Sainte-Foy Abbey of Conques

Conques is a place at its finest, born from the depths of European history and left to us almost intact by our ancestors. Formed entirely of half-timbered houses, the town is photogenic grouped around the abbey church in its centre.
In its main structures, the abbey was built in the 12th century. Before that there was only a hermitage, which was founded in the 4th century. By 1840 the abbey had almost disappeared as its destruction was systematically pursued during the French Revolution. PROSPER MÉRIMÈE, writer and archaeologist, on the other hand, intervened so early that he was able to save the church, but not the Way of the Cross, since it had already been completely dismantled.

The tympanum above the portal of the abbey church is the absolute highlight of the abbey. It is a large semi-circular band carved in stone, on which the Last Judgment is explained in pictures. On the one hand you see paradise with huge platters of meat and barrels of wine, on the other hell with agony and chaos.

Once again we have reached a milestone on the "Via Podiensis", our pilgrimage route to St. James (Chemin de Saint Jacques) through France; and here in Conques, too, our small group of pilgrims is impressed by the extremely impressive atmosphere of the place. But we still have to move on the next morning... first on the 'Via Podiensis' to Saint-Jean Pied-de-Port at the foot of the Pyrenees, and after crossing it through northern Spain to the Galician 'Santiago de Compostela' with the tomb of the apostle James the Greater.

Conques is one of the "plus beaux village de France", the most beautiful villages in France. The ancient village with its many ancient ruins around the impressive abbey of Sainte-Foy (d. Holy Fides) gives a charming impression of bygone times. Built in the middle of the 11th century, Conques flourished, the cathedral was an important stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella. Pilgrims are invited to join the monks in the choir of the church. You can also stay in the abbey.