Our next stop, March 25th-26
th,
was St. Bertrand des Comminges and its cathedral. The cathedral is of
interest largely for its age, founded in the 11
th century,
the usual ramshackle Romanesque-then Gothic affair. But old, with
recycling of earlier Medieval pieces and also some Roman. The organ
is one of the best such in France, renovated to 17
th
century standards, and we enjoyed a rehearsal as we toured. The choir
carvings are not in a class with, e.g., Auch, but they are still
nice, especially for being locally done. The choir and rood screen
carvings were not completed until 1535, and, understandably, they
were not taken down as ordered by the Council of Trent. It is truly
an out-of-the-way place, a cathedral in a village of 250.
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Cathedral on a hill, above the Gallo-Roman town of
Lugdunum Convenarum (more later) |
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Recycled 11th-12th century puppy dog outside one of
Comminges' portals; we've seen this style before...secular
Norman, near Hereford, England |
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And this guy too, other side of the structure |
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Some beautiful restoration in the village |
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Interesting: flying buttresses on the
Romanesque part of the cathedral... |
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Integral on the Gothic |
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Tympanum: adoration of the Magi |
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Recycled from the Roman town below |
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Ditto |
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And more in the little cloister; it all started
out as an abbey |
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Cloister |
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