Pilgrims on the Way

Each of the pillars in the hidden chapel are different, particularly their capitals. The designs range from Biblical or angelic figures to knotwork to plant life to grotesque creatures. They very much brought to mind Hannah’s Canticle from the first Book of Samuel, from which Ken Follett took the title of his famous book. I took many photos here, which […]

I passed through a narrow little door – so narrow that I scraped a hole in my backpack’s rain cover – and climbed up a winding and impossibly steep set of stairs. Finally, I came to the treasure of the Église Saint-Pierre de Bessuéjouls. This purely Romanesque chapel is located halfway up the church bell tower. It’s an amazing place. […]

The cramped sanctuary of the Église Saint-Pierre de Bessuéjouls features a 17th-18th century altar and retablos. It is, perhaps, not high art, but it is workmanlike and beautiful in its own way. Certainly the little church is well cared for, and clearly still in service, with clean linens and the Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle. But there is a hidden […]

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 […]