice on horseback and the Adoration of the Magi.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.