Litre funéraire, a photo from Poitou-Charentes, West

Photographer's Note

The picture is a stitch of two vertical images.

A view of the interior of the parish church of Saint-Christophe, Léoville, Charente-Maritime showing the litre funéraire and a depiction of death.

A litre funéraire (painted funereal band) is a black band that was painted inside or outside of the walls of churches and chapels in France in medieval times and during the Ancien Régime. The name derives from latin: “litura funeris”, which can be translated: “place that is revised for funeral”. The litre is usually a horizontal black band, that was painted on the plaster of walls and columns at a height of 2.50 - 4 metres. It was on average 30 centimetres wide.

The tradition was started in the 11th century when Pope Gregory VII decreed that the Laity could no longer own a church, instead they could become patron of a church. As patron they were allowed to nominate a clergyman if a position was vacant and were entitled to a commemorative painting on the litre.

On 13 April 1791 the National Assembly of the French Revolution decided that the litres should be removed completely from public churches and chapels by the patron. This enactment did not encounter much resistance, because at that time the litres were rarely used any more. Litres that were not removed because of the enactment often disappeared later because of renovation works or decomposition. It is very rare to come across them these days.

The above has been extracted from Alltag in der Normandie/ everyday life in Normandy web site. For a fuller history of the litre funéraire (in English), please click here.

besnard, John_F_Kennedy, asajernigan, Budapestman, saxo042, jlbrthnn, ChrisJ, darek1978, yeln has marked this note useful

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besnard (59196) 2010-02-08 0:38

Bonjour Stephen
Un assemblage bien réussi et une vue intéressante de l'intéreiur de cette église et de cette peinture murale très spéciale et inédite.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2010-02-08 1:34

Hello Stephen,
Impressive historic architecture inside this church. Very good colours and POV, light and sharpness are wonderful.
best wishes,
Achim

delpeoples (60342) 2010-02-08 2:08

Hi Stephen, nice stitiching again. I like the vertical, the details are excellent and of course the light in these situations is always difficult but hasnt presented you with any problem. Great job, enjoy your Monday, Lisa

asajernigan (21427) 2010-02-08 3:07

Stephen,
This is a nicely composed shot of this funeral chapel. The angle of the shot is nice giving the shot depth. The lighting and colors are fine as is the photo's sharpness.
TFS,
Asa

Budapestman (82620) 2010-02-08 3:54

Hi Stephen,
an effective interior photo with spectacular composition and details, the lights and clarity are excellent, impressive photo with superb note, Tfs! Have a nice week!
George

saxo042 (38078) 2010-02-08 8:53

Hi Stephen,
A really good note, in the true TE spirit. A very interesting lesson today! The picture here is also very interesting, a well composed image with excellent treatment of light conditions.
Kind regards
Gunnar

amaryllis (37047) 2010-02-08 8:58

bonjour Stephen
un bel assemblage de ces deux photos et un beau litrefunéraire; je suis ravie de voir l'intérieur de l'église qui renferme de belles "richesses" et une histoire
merci pour ton lien
juliette

Silvio1953 (221729) 2010-02-08 10:57

Ciao Stephen, great view of beautiful architecture, splendid interior with wonderful light, very well done, ciao Silvio

jlbrthnn (76043) 2010-02-08 10:57

Bonsoir Stephen,
Le sujet de cette photo est tout-à-fait intéressant, surprenant et original. L'image est de très bonne qualité, on a l'impression d'être dans la chapelle. Beau travail, barvo.
Bonne soirée
Amicalement
Joël

Fis2 (170861) 2010-02-08 12:17

Witaj Stephen!
A very curious interior.
I like the frame, colors and light.
Good work.
Regards
Krzysztof

lousat (139332) 2010-02-08 16:03

Hi Steph,it's always difficult to take pics inside the churches,the light is a great hurdle in these places....and you work very very well whit the time of exposure for the best result as possible.Great sharpness and perspective too...thanks for share,have a nice day,Luciano

gunbud (34066) 2010-02-08 16:10

Hi Stephen,
Lovely vdrtical look the inside of this beautiful church.
You have managed the light well here giving strong details and clear focus.
Regards, Tom

ChrisJ (171884) 2010-02-08 19:59

Bonjour Stephen

I'm wondering if the deathly figure at left, has a connection with the Black Plague, that decimated the population of Europe in the 14th century. Quite a bit more serious than the Swine flu too, with around 25 million deaths. Well managed interior lighting, with good sharpness. Tfs!

mrmike1935 (4871) 2010-02-09 7:01 [Comment]

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rodgerg (55767) 2010-02-09 11:18

Hello Stephen

Un POV orginal^pour présenter une vue intérieure d'une église. Ce POV donne une image riche en graphisme et en dynamisme avec une belle perspective qui conduit le regard vers l'autel. De très beaux contrastes et des couleurs plus chaudes qui s'équilibrent avec celles plus froides de la pierre.
Amitiés,
Roger

anokutan (15097) 2010-02-09 13:56

Hello Stephen,
Very good colours and POV, light and sharpness are wonderful.I like the frame, colors and light.

fabianoleite (13575) 2010-02-10 7:39

Very good lights, considering it is an interior. The angle was well chosen, and fine details, too. Congratulations!

darek1978 (13361) 2010-02-10 15:54

Hi Stephen,
Good management of the light conditions and a very good POV. An interesting architecture and very useful note. Well done!
Thanks for sharing,
Darek

yeln (11516) 2010-05-03 8:33

hello Stephen
google
cultural heritage is truly rich.
beautiful colors and light menagement.
beautiful presentation. TFS!
congratulations
Have a nice day
Vojko