A black dog pursuing a grey hare and a pair of cats (top), tails entwined. Medieval mosaic in restored late-1000s or early 1100s pavement in former Benedictine abbey church at Sorde l'Abbaye, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
Sorde l'Abbaye, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France: a black dog pursues a leaping grey hare between the intertwined decorative bands of a medieval mosaic rosette on the choir floor of the Romanesque former Benedictine abbey church of Saint-Jean de Sordes. The rosette, which also features eagles and two pairs of backward-looking cats, is amongst late 11th century or early 12th century mosaics in the church rated as the finest example of Romanesque art in the Landes area of southwest France. The designs, paving the choir behind the altar, were made from tesserae no more than 2 cm across. They were covered over, probably in the 17th century, but were rediscovered during 19th century building work. Missing areas were at first replaced by marble tiles and further 'restoration' in 1893 was in whimsical Italian style. In 1984, some of the 19th century work was removed, and in 2007, when the choir was restored, the entire pavement was lifted and only the medieval parts re-laid. The Abbey of St John, built on the site of a 3rd century AD Gallo-Roman villa, was founded in the 10th century as a stopping-place on the Camino de Santiago or Way of St James Christian pilgrimage route. The abbey church and abbot's house survived the 16th century Wars of Religion, but although other monastic buildings were rebuilt, the monks fled during the French Revolution. Marble mosaics from the Gallo-Roman villa have also been found at Sorde l'Abbaye, which was originally known as Sordes. Although the villa walls have disappeared, remains of its thermal baths survive.
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Location: Sorde l'Abbaye, Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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