Black and White at Chillon Castle: The Bath, Vincent Freischling, and Bernese Governors

 The Frustration of Heraldry

Where can you find a castle better than Chillon, one so manageable in size, and so varied in what has been preserved.  We wonder about the "preservation" of the obvious (to us) modern Santa Claus, instead of even a traditional Saint Nicholas, in the heraldry, but move on to the prevalence of blacks. And learn little.

Regardless, get comfortable, be sure the linen is laid in the tub to prevent splinters, have a monk (isn't that a tonsure?) and a lady nearby; emerge from the soak, and consider:

Chillon Castle, Switzerland, the Duke Emerges From His Bath

Heraldry and portraiture with numerous black faces or black and white themes at Chillon, some blurry because I messed up:

Chillon Castle, black figures, unknown reference

Motto: "Learning to observe is learning to respect." Whom from, pray tell?

Who is this Vincent Freischling. There is a Freischling in Austria, but that is east of Linz. We see no Vincent at the Freischling history site, at ://www.freischling.info.at/english/history/

Chillon Castle, Switzerland, Vincent Freisching? Black and White in Heraldry. St. Vincent?

 What is the black ram?  Nothing like it at this coats of arms site: ://www.rollintl.com/roll/grcoat.htm/  Black in heraldry is "sable," see ://www.luz-herald.net/free/pimbley/Pimbley%27s%20Dictionary%20of%20Heraldry%20-%20B.htm/ but still no clue.

There is Saint Vincent, and the Cathedral in Bern is St. Vincent's, see ://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g188052-d244410/Bern:Switzerland:Cathedral.At.Munsterplatz.St.Vincent.Munster.Kirche..html/ We see no connection with his biography at ://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=326/.  Who is that?

Chillon Castle, Black and White heraldry (blurred - life is tough)

Why the half dog white and half dog black. Just whim of Bernese governors?  See ://www.planetware.com/montreux/chateau-de-chillon-ch-vd-chill.htm