The goat's white fur
E-Book, Englisch, 198 Seiten
ISBN: 978-1-64268-692-0
Verlag: novum publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark
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Arnaud looked at his reflection in the water of the fountain. He saw that the fuzz of youth had now given way to a handsome full beard. He had come to Gisors two years ago and was now a sergeant and Richard de Delincourt's right-hand man. Life at the castle and the duties associated with it had taken up all his time, but every now and then he still thought about his dream of a trip to the Holy Land. Especially when Simon told stories about the events in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. They met secretly in the castle archives and Simon showed him his true passion, calligraphy. On his writing desk were dozens of small jars of the most beautiful colors that nature had to offer. He explained to him that blue paint was made from lapis lazuli and that red came from madder mixed with alum. Simon made copies of the Holy Scriptures with color illustrations of the miracles of Jesus Christ. He was particularly impressed by the healing of the sick. His favorite legend was the healing of Lazarus.* "His relics are in Autun Cathedral. Did you know that?" "In Burgundy?" "Yes, they came into the possession of the bishop in a roundabout way." Simon spent whole days painting the pictures in the most beautiful colors. "Look, Arnaud, this is our Lord Jesus raising Lazarus." "Wonderful, that's how I always dreamed it would be. You are a master of your craft." * The name "Lazarus" is derived from the ancient Hebrew "El Azar" and means "God has helped". The relics of St. Lazarus originally came from Larnaca in Cyprus. They arrived in the Cathedral of St. Lazarus in Autun via Constantinople and Marseille. In 1146, they were transferred to the newly built three-nave basilica. Arnaud asked if there was any news from the Holy Land yet. "As you know, Arnaud de Toroge died in September last year. At the following General Chapter , Gerard de Ridefort(9) was appointed the new Grand Master of the Templars. Sadly, the Kingdom of Jerusalem is now threatened by Saladin's troops from both the north and the south and is short of knights and foot soldiers," Simon said in a thoughtful voice. "Do you remember Montgisard?" "Yes," replied Arnaud, "how could I not? You know that the Holy Land is the goal of my dreams." "The victory under Baudoin IV(10) at the Battle of Montgisard eight years ago only gave the Kingdom of Jerusalem a brief respite," said Simon in a depressed voice. Arnaud was full of admiration for the courage and tactics of the Knights Templar. Despite their numerical inferiority, they had succeeded in defeating Saladin, the ruler of the Saracens. Under the leadership of Odo Saint-Amand(11), the Grand Master of Jerusalem, a phalanx of only eighty-four knights had hit Saladin's troops like a hammer, breaking their ranks and clearing the way for the royal troops under Baudoin. Saladin(12) himself had been shaken by the force of the attack. * This battle tactic was a novelty in medieval warfare and was called eschielle, after the French word for "squadron". In principle, it was a tightly packed squadron of Templars, riding so close saddle to saddle that not even an apple fell between the horses. In contrast to regular troops, who never achieved such a high degree of perfection in their attacks, the Templars explicitly trained the Eschielle. "Gerard de Ridefort canvassed all the commanderies for volunteers to serve in the Holy Land." Arnaud looked into his friend's eyes and knew from that moment that he would take up the cross. The next day, he reported for duty in the Holy Land. He had lain awake all night. His friendship with Simon meant a great deal to him and Gisors Castle had also become a second home to him. But it had been decided that he would travel to Jerusalem together with five knights from the castle. Arnaud finished his morning ablutions and sought out Simon in the library. "How are you, my brother?" Simon looked up briefly from his copy and replied: "Fine, even if it saddens me that we will part ways tomorrow." Arnaud looked at him in dismay. "Simon, you are like a brother to me and I will always carry you in my heart. I'll write to you as often as I can, let me give you a hug." He approached Simon and embraced him from the depths of his soul and said: "I must go my way, take care of yourself, my brother." The next day, Arnaud left Gisors Castle for Paris with five knights under the leadership of Roger de Granville. De Granville was taking up the cross for the second time and had only returned from the Holy Land the previous year. Simon stood on the wall of the castle and Arnaud gave his friend one last look before the Templars set off. They took the old Roman road towards Cergy, but their progress was slow due to the bad weather. The ground was deep and the constant rain was hard on both the riders and the horses. The nights were still far too cold for March, so they could only ride during the day. After just under a week, they could finally see Paris in the distance and rode from the west towards the Marais. The city was larger than Arnaud had expected and its smell made Arnaud deeply uncomfortable. The population defecated in the open streets and sewage was poured out of the windows of the houses, causing small stinking streams to make their way through the streets and on to the nearby river. They rode along the Seine to the Ile de Cite. They could see Notre Dame Cathedral under construction from afar. Arnaud was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the building. "They've been building it for twenty years," said Roger de Granville. "When it's finished, it will be the most imposing building in Christendom and a tribute from all the French to our God, the Creator." The north tower had already been completed and rose so high into the clouds that it almost merged with the sky. They crossed the Seine via the Pont Notre Dame and finally arrived at the temple in Paris. This was located in the Marais, a former swamp. Like all Templar castles, it was well fortified and extended over several buildings. Directly in front of the gate was the accommodation of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth. As friars who had taken up the cross, they were received personally by Gerard de Ridefort*. * Gerard de Ridefort did not receive the call to serve as a member of the Order until late in his life. He was originally supposed to receive lands under Raymond III of Tripoli(13) through marriage to Lucia of Batrun, but the count had betrayed him and so he joined the Knights Templar in 1174 and was their Grand Master from 1184 until his death outside Acre in 1189. After a modest meal, everyone went to the chapel to pray for the undertaking in the Holy Land. The matins opened with the psalm "Venite" and ended with the "Gloria patri", to the glory of the Trinity. When the crusaders saddled their horses the next day, Arnaud was happy to leave Paris again. Despite all the beauty he had seen, he left the city with ambivalent feelings, mainly because of its stench. Gerard de Ridefort had promised that he would personally set off for the Holy Land in the summer to support King Baudoin. At dawn, they set off in the direction of Clairmont. The roads were deep with winter mud and the horses made slow progress. After a week, they reached the Auverne. Clairmont lay at their feet. The Puy de Dome towered to the east, dominating the landscape with its conical shape. Herds of sheep and goats grazed on its gentle, green slopes. Visible from afar, Notre Dame du Porte Cathedral towered over the town. Clairmont was the seat of the bishops and, unlike in other regions of France, the Gallo-Roman population had not fled after the fall of the Roman Empire but remained in the town. The Montferrant district was located opposite the bishop's church. The splendid town houses and the bustling streets of the town bore witness to the fact that this was the economic metropolis of the Auverne. Roger de Granville led the crusaders to the bishop's see. They found accommodation in the nearby monastery and were treated to an excellent meal by Bishop Ademar. The next morning, Roger showed his companions the place where the first crusade had begun. They crossed the narthex* and finally reached the nave of the cathedral. "The fateful synod took place here in the presence of 13 archbishops and hundreds of bishops and abbots," said Roger in a serious voice. The Pope himself had called for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to support the Byzantines against the Seljuks and thousands had responded to his call." The crusaders remained in silent awe and it seemed as if the words "Dieux el volt" were echoing off the walls of Notre Dame du Port Cathedral. * The narthex is a narrow single-storey vestibule in early Christian churches. It extends across the entire width of the church and is connected to the nave by an arcade, for example. As a vestibule, the narthex leads into the naos, the congregation room. In 1095, the synod that led to the First Crusade took place in Clairmont Cathedral under Pope Urban II(14). The faithful present are said to have acknowledged his speech with the words "Deus lo vult". In Latin, the saying is: "Deus vult", based on the irregular verb velle. "Dieux el volt" was a variation for contemporaries from Occitania who were not used to classical Latin and their idiom. The passes of the Massif Central opened up over the next few days, clearing the way to the Mediterranean. And indeed, with the arrival of spring, the journey became less arduous. They passed the plateau of the Grands Causses just as the first flowers were stretching their delicate shoots...
