Satellite
  • Day 17

    Finding Duns Scotus

    May 11, 2015 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    We went to find the church of Saint Andreas. It was lovely inside, though not as grand as the cathedral, but the entrance to the nave was locked. Still, even though we did not have the opportunity to photograph it, we still found it quite beautiful. Next, just to see the town we set a tentative course for the Church of the Apostles. On the way, Glenda bought some chocolate. Before we reached our goal we happened past the Church of the Minorites. A plaque indicated that construction was begun in the year 1245. We went inside, admired it's quiet Romanesque beauty, and then found a plaque giving information about a connection between this church and John Duns Scotus. I happened to find the remnants of a very old painting on one of the columns in the nave, so I photographed it as well. John Duns Scotus was born in Scotland, as his name suggests. He was enslaved as a youth, then through a remarkable series of coincidences, was given an education in Paris. There he taught at the university. In a single day he was quickly and unexplainably transferred by the Pope in Rome to the frontier of Germany, without even being allowed to take his clothing. He died a year later in Cologne. His epitaph in Latin reads: Scotland birthed me; Paris taught me; but Germany holds me.Read more