France: Center, South-West, and South (April 2022) -- Part 2/2

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Rochechouart (Haute-Vienne department):

The castle of Rochechouart (13th and 15th centuries) is built on an outcrop above the Graine river. It contains remarkable examples of Renaissance frescoes (16th century).

- Northeastern facade of the castle. The darker section on the right of the photo (fortified entrance with a drawbridge and keep) dates from the 13th century; the larger section on the left was built in the 15th century.

- Twisted stone pillars around the castle's courtyard.

- Colorful frescoes (16th century) depicting a day spent hunting deer in the castle grounds, accompanied by a banquet.

- Frescoes in the so-called Hercules' gallery. The grisaille techniques used in this gallery were an innovation of the early 16th-century art. There are very few other examples of this style of frescoes in France.

Twisted (octahedral and helicoidal) bell tower of the Saint Sauveur church (11th-13th centuries) in the village of Rochechouart.

Argentat-sur-Dordogne (Correze department):

This picturesque small town was an important commercial river port in the 17th-19th centuries. Flat bottom boats, called gabares, transported oak wood from the local forest to Bordeaux to make barrels.

Old houses overlooking the Dordogne.

Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne (Correze department):

Saint Pierre abbey church built between 1095 and the mid-1100s.

- Southern portal.

- Return and triumph of Christ depicted in the portal tympanum. The tympanum is 5.8m wide at its base and 4.1m high at its center.

- Sculptures depicting the temptations of Christ, on the right side of the portal.

- Inside the church: Retable of the Virgin (left) and 12th-century statue of Virgin and Child (right).

Bretenoux (Lot department):

Old houses and arcades oround the Place (square) des Consuls.

Saint-Cere (Lot department):

Old timbered houses on the Place (square) du Marcadial.

Belcastel (Aveyron department):

This medieval village is built on a steep slope on the north (right) bank of the Aveyron river and is dominated by a fortified castle. Many of the (restored) buildings date from the 15th century and are connected by narrow clobbered alleys and stairways.

View from the entrance of the village.

Houses and castle.

Old cross with two sculpted faces standing near the castle.

Bridge over the Aveyron connecting the village to a church on the left bank of the river.

Rodez (Aveyron department):

Cathedral Notre-Dame de Rodez. Its construction started in the late 13th century to replace a previous church that had collapsed. Due to the Black Death and the Hundred Years War in the 14th and 15th centuries, the construction was only completed in the early 16th century.

- Views of the cathedral's Flamboyant Gothic tower (87 meters high).

- A few of the cathedral's gargoyles.

- Interior of the cathedral.

- Choir and apse.

- Rood screen in the south transept.

- Tombs of bishops covered with gisants (recumbent effigies of the deceased) in various side chapels of the cathedral.

- Sarcophagus said to be of Saint Naamas (5th century).

- Sarcophagus said to be of Saint Dalmas (6th century), also called sarcophagus of the apostles.

Millau Viaduct (Aveyron department):

Sauve (Gard department):

Sauve is a small town that stretches along the right bank of the Vidourle river, south of the Cevennes massif. Most of the houses date from the 14th to the 18th centuries.

In the narrow streets of Sauve.

Pont du Gard (Gard department):

The Pont du Gard is a Roman aqueduct built around 40-60 CE across the Gardon river. It is 48.9 meters high and its upper part is 275 meters long.

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (Bouches du Rhones department):

The church of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer was originally built in the 9th century. Three saints (Marie Jacobe, Marie Salome, and Sarah) are venerated here. Because Saint Sarah is the patron saint of the Romani people, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is the destination of a major annual Roma pilgrimage.

Left: Marie Jacobe and Marie Salome represented in the boat that, according to the legend, brought them here from Palestine. They are surrounded by ex-votos. Right: Statue of Sarah in the church's crypt.

Abbey of Senanque (Vaucluse department):

The abbey was founded in 1148 by Cistercian monks. It is built in limestone in sober Romanesque style, without decoration or sophisticated stained-glass windows. Its setting in a narrow valley among lavender fields is particularly peaceful. The abbey had been very recently restored, mainly to prevent the collapse of its church. In the process, the exterior surfaces had been cleaned and had recovered their original whiteness.

Seguret (Vaucluse department):

This medieval village stands on a hill slope north of the Dentelles of Montmirail, near the Gigondas vineyards.

View over the village of Sablet from Seguret.

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