[HOLLAND.FRIESLAND 30145] ’Beardless Christ in Bozum.’

[HOLLAND.FRIESLAND 30145] ’Beardless Christ in Bozum.’ A 13th century fresco in the Sint Maartenskerk (Church of St. Martin) in the village of Bozum (‘Boazum’ in the Frisian language) shows a seated beardless Christ in Majesty, surrounded by the emblems of the four evangelists: an angel, a lion, an ox and an eagle (the last two are outside the frame of this picture). On the left we see St. John and Mary. The fresco was discovered in 1941 in the choir of the church beneath a layer of plaster. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[FRANCE.ALPSSOUTH 29815] ‘Crucifixion at Venanson.’

[FRANCE.ALPSSOUTH 29815] ‘Crucifixion at Venanson.’ In this crucifixion scene on the altar wall in the Chapelle Saint-Sébastien at Venanson St. John the Evangelist seems to be overcome by grief and turns away his face. The mural was executed in 1481 by Giovanni Baleison, one of the so-called ‘peintres primtifs niçois’ (primitive painters of Nice.) This chapel is one of a series of chapels placed at the entrance to villages to protect their inhabitants against the plague. Venanson is a village in the French Alps, 40 km north of Nice. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[ITALY.PIEMONTE 11063] 'Traditional little chimney sweep of Valle Vigezzo.' Marco Pesenti from Malesco, photographed in Villette, with the traditional clothes and tools of the little chimney sweeps of Valle Vigezzo from before 1940. In the old days it were mostly children who swept the chimneys by climbing up inside them and scraping them clean. Photo Paul Smit.

[FRANCE.ALPSNORTH 10959] 'Last Supper.’ Two things hit the eye in this Last Supper fresco in the Chapelle de Saint Antoine in Bessans. First: the areoles. The apostles seen on the back seem to have hats of bolted gold! Second: the person in Christ's embrace. We know it should be St. John the Evangelist, also known as the Disciple whom Jesus Loved. But we have all read Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code", and he concluded that this person is a woman: his lover! The chapel and its frescoes date from the beginning of the 16th century. Photo Paul Smit.

[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28934] ’Entombment of Christ in Salers.’ The St. Matthieu church of Salers in the western Cantal has a splendid late medieval stone statue group depicting the interment of Christ. It is a work of the Burgundian school but also shows Flemish influences. In the centre Mary is consoled by St. John and the two extremities are occupied by the old men Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Mary Magdalene can be recognized by her free flowing hair. She is carrying a jar with aromatics for the anointing of the body. Photo Paul Smit.

[FRANCE.ALPSSOUTH 29820] ’Crucifixion scene at Clans.’

[FRANCE.ALPSSOUTH 29820] ’Crucifixion scene at Clans.’ The altar wall of the medieval Chapelle Saint Antoine l‘Ermite in Clans is decorated with a crucifixion scene which was painted by an anonymous artist in the 15th century. Hovering beside the crucified Jesus are three angels catching his blood in goblets. The cross is flanked by St. John and a Black Mary, while Mary Magdalene is weeping at the foot of the cross. The village of Clans is located in the French Alps, 35 km north of Nice. Photo Mick Palarczyk.

[FRANCE.ALPSSOUTH 29814] ‘Crucifixion at Venanson.’

[FRANCE.ALPSSOUTH 29814] ‘Crucifixion at Venanson.’ This crucifixion scene with Mary and St. John the Evangelist flanking the cross can be found on the altar wall in the Chapelle Saint-Sébastien at Venanson. The mural was executed in 1481 by Giovanni Baleison, one of the so-called ‘peintres primtifs niçois’ (primitive painters of Nice.) This chapel is one of a series of chapels placed at the entrance to villages to protect their inhabitants against the plague. Venanson is a village in the French Alps, 40 km north of Nice. Photo Paul Smit.

[FRANCE.ALPSSOUTH 29080] ’Last Supper.’ The third of twenty panels depicting the Passion of Christ in the Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs at La Tour shows Jesus and his disciples during the Last Supper. St. John is held in an awkward embrace that seems more appropriate for a wrestling match! The fresco was executed in 1492 on the chapel's left wall by Currand Bravesi and Guirard Nadal, two of the so-called 'peintres primitifs niçois' (primitive painters of Nice). La Tour sur Tinée is a village in the French Alps, 30 km north of Nice. Photo Mick Palarczyk & Paul Smit.

[FRANCE.ALPSNORTH 10960] 'Jesus' girlfriend?’ We know that the person in Christ's embrace, in this Last Supper fresco in the Chapelle de Saint Antoine in Bessans, is St. John the Evangelist, also known as the Disciple whom Jezus Loved. But we have all read Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" and he concluded that this person must be a woman: Mary Magdalene, his lover! The chapel and its frescoes date from the beginning of the 16th century. Photo Paul Smit.

[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28932] ’Entombment of Christ in Salers.’ The St. Matthieu church of Salers in the western Cantal has a splendid late medieval stone statue group depicting the interment of Christ. It is a work of the Burgundian school but also shows Flemish influences. In the centre Mary is consoled by St. John, with Mary Magdalene more to the right (with free flowing hair). The two extremities are occupied by the old men Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. In the alcove to the right is the roman guard of the grave. Photo Paul Smit .