Ravenna is famous for its Byzantine mosaics and we visited all the city’s most important monuments but I think my favourite was the Basilica of Saint Apollinaire in Classe, about 5 km outside the town and on the bike route. It was consecrated in 549. Ravenna est célèbre pour ses mosaïques byzantines et nous avons …
Category Archives: Churches
We Saved the Church – Nous avons sauvé l’église
On Sunday, we went cycling, including a visit to Châteauroux and the neighboring town of Déols where the church has a 3rd century Gallo-Roman sarcophagus. When we entered the church it’s seemed foggy but we assumed it was incense. We found the door to the crypt with the sarcophagus but there was a phone number …
Continue reading “We Saved the Church – Nous avons sauvé l’église”
Under the arch – Sous l’arche
We finally went cycling again today from Rochecorbon to Château de Villandry. We had never approached Tours by bike from this side of the Loire. The building on the left is Saint Gratien’s Cathedral and the one on the right is the town library. Nous avons enfin fait du vélo aujourd’hui pour aller de Rochecorbon …
Beaulieu les Loches
I’ve gone back to work with a vengeance but we took today off to go cycling. We started in Beaulieu les Loches, a village of 1700 inhabitants with a surprising number of interesting buildings. This is the remains of the 11th century abbey with its Romanesque steeple. J’ai replongé dans le travail depuis lundi mais …
Postcard from Brantôme
This will be the last postcard for a while as we are now home to stay for the rest of the summer. We stopped off on the way back in Brantôme, famous for its Benedictine abbey church and one of the oldest bell-towers in France. The second photo is the restaurant where we would like …
Spires & a Tower – Flèches et une tour
The spires are those of the 12th to 13th century church of Saint Nicolas while the Tour du Foix is one of the last vestiges of the 13th century feudal fortifications. Behind it is the much later Gaston d’Orleans wing of Blois Castle, built in the first half of the 17th century. Les flèches sont …
Bourges Cathedral
We went to Bourges today to pick up a 2019 secondhand Renault Scenic to replace our 2005 Scenic bought in 2007. It sadly died last Sunday having clocked up 188 000 km. Both are automatics, not very popular in France, but they have saved my back. Unfortunately the stunningly beautiful UNESCO classified cathedral was closed …
The Tin Roof – Le toit en tôle
Somebody needed a garage obviously and couldn’t afford slate! The patron saint of the church is called Bienheuré which means very happy. Saint Bienheuré is a semi-legendary saint of Vendôme said to have lived in a nearby cave during the 3rd century. Like Saint George, he is said to have slayed a dragon. He is …
Saint Martin’s – Cangey
Today it was 10 degrees and sunny but the wind was cold. We choose the village of Cangey near Amboise as our Sunday destination. Nothing remarkable but it was a pleasant walk and the church with its 16th century stained glass windows was actually open. Aujourd’hui il faisait 10 degrés et beau mais le vent …
Gables Galore – Plein de pignons
This rather surprising mix of architectural styles is the parish church of Saint Martin in Mosnes. Of the early Romanesque church only the round apse and the chancel remain, together with the lower part of the square bell tower supported by the transept crossing. The current roof dates from the mid-18th century. The aisles are …