Author: Thom

Bessuéjouis is a tiny village. When walking the Camino, the first real sight of it is this church, the Église Saint-Pierre de Bessuéjouls, which lies somewhat outside of the village proper. Although this church has been restored several times, the core of the building seems to date to as early as the 10th century. While the approaching view is pretty […]

After leaving Espalion, the Camino hugged the river for a bit before heading through some suburbs into a more rural landscape. Much of this was roadwalking. In the course of my blogging here, I’ve indicated pretty frequently how little I like roadwalking – and it’s not just the walking on hard concrete or asphalt that’s the issue. Here is one […]

Every Friday is market day in Espalion. I was lucky enough to pass through town early on a Friday morning – it was just after 9 AM when I took this photo. I was able to stock up on supplies and have my second breakfast. It seems a lovely town, and I was sort of sad to just be passing […]

The Camino approaches the town of Espalion along the banks of the Lot River. Much of this is through a long, urban park that very much reminded me of Wright Park back home in Tacoma. Except the view, obviously. While the castle-like building in the center – the Palais de justice d’Espalion – bears a passing resemblance to Stadium High […]

Although most of the interior of the Église Saint-Hilarian-Sainte-Foy de Perse has sadly been scraped to bare stone, some small remaining portions of the medieval decoration can still be found, particularly on the ceilings. I can only imagine the riot of colour the interior must have been in its heyday. You can see more of the photos I took at […]

Of the many photos I took at the Église Saint-Hilarian-Sainte-Foy de Perse, I will only post a few for this series. The upper register of the tympanum above the entrance depicts Pentecost, while the lower depicts the Last Judgment. You can see a monstrous demon swallowing people on the left, while an angel leads a soul to paradise on the […]

Originally part of a Benedictine priory, this church is located on the approach to the town of Espalion, It was the town’s first parish church by the 11th century, and despite the distance from town remained a parish church for the next 700 years. Properly titled the Église Saint-Hilarian-Sainte-Foy de Perse, it was built on the site where Saint Hilarian of Espalion […]

At the top of the ridge, from the monumental statue of the Virgin Mary, you get your first glimpse of the town of Espalion, below. The town itself hugs the River Lot, but towering above it is the ruins of the medieval Château de Calmont d’Olt. This has been a fortified position since at least the 9th century, and it […]

Finally after another climb, Nina and I came to a monumental larger-than-life statue of the Virgin Mary, arms spread like a protective mother embracing her children. This is marked on the maps variously as “Notre-Dame de Versus” or “de Vermus” or even “de Vernus”. It possibly means something like “Our Lady of Virtues”. She sits on a volcanic outcrop overlooking […]