Like most of the churches in Sologne, Saint Etienne in Cheverny built in the 12th century, has a “caquetoire” which is a covered area around the church door where people could stay and chat. Maybe there is a term in English but I can’t find it!
Comme la plupart des églises de la Sologne, Saint Etienne à Cheverny construite au XII ème siècle a un caquetoire, une sorte d’auvent à la porte de l’église où l’on se réunissait pour bavarder (caqueter).
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8 replies on “The Chatroom – Le caquetoire”
Caqueter will be my new french word of the day. Thanks. And that’s a nice shot of the caquetoire. Seems like a great idea. I don’t know of an equivalent word for it in English either.
I’m not sure I’ve ever actually heard someone use the verb caqueter in this context. It’s usually used for cackling hens. Try it out on your neighbours and see how they react!
We always say “ils n’arrêtent pas de caqueter”
Depends if they chat or gossip!
The covered area in front of a church front door is a porch or more properly a narthex. However, I’m not sure that what the church at Cheverny has could be termed a narthex. The function of the narthex is to shelter people who are not members of the parish but who want to listen to the service, and to take any overflow of the congregation.
Pour moi un caquetoire c’est une chaise, et ce dont vous parlez c’est un préau. Il y en a aussi dans toutes les écoles!
Ah mais dans cette région on l’appelle bien caquetoire dans le cas d’une église.
[…] may remember another caquetoire in Cheverny. The parish church of Saint Michel in Fontevraud-l’Abbaye was built in the 12th […]