Abbeys and churches
15 kilometres south of Royan, Talmont sits on a rocky peak overlooking the Gironde estuary ; it still has its original layout as a "bastide", built in 1284 by Edward I Duke of Aquitaine. Towering above the village, the magnificent church of Sainte Radegonde, symbol of the Poitou-Charentes region, is still protected by ramparts. In the village, whitewashed houses and blue shutters peep out behind hollyhocks
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Looking onto the Monts du Morvan, Sainte Madeleine Basilica stands at the top of a steep hill and watches majestically over the winegrowers’ houses and Renaissance dwellings. This masterpiece of Romanesque art was restored by architect Viollet-le-Duc in the 19C and has made Vézelay a Mecca for pilgrimages and a starting point on the way to Santiago de Compostela.
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Sainte-Eulalie is on the right bank of the River Lot and the village is laid out in a succession of arcs around the church square, a church which is a masterpiece of Romanesque and gothic art. In the narrow streets paved with stones from the Lot, the houses date from the 15C to 18C and are lovingly bedecked with flowers by their inhabitants. The mills along the River Serre are a particular feature of the village and bear witness to the former crafts of tanning and drapery which used to use the water for power.
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On the slopes of a canyon cut by the gorges of the Tarn, Sainte-Enimie sets out its massive limestone houses in tiers at the foot of an old Benedictine monastery, all that remains of which is a chapel and a chapter house. At its feet is Burle spring which is said to have cured the Merovingian princess Enimie of leprosy.
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In the Aveyron département but on the banks of the Lot, Saint-Côme-d’Olt was built behind the ditches of the old fortified town. The flamboyant gothic style church with its crooked spire, the Penitents’ Chapel and the Manor of the Sires of Calmont dating from the 12C stand alongside the old medieval stalls and the fine 15C and 16C houses to make a delightful combination.
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15 kilometres southwest of Alençon, Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei lies nestled in a loop of the River Sarthe that is spanned by a small stone bridge. Its old houses are clustered around the 11C Romanesque church that boasts outstanding frescoes. On the other side of the river, opposite a delightful 15C chapel, a miracle spring, which arose following a prayer made by Saint Céneri, is said to have the power to cure certain eye diseases.
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The walls of Larressingle rise up amid the vineyards in Armagnac country, just a short distance from Condom. The ochre and grey stone houses still with their mullioned windows and arched doorways are clustered around the castle keep and its twin-nave church. This is an ideal spot to appreciate not only the charm but also the food of the Gers.
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A small village that is labelled a Grand Site de France. In the heart of the Lot Valley, this key stopping place on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela conceals a wealth of treasures : half-timbered houses, the 11C and 12C abbey church of Sainte Foy, its 250 capitals, its contemporary stained-glass windows by Pierre Soulages and its tympanum with 124 sculpted figures depicting the Last Judgement, but also THE treasure, that of Sainte Foy, a golden statue covered in gold and precious stones.
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On the banks of the Dordogne, Renaissance houses with sculpted windows and brown roofs are clustered around an 11C Cluniac priory where French writer and prelate Fénelon once lived. Near the Romanesque church and its cloister, the Château des Doyens invites you to discover the treasures of this Pays d’Art et d’Histoire-labelled region to which Carennac belongs.
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From about twenty kilometers from Romans-sur-Isère, in the heart of an undulating landscape, the abbey of Saint-Antoine watches over the village. Close to the imposing monument, considered as one of the most beautiful gothic heritage of the region, this medieval site shows different faces : the modest half-timbered houses of the suburb, the shopping quarter with its covered market, the small alleys leading to the top of the village and the rich residences with its mullioned windows...
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