Roland in Sicily by sandra46

Photography • Transportation • posted on May 03, 2009

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Description

Roland (Italian: Orlando or Rolando) is a character in medieval and Renaissance literature, the chief paladin of Charlemagne and a central figure in the Matter of France. It is thought that the title character of the early 12th century Song of Roland, which recounts his final stand against the Basques during the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, is based on a real person who died in that battle, but the authors of most later chansons de geste and the Renaissance epics made little attempt to establish historical accuracy. Roland was a popular legendary figure in medieval Europe. Over the next several centuries, Roland became a icon in medieval minstrel culture. According to many legends, he was a nephew of Charlemagne, turned his life into an epic tale of the noble Christian killed by Islamic forces, which forms part of the medieval Matter of France. In fact , it followed the traditions about the crusades, which the Church turned against the Holy Roman Empire after the Investiture Controversy (an 11th century dispute between the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope over who would control appointments of church officials (investiture). It was the most significant conflict between secular and religious powers in medieval Europe. This explains why Bremen Roland has such a different meaning as a bulwark of the Emperor and the free trading cities. Roland as a defender of Christianity against the Moors appeared as a central character in a sequence of verse romances from the 15th century onwards, and the Orlando narrative inspired several composers. The Sicilian cart is an ornate, colorful style of horse or donkey-drawn cart native to the island of Sicily, in Italy. Carts reached the height of their popularity in the 1920s, when many thousand were on the island. Miniature carts, or Carrettino Siciliano, are often sold in Sicily (or in Italian shops and restaurants in other countries) as souvenirs. The carts, first brought to the island by the Ancient Greeks, are covered in brightly painted episodes from Sicilian folklore or history (from miracles to episodes of Garibaldi's conquest) but can also feature intricate geometrical designs. At a time when most of the island's residents were illiterate, the carts were able to illustrate not only historical events but also provide information on the owners and their trade. The most popular colors used in painting the carts are yellow and red, those of Palermo's flag, while bright greens and blues are often used to highlight details. This Sicilian cart, in the collection of the private museum of carriages at Villa Barbaro (Maser, Treviso) shows the stories from the 15th century poems about Orlando and his battles against the Moors, whose piratical raids threatened the coasts until the 19th century. These stories were a favorite subject of the theater of the !puppi! (puppets). They also follow a medieval tradition about sham battles between "Moors and Christians" that are at the basis of the British Morris Dances and even the American Diabladas and Matachinas.