Paleolithic Art

 

Cave Art 101 by National Geographic

 From human hands to now-extinct animals, cave art gives us a glimpse into prehistoric life. Who created cave art, and what was its initial purpose? Explore the paintings of Chauvet-Pont d'Arc and Lascaux Grotto, and learn what prehistoric art can tell us about our world thousands of years ago.

 

What can Stone Age art tell us about extinct animals? by Trey the Explainer

From Lascaux to Chauvet to Australia, in this video I discuss the many illustrations of now extinct prehistoric animals and how they can be significant to paleontologists. Additionally, artwork created by our long dead ancestors can actually tell us a lot about prehistory we wouldn't know otherwise from cultural norms to religious beliefs. So I've taken the time to examine what prehistoric art can tell us. We will talk about everything from Irish Elk to Marsupial Lions so I hope you enjoy! May 2018

 

Why are these 32 symbols found in caves all over Europe by Genevieve von Petzinger

Written language, the hallmark of human civilization, didn't just suddenly appear one day. Thousands of years before the first fully developed writing systems, our ancestors scrawled geometric signs across the walls of the caves they sheltered in. Paleo-anthropologist and rock art researcher Genevieve von Petzinger has studied and codified these ancient markings in caves across Europe. The uniformity of her findings suggest that graphic communication, and the ability to preserve and transmit messages beyond a single moment in time, may be much older than we think.  December 2018

The Roots of Religion by Genevieve Von Petzinger

A PhD student in Anthropology at the University of Victoria, Genevieve Von Petzinger's main area of interest is understanding the geometric imagery of European Ice Age rock art and how we can use this type of behavior to identify cognitive and symbolic evolution in modern humans. Her work was featured on the cover of New Scientist in 2010 and Science Illustrated in 2011, and she has also appeared on the Discovery Channel's popular program Daily Planet.  December 2012
 

 

 

Saint Geneys

 In the area around Le Puy are several small towns with Romanesque churches. These churches were built around the 11th century. This one is in the small town of Saint Geneys, located at a fork in the road on the D-906 highway and about 20 minutes north of Le Puy. It does not seem to be a functioning church--or at least one with the Blessed Sacrament--but the town takes care of it as a relic of its history and welcomes visitors with an open door to explore it and its architecture.

The small farming village of St. Geneys was founded in 1038 and the church was first mentioned in documents in 1164. Two centuries later it was dedicated to St. Barthélemy in 1336. There used to be a fort a short distance from here, built in the Middle Ages, but there is no evidence of its remains.

The church measures only 4200 square feet but it has evolved over the centuries and incorporated different architectural traditions into the same church.

 

 

The oldest part of the church is the north side, which actually dates back to the Romans who left an ossuary there. (The ossuary continued to be used as a depository for funereal bones until the 18th century.) Today, this part of the church stands as a side chapel (left of the altar) that provides more seating and an altar to the Blessed Mother. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the mid-16th century the apse was reconstructed in the Gothic tradition with ribbed vaults (ceiling) and flat-wall pilasters. Four chapels were added (north, south, east, west) as was a new door with an emblazoned pediment on the east side of the church.

   

 

 The bell tower was reconstructed in 1662.

  

 

During the French Revolution when churches were taken over by the state, this church was no exception. Afterward, the parish was re-started in its Catholic tradition. 

Between 1852-58 the curé, Fr. Monteillard, enlarged the small church and by extending the nave on its west side and building a new chapel on its south side. Along the nave are arches with a smoothed surface for paintings although none exist now. The choir in the back of the church is out of line from the nave because its walls were used to support a steeple that was reconstructed in the 17th century. 

 

 

 

 

The windows on the south side employ a more flamboyant Renaissance style. The stained glass window below was installed in 1938 depicting St. Louis XIII (1601-43) making vows. He was king of France 1610-43.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The church was restored again 1981-82 and the sacristy was eliminated. However, a sarcophagus was found buried beneath it. Today it serves as a planter at the entrance of the church. Also discovered was a subterranean hall that had served as a Roman ossuary. 

The priest assigned to this parish was named by the head priest or bishop of the Cathedral in Le Puy as well as the feudal lords in this area. This system of appointments went on until the French Revolution (1789-99).

 

Saint Geneys is just 20 minutes north from LePuy over the area's two-lane country roads and through a dramatic post-volcanic landscape.

 

On the way home from St. Geneys are some astonishing sights. The Polignac fortress rises above the landscape on its "table-top" mount.  

Some beautiful snow-capped mountains appeared in the distance in early December. It snowed in Le Puy a week later but melted after only a day on the ground.