Conques and powerful relics

OK, times were tough in the Middle Ages. People desperately needed something to believe in and had no choice but to believe in whatever the Roman Catholic Church was serving up...sometimes one's own head for opposing it. But whenever there is no-choice, there are people who want something different.

An opposition group to The Church sprang up and those who fought them, in the name of The Church, became martyrs. Such was the case in the story of a girl who, at 13 years old, was beheaded for her faith and became celebrated as Sainte Foy (Saint Faith, Santa Fe -- Holy Faith). The gold statue of her sitting on a throne dates back to the 9th Century and was added to over the years -- embedded rock crystal from the German empire, earrings from the 13th century, her face replaced from a previous Roman statue, her shoes remade in the 19th century. Now, with more than 1,000 years of decoration, this statue (maybe 3-feet tall), is the only one of its kind and has engendered more than 1,000 years of devotion and mythology.

It resides in a chapel in Conques, a charming village of silver-gray slate roofs, steep winding cobblestone streets and brown stone walls, nestled into the side of a hill in a remote part of Aveyron. The town is a major stop on the way to Compestela and is famous not only for the statue of the young martyr and many other bejeweled vessels that hold pieces of the cross and body bits from saints, but for its abbey church of Sainte-Foy.

This church is a landmark of Romanesque architecture -- soaring stone pillars and arches -- and an elaborate carving on the tympanum (over the front door) of the Last Judgement. Amid all the images of eternal suffering (which look like "regular living" at the time), there are some interesting and whimsical faces which are called "The Curious Ones." Perhaps the sculptor had an unusual sense of humor or incredible optimism about the after-life. Perhaps he was beheaded for heresy, these being the only light-hearted images amid the serious business of eternal life. The abbey is also famous for stained-glass windows by contemporary painter Pierre Soulages. Some half-million tourists and pilgrims visit Conque each year.

Food, Wine and More Food and Wine

This region of the Midi-Pyrenees is known for its duck. Each restaurant (lunch and dinner) serves its own versions, beginning with a foie gras appetizer and continuing on with baked, broiled, roasted and otherwise prepared cannard. Even my gourmand companions were “ducked out” after 3 days.

Not being a foodie or meat eater, the amount of meat and the sheer volume of food soon became disgusting to me (desgustion is the French word for digestion, I think, or maybe just eating). A typical lunch: red wine and bread, salad and salmon quiche, foie gras, beef, potatoes au gratin, small onions in beet sauce, fondant au chocolat, coffee.

Five hours a day (or more) were spent sitting at a dining table. Enough! This is not to say that the experiences of eating on a barge, in a cave, in ancient vaulted-arched rooms or on cobblestone sidewalks were not enjoyable. Quite the contrary, and the regional wine was always delicious. And, of course, it is important to note that the French are slender despite their obsession with and love of fine food.

Images from Cahours in the Lot Valley

In the course of six intensive days, a group of 12 American travel agents, as guests of Maison de la France, visited a number of France's designated "beautiful villages" in the Midi-Pyrenees area north of Toulouse. These few photos of our first stop in Cahours (pronounced, roughly, as "cow-oos") do not do justice to the stunning beauty of this 10th century Medieval city built on the banks of the Lot River.

As I sent home (via a kind colleague) all the brochures I collected from this trip, I will not attempt to provide details beyond what my overloaded brain can recall, but I will post more photos (each blog allows only 5 photos) and, hopefully, fill in the details in the future. Needless to say, this is an area of France mostly unknown to U.S. travelers and definitely worth exploring for both its natural beauty and historic value.