Blue and Red

in Roermond (NL)
Joannes Richter

Fig. 1: Monumental grave at Roermond (ca. 1240)

1 The monumental tomb at Roermond
The famous monumental grave in the ancient1 church for the
abbey at Roermond (Netherlands) is said to depict count
Gerard of Gelre and his wife Margaretha of Brabant. The
couple has been sculptured as semi-dormant. The monument is
the oldest undamaged matrimonial mausoleum in Europe.
However there are some Dutch papers discussing the age of the
sculpture2: the grave may not be as old as the 13th century, but it
may have been copied a few centuries later from the original
mausoleum sculptured in the 13th century.
The hands have not been folded, but are resting at the bodies.
The count is wearing a green overcoat and a blue robe over a
red garment covering a white under-dress. The countess is
wearing a brown overcoat and white garments. The count's
green overcoat will only be seen from the side of the
monument. All clothing have been decorated with golden
borders. The main colors are red, white and blue.
The tomb however does not restrict red and blue for the upper
part of the grave's body. The pedestal of the grave, the lower
part of the garments (for both the grave and his wife
Margaretha ) and the pedestal have been painted in red, blue
and golden as well.

1
founded 1224 by count Gerard III of Gelre
2
Boekbespreking. Nogmaals het grafmonument in de Munsterkerk, by
Willem Cartigny, nov. 2009

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 Fig. 2: pedestal of the tomb in red & blue

Fig. 3: Lower part of the garments in red, blue and

golden

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Fig. 4: Pillow of the grave's tomb in gold, red & blue

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These colors may correlate to a couple of other graves located
at another abbey in Fontevrault. These tombs belong to the
royal clan of the Plagenets. Of course all European royal
families must be considered as relatives.

Fig. 5: Pattern at the floor at the abbey of Roermond

The pattern depicts a zodiac circle with moon phases and the
sun at a central position. Of course in the Middle age the sun
and the moon have been considered as symbols for the female 3
sun and the male moon.

3
In German language the sun is female and the moon is a male word.

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2 The tomb of Henry II (1133)

Fig. 6: Grave of Henry & Eleonora at

Fontevrault
(photograph by krischnig – Public Domain)

Henry II Plantagenet (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189),

King of England (1154–1189).

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Henry II Plantagenet has been a count of Anjou, count of
Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of
Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and some parts of
Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry and Eleonora are
wearing red, white and blue garments. Eleonora is depicted as
a well-educated woman, reading a book. She wears a blue robe
over a white garment and is located at a bed covered with red
tissues. Henry II is wearing a red robe over a blue garment.
The border area of his garments have been decorated with a
dual green tape as if green had to be included as a secondary
color symbol. Henry II has also been located at a bed covered
with white tissues.

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3 The tomb of Richard I, Lionheart
The third son of Henry II has been named Richard I
“Lionheart”4 , who has been buried at a monumental grave,
decorated in blue and red as well. The colors applied at the
tomb of Isabella of Angouleme at the Fontevrault Abbey also
reveal the main colors red and blue for the garments and
tissues.

Fig. 7: King Richard I, Lionheart ( 1189-1199)

4
Monumental grave of King Richard I, Lionheart (king of England 1189-
1199) in the abbey Fontevrault

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Fig. 8: King Richard I, Lionheart ( 1189-1199)

Fig. 9: Isabella of Angouleme & King Richard I

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4 Sharing the pedigrees
Comparing the pedigrees of the Plantagenets and the counts of
Gelre we may observe some interconnections. Reinout II of
Gelre 5 is a son of the matrimonial couple:
• ♂ # Reinout I of Gelre (* 1255 † 19 October 1326)
• ♀ Margaretha van Vlaanderen (* 1272 † 31 March1331)
Born 1295 Reinout II has been married twice. His first
marriage had been sealed at Roermond:
• 11 January 1311 Marriage: Roermond, ♀ Sofia of
Berthout * 1290 † 6 May 1329
• 28 October 1331 Marriage: Nimwegen, ♀ w Eleanor
Plantagenet * 8 June 1318 † 22 April 1355
• 13 May 1333 Birth of a child: ♂ Reinaud III of Gelre
* 13 May 1333 † 4 December 1371
• 1336 Birth of a child: ♂ Eduard of Gelre
* 1336 † 1371
• 12 October 1343 died at: Arnhem
• Burial location: Gravendal
The attributes marked yellow refer to interconnections between
the Plantegenets and the counts of Gelre, which may have been
established in former times as well. Maybe the colors red,
white and blue have been used as common symbols as well.

5
* 1295 † 12 October 1343

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5 Red, blue and white for the royals
Of course red, blue and white have been used as religious
symbols for long centuries before.

Fig. 10: Saint or Jesus in red, blue and white

Icons are well known to use a standard coloring scheme using

red and blue. As a standard scheme Jesus and Maria have been
depicted in red and blue in medieval paintings. As a remarkable
fact often a small white border may be identified at a collar or
some other location of the garments. We may also observe a
similar white piece of garment at the sculptured body of
Gerard of Gelre at Roermond.

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6 Conclusion
The colors red, blue and white may correlate to a couple of
graves located at abbeys in Fontevrault and Roermond.
These tombs belong to the royal clan of the Plantagenets and
to the counts of Gelre. Of course all European royal families
must be considered as relatives.
However red, blue and white have been used as religious
symbols for long centuries before. Icons are well known to use
a standard coloring scheme using red and blue. Usually Jesus
and Maria have been depicted in red and blue in medieval
paintings.
These details suggest to consider the main colors red, white
and blue at the medieval tombs located at Fontevrault and
Roermond as religious symbols referring to the biblical divine
commands in the Books Exodus and Chronicles.

Further documentation to this topic is found in:

The Sky-God Dyæus
Dyæus is a common deity, shared by all Indo-European
communities, who probably has been introduced at a
very early stage. The character may be androgynous
and may be correlated to the color codes red, blue and
purple in the Bible.

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