France romane: Souillac
After the wonders of Moissac, I drove back North 125 kilometers to the small town of Souillac, back in the département of Lot but still in the old province of Quercy (and in the modern region of Occitania). According to unconfirmed local stories, the abbey of Souillac was founded by Saint Éloi († 660) before it was taken over by the Benedictines from Aurillac in the 900s. From that period, only the Western tower-porch remains.
Less famous than Moissac, this abbey was, for me, at least as interesting, beginning with the church, which has not been altogether transformed in the Gothic style like in Moissac, but retains its beauty and genuineness from the 1100s, as I hope you will see through the photos I will upload.
Sculpture is also at least as amazing at that of Moissac, and even more so in some respects —and it is in much better condition, for reasons that we will explore together as I caption the relevant photos.
Listed as a Historic Landmark on the first list of 1840, the abbey is not on the path to Compostela and was never known for housing any particularly famous relics, which is why the church, dedicated to Saint Mary, has no ambulatory around the choir.
I was very nicely received in Souillac by the local authorities as the photos I took contributed to the documentation of the nationwide crowdfunding project that is in place to restore parts of the church, under the ægis of the Fondation du Patrimoine (Mission Bern), for which I work as a pro bono photographer: www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/abbatiale-sainte....
On the other side of the western portal, opposite to the magnificent sculpture of Prophet Isaiah, is a representation of another prophet, Hosea.
This was undoubtedly sculpted by the same hand as Isaiah, but seem somewhat unfinished compared to that outstanding achievement, and of course it was severely damaged.
France romane: Souillac
After the wonders of Moissac, I drove back North 125 kilometers to the small town of Souillac, back in the département of Lot but still in the old province of Quercy (and in the modern region of Occitania). According to unconfirmed local stories, the abbey of Souillac was founded by Saint Éloi († 660) before it was taken over by the Benedictines from Aurillac in the 900s. From that period, only the Western tower-porch remains.
Less famous than Moissac, this abbey was, for me, at least as interesting, beginning with the church, which has not been altogether transformed in the Gothic style like in Moissac, but retains its beauty and genuineness from the 1100s, as I hope you will see through the photos I will upload.
Sculpture is also at least as amazing at that of Moissac, and even more so in some respects —and it is in much better condition, for reasons that we will explore together as I caption the relevant photos.
Listed as a Historic Landmark on the first list of 1840, the abbey is not on the path to Compostela and was never known for housing any particularly famous relics, which is why the church, dedicated to Saint Mary, has no ambulatory around the choir.
I was very nicely received in Souillac by the local authorities as the photos I took contributed to the documentation of the nationwide crowdfunding project that is in place to restore parts of the church, under the ægis of the Fondation du Patrimoine (Mission Bern), for which I work as a pro bono photographer: www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/abbatiale-sainte....
On the other side of the western portal, opposite to the magnificent sculpture of Prophet Isaiah, is a representation of another prophet, Hosea.
This was undoubtedly sculpted by the same hand as Isaiah, but seem somewhat unfinished compared to that outstanding achievement, and of course it was severely damaged.