Stairway to Orange Door

by Steve Templeton

Title

Stairway to Orange Door

Artist

Steve Templeton

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

Apparently, I like doors, because I sure seem to have a lot of pictures of them. This heavily edited picture was taken at Mont-St-Michel in France.

The Mont-Saint-Michel is one of Europe’s most unforgettable sights. Set in a mesmerizing bay shared by Normandy and Brittany, the mount draws the eye from a great distance.

This staggeringly beautiful location has long captured the imagination. The story of how the mount came to be a great Christian pilgrimage site dates back to the early 8th century, when Aubert, bishop of the nearby hilltop town of Avranches, claimed that the Archangel Michael himself had pressured him into having a church built atop the island just out to sea.

From 966 onwards, the dukes of Normandy, followed by the French kings, supported the development of a major Benedictine abbey on Mont-Saint-Michel. Magnificent monastic buildings were added throughout the Middle Ages, one vertiginous wing in particular being nicknamed the Marvel. The Abbey of the Mont-Saint-Michel became a renowned centre of learning, attracting some of the greatest minds and manuscript illuminators in Europe. Vast numbers of pilgrims visited, despite endless cross-Channel conflict; in fact, the ramparts at the base of the island were built to keep the English forces out. Other fine buildings line the steep village street, now converted into museums, restaurants, hotels and shops for today’s tourists.

Ah, France! It seemed to me the whole country was just one fantastic photo opportunity after another! Any direction I turned, there was something photo worthy. I teach my photography students, that if they wish to take more interesting photos, they need to travel to somewhere more interesting than their usual or current haunts. The entire country of France fulfills that requirement splendidly for this West Texas native.

Uploaded

June 17th, 2022

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