Saintonge romane
If you are not French, it’s likely you haven’t ever heard the word “Saintonge”, and have no clue what it means. If you are French, it’s probably the same thing. Unless, that is, you are a fan of Romanesque, in which case you know that Saintonge, that small region of France centered around the town of Saintes (hence the name), not far from the Atlantic Ocean, just North of Bordeaux... features the highest density of Romanesque churches of all the country!
I had never visited that area of France, and so in the middle of October 2021, I took that long overdue trip and stayed two weeks in Saintes, driving left and right daily to photograph all the most significant Romanesque churches... and unfortunately leaving out many others, as they are so thick on the ground!
We now truly begin our voyage through the Romanesque Saintonge, and with an absolute masterpiece: the Abbaye aux Dames in the town of Saintes, about a five minute walk from the apartment I had rented...
Founded in 1047, this Benedictine abbey for women numbered as many as 100 nuns and functioned around the Saint Mary church, built between 1050 and 1100.
It is widely regarded among specialists as an unsurpassed overall achievement in artistic quality, balance and purity. It is indeed a fitting point to begin our journey through the Saintonge romane...
God Himself is almost never represented in physical form. On this very famous motif, probably the most famous of all, sculpted just above the entrance into the church, you can see “The Hand of God” in a mandorla supported by two angels.
Saintonge romane
If you are not French, it’s likely you haven’t ever heard the word “Saintonge”, and have no clue what it means. If you are French, it’s probably the same thing. Unless, that is, you are a fan of Romanesque, in which case you know that Saintonge, that small region of France centered around the town of Saintes (hence the name), not far from the Atlantic Ocean, just North of Bordeaux... features the highest density of Romanesque churches of all the country!
I had never visited that area of France, and so in the middle of October 2021, I took that long overdue trip and stayed two weeks in Saintes, driving left and right daily to photograph all the most significant Romanesque churches... and unfortunately leaving out many others, as they are so thick on the ground!
We now truly begin our voyage through the Romanesque Saintonge, and with an absolute masterpiece: the Abbaye aux Dames in the town of Saintes, about a five minute walk from the apartment I had rented...
Founded in 1047, this Benedictine abbey for women numbered as many as 100 nuns and functioned around the Saint Mary church, built between 1050 and 1100.
It is widely regarded among specialists as an unsurpassed overall achievement in artistic quality, balance and purity. It is indeed a fitting point to begin our journey through the Saintonge romane...
God Himself is almost never represented in physical form. On this very famous motif, probably the most famous of all, sculpted just above the entrance into the church, you can see “The Hand of God” in a mandorla supported by two angels.