Heraldique

A caption that says more than it seems.

Original text (Middle Dutch):
Dit is sinte gregorius die dede
introp van Utrecht ende een
heyligh pontifex con felloes

Apparently it means:
“This is Saint Gregory, who made the ceremonial entry into Utrecht,
a holy pontiff, accompanied by others.”

Late 15th century.
Kattendijke Chronicle, fol. 134v.

A name.
An action.
A place.
A public moment.

For a medieval chronicle, that is already a complete story.

Note: 4 pictures (1 and 2 Courtenay - 3 Caterina de’ Medici - 4 counts of Auvergne). This follows yesterday’s post about Catherine de’ Medici and her heraldic legacy.

Athon de Courtenay — sometimes called Hutton in early sources — is traditionally considered the founder of the Courtenay family. Around the year 1000, he took advantage of the Burgundian succession crisis to seize and fortify the site of Courtenay. According to genealogical tradition, his marriage to Ermengarde of Boulogne linked the Courtenays to the Counts of Boulogne — whose arms often display three or four red torteaux. The Courtenay arms stabilised early with three torteaux, perhaps echoing this connection.

Centuries later, Catherine de’ Medici inherited Boulogne through her mother Madeleine de La Tour d’Auvergne, and — after the death of Anne de La Tour — absorbed the Auvergne–Boulogne patrimony into the French crown. In Catherine’s full heraldic achievement, subtle traces of Boulogne appear, creating an unexpected parallel with the Courtenay family and their own Boulogne origins.

Thank you, piers_sc

🏇✨ Siena (Italy) is about to feel its heartbeat roar louder than ever!

On July 2nd, the city comes alive with the Palio di Provenzano — a centuries-old horse race unlike anything else in the world. Ten neighbourhoods (called contrade) compete in a breathtaking dash around the iconic Piazza del Campo.
It’s not just a race. It’s history, rivalry, and passion woven into a living tradition. 🔥🇮🇹
(Of course, we cheer for Pantera 🐆 — we have to! — but we deeply admire the skill, heart, and artistry of every jockey, horse, contrada, and craftsman () who brings the Palio to life.)
Who will triumph this year?

 🦄