Bessuejouls

Bessuéjouls (near Espalion)

Link to Maps of the Pilgrimage Roads of France

Back to from Aubrac to the River Lot and Conques

This sign near the church of St-Pierre captures the sense of pilgrimage in a way that the large fluoro EU funded signs and Camino sculptures in Spain and some parts of France completely miss.

The little pilgrimage church of St-Pierre, Bessuéjouls, is on the Via Podiensis near Espalion. It sits just above a stream at the base of a wooded slope ... the church is a beautiful space, even allowing for the fact that the barrel-vaulted nave was "restored" in the 1800s ...

But what makes it very very special is discovered when you abandon the camera bag, back pack and feelings of claustrophobia and, clutching just the little Nikon Coolpix 5100, squeeze up the very steep and very narrow stone steps behind the camera position above, to the first floor of the tower, where, in the space behind the corbel survivors outside, there is a tiny pilgrims' chapel.

Looks like a bar bending strength test .... a church postcard says the angel is holding a phylactery (box) .... doesn't look like a phylactery to us .... could be a scroll ....

at the other end of the altar we're on safer ground - definitely Saint Michael out Dragoning

and just as familiarly on a capital .... Adam and what's 'er face again

More Adam and Eves

Centaurs and a Bicaudal Sirène (double tailed mermaid - sometimes also called a Melusine, though accurately Melusine was a specific character) .... nothing to do with the narrative story of Christianity, but a lot to do with raw sexuality .... which the church went (goes?) to great lengths to control ....

Link to more Mermaids

The capitals on the right are in the church of

SS Peter & Paul, Rock, Worcestershire

and the stylistic similarity is striking ....