Cat 1
The village of La Romieu in Midi Pyrénées, France, is not only famous for its medieval architecture and the fact that it is on the route to Santiago de Compostella ; it is also known as the village of cats on account of a local story, about events which, allegedly, took place there in the 14th century and which certainly echoes the facts of a Europe which was plagued in general by bad weather, poor harvests and famine at that time.
Here is the story. A woodcutter by the name of Vincent, lived happily in La Romieu with his wife, Mariette. Their happiness was complete when their little daughter, Angéline was born. However, life took a turn for the worse. A tree toppled on Vincent and killed him and Mariette went into a decline and, only weeks later, died of a broken heart, the toddler still in her arms.
Luckily for Angéline, a kind neighbour took her in and brought her up as one of her own children and all was well for a time. Angéline was particularly fond of cats and usually had a couple playing around her.
Then misfortune struck again. In 1342 and for the three subsequent years, the winters were fiendishly cold and each followed by a wet Spring and summer. No crops could be sown and famine stalked the land. The villagers grew hungrier and hungrier, despite charity from the college canons and they eventually started to eat the local cats. Angéline's adoptive parents knew how this would upset her, so they allowed her to keep a pair of her cats secretly in the attic ; one male and one female.
Eventually the weather returned to its normal patterns and crops were sown and harvested. But now the rats moved in and started to devastate the land. Angéline by now had 20 kittens as well as the original two cats, so she offered to release them, on condition that they were not eaten. The villagers agreed, the rats disappeared and all was well once more.
Angéline spent the rest of her life in the village but was so involved with her cats that it is said that she grew pointed ears and , as she grew older, began to resemble a cat, herself.
And this is where the sculptures come in, for a visiting sculptor from Lorraine, one Maurice Serreau, heard the story in the early 20th century and offered to fill the village with stone cats and small sculpted cats like this one can be seen climbing houses and peeping through shutters all over the main square.
Cat 1
The village of La Romieu in Midi Pyrénées, France, is not only famous for its medieval architecture and the fact that it is on the route to Santiago de Compostella ; it is also known as the village of cats on account of a local story, about events which, allegedly, took place there in the 14th century and which certainly echoes the facts of a Europe which was plagued in general by bad weather, poor harvests and famine at that time.
Here is the story. A woodcutter by the name of Vincent, lived happily in La Romieu with his wife, Mariette. Their happiness was complete when their little daughter, Angéline was born. However, life took a turn for the worse. A tree toppled on Vincent and killed him and Mariette went into a decline and, only weeks later, died of a broken heart, the toddler still in her arms.
Luckily for Angéline, a kind neighbour took her in and brought her up as one of her own children and all was well for a time. Angéline was particularly fond of cats and usually had a couple playing around her.
Then misfortune struck again. In 1342 and for the three subsequent years, the winters were fiendishly cold and each followed by a wet Spring and summer. No crops could be sown and famine stalked the land. The villagers grew hungrier and hungrier, despite charity from the college canons and they eventually started to eat the local cats. Angéline's adoptive parents knew how this would upset her, so they allowed her to keep a pair of her cats secretly in the attic ; one male and one female.
Eventually the weather returned to its normal patterns and crops were sown and harvested. But now the rats moved in and started to devastate the land. Angéline by now had 20 kittens as well as the original two cats, so she offered to release them, on condition that they were not eaten. The villagers agreed, the rats disappeared and all was well once more.
Angéline spent the rest of her life in the village but was so involved with her cats that it is said that she grew pointed ears and , as she grew older, began to resemble a cat, herself.
And this is where the sculptures come in, for a visiting sculptor from Lorraine, one Maurice Serreau, heard the story in the early 20th century and offered to fill the village with stone cats and small sculpted cats like this one can be seen climbing houses and peeping through shutters all over the main square.