We were attracted next to the small town of Brioude, still in Auvergne, by the prospect of seeing a large Romanesque basilica and also by the promise of another free
aire de camping-cars. The
aire was great; it even had an elevator to the upper town. But the church was another knock-out: 11th-13th century, beautiful stone, great colors, Romanesque throughout, frescoes and mosaic, pantokrators, a narthex for the Santiago pilgrims, and more corbels and capitals than even I could take in. There really aren't very many Romanesque churches of any size to look at. I'll have to do a long post on St. Julian's Basilica. And then one on its corbels and capitals.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6C4LZSeeOcP6W7w_FBp1RwZIQVoTNpC90b63lVNwXa6ZjAO8seVWZnooiqpdBNin9KpuHhyphenhyphenGV58SAE8I0AZjXY40NfJbp6QmaOxno5UvpHEwtoRA_TzZg6zE4cmFM4d3iNBMtoodRxA/s400/P1350758.jpg) |
West facade |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwTeA1b_m6jK3TRWim_YSL4WTyZYE8Xh0YD67lezYXe39GiW4aqYKennRceIF6IqWh9FbSp_tdJG0BEirSI_G44dtCzI2FnBD8Z2yZy9QJ5H4X_HFN7W80_grXNZhrnotlB-CrUiOyKg/s400/P1350753.jpg) |
Up closer |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqS4akGR3X65jx5Kv6Xga2SDpF_Bw6_hJGmBLniZM5_I0AYIRVtANBe0ei9LDgnQk0fYOP8UWtMiko7ghFPrK3y0UIJ7SUdbH5XvzPNJjjTucPH1VWBhBFdd2R912GIBWL-NEF-Ld-_9s/s400/P1350837.jpg) |
View of port bow; pretty Romanesque, no? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_oMrnLufLDcUPeb4SjuuCDHl4hmZjMyOTWIpYEvSCfkwFz2uDu-CSjgbIKE9-dDVGicNmYSK15FwjhvrXNxNRevUdhHClTVU5FMW8u3_LO1OgUi_PMGPjfr1Coqbx2mouaNKlLB3nVc/s400/P1350840.jpg) |
Up closer...scores of corbels |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmvHroQ9H9OCYmzumRhjhjPTwhNaVxDNFgv7eq1KzozER1rseLuGFMVvJpM9eMszcujPKgA1EHnIapZ8DYd6996zSsfvH8wIvgVI79g7RfqzeAHi7JZZosdvQ-Vq0q8uEWl4XU5sIOoE/s400/P1350888.jpg) |
South door |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXF-DkSy3CxAkVCyjZlEt6H2d-fMJq95c3zdT_y8fc6HxZbjgJUS63e1X63mXwgzeZgmKbjHB2A3mniG4l5RLX9WWaNOGEvWX9F__CySsIIf_S61m19rSvsoqNr1na3BPwywT__XrRUBo/s400/P1350886.jpg) |
Hardware |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oO4yzt6tIHB5jCjjxZ0J6WnhIp5OTsHJ4vXCaJHjyHgMCC8qVZ1Gisnji-Wn9PyF9GEbSKEgpIR3t41DDHoCUoHLY2XOAfHN0OqXs6evkZNj02P-Btx-OeqGomDzIHW-dMSX_iMaetM/s400/P1350793.jpg) |
Outside, Vicki noted the more recent paving left two grave sites recognizable |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ18yIql_cIDFhq2OLMCA5zCchImb36frF9Yw-OJpdgk8TH1jXRCbIaAcYOw_iYns1sZR4xOHuUfaJMMUSIqp_Dys8UZ7ES0xc6r2jcf9ZZLFyIA7-ASr_BoaONOwteIX9mzcCz9MxIm0/s400/P1350647.jpg) |
Nave view; note the colors of the different stones... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqi7qjXLhSwaP9nBoLz5h-g4txWkworAOx7Zd6rUxt2pZuCxAbUQE24ksc780Ht-a_4B3kIj7xzrCDmRzphpbQ8UXq8YbDDzzfcDvvmbEqAq7mr1v0TNeuU46n_4Wv5IYXxvQSTtMb8E/s400/P1350650.jpg) |
Some of the pillars and columns still showing paint |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqSpr8W63RTT4UfwYRSXS0F6kujkp6ipGM-sPv5gMkZmN-rC6rZTiVmY9-MJQBChoTHZtovCprDQiJLRHWRcMAbfI9OK37wqZ3rawSgn-ovzZit7KlDlf1Lh-VNx3b6K3MiYPnEP0Gnw/s400/P1350654.jpg) |
Thus; St. Julian's apparently didn't get the memo from St.
Denis about pointy architecture |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglITdmrIOhRWFvljgUQfc1_HlngqwrnhBO5UhCzfZ__i4gpzQsH3bog_p43btJ3NNWijCjiQIXNu0_ZnguQdBDXUWtoj3DOAqGfmmDJhV10dNYrs0GCd-omqk0iqYtAb3-TzK8V88Nxzg/s400/P1350652.jpg) |
Large mosaic floor throughout |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5qQx-5mMIp4zRcKsFjFz1I982Lk0FmOlWzaNnVaasKNO8AN1ctZd9y2uqBRvh0haBa2SnP6nIf8klXLxhdjikXHKX4zMVCn3cJfp3eq5V77ZEhaSyNW3OYpVoTbIS_AO1S2FeLgSNQo/s400/P1350660.jpg) |
Much of the stone volcanic |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia53h4btHQ4GzAPpZ5QIHL-9FC6VxK_JhXCqfsVw471vibp7K76yA0ItW56Sh0EH97jE9Vrdnu-76sWKQcfmWuGA8DqvM_rKecOGVOhNrOpByhHc0lrGqoIjJ-BmX9Jw6gymWOE5olLC8/s400/P1350668.jpg) |
Vierge a L'Oiseau, 14th century |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1AIvhzWg2GdsGGMfNTDwI9p7LvY8Fdofqt56RTPD4fvfB_qtnjAWBPPANsW_3lfw_y0b_b99hs1t2WviFOkWYrmVh4UDMepjpTEPfpocN9ygWJtxVeRj4J7CeCHg-0NOvh7H6CJnrc34/s400/P1350672.jpg) |
Near the altar, floor of the earlier Carolingian church |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFMuhSmWi_UD4A1fp4pVw-KYRd3X-uixWKJl3cbIY7H7ZjvKYJNbxLYfVo8KvxkhIl5NWEpeXbdkC_jTmYEVJSGYEAdtKMWIe6HTzlas5PEHp59STKQ71QUMVDCvDK89kjEKGU_UAViM/s400/P1350676.jpg) |
Pantokrator presiding over the altar |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vq_47jwSBdkmvY_DH3INlUp9jJ3BwNLrF7P4sc2yfOxjyuK_z1YqJ7EVASZ3-sLUbrXdWagu2OREYp1c8n4rLYFudsfLsqw8gsu1bslB9hKRhm9C6-dvXmZI33T_dU1lHvYC4LYe744/s400/P1350687.jpg) |
Crossing, as it were |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_H3fUCum7N-rEWZJKe17jWW7R1RPEcnlEttOBap3RNbcZCYlIohLJntUePi5TACyBZ7kYPFo0JEAzu4_cvNUf15TrJ6cE0PgRlxwuWl9asokNY3ahQq8tOHKArAOWF163fUTqQTBcHA/s400/P1350711.jpg) |
Elevation |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDt4hj79v6g8Gf0ZH8Bf_U8gUciXEc6CQgjLrW7xqNB0m1jeuCGm71cvRVWKeFTGkCfSsevlY9TLe9dN7IB3jHB_zGvj-LiP86oLSlYtGgMAwirN3DquyJH68g_LY83k6sPLJ8JWXIB8/s400/P1350713.jpg) |
Port aisle |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yHnEdOPltNRtJRjkgFxU3CZN4VEID_p9-BHeH-DOh7Pc73uR4Y0wcqhSFn5RbDya8udi7O7tpnjD8YnDTaUjGmkOqBHfHOqqURCsHiUL4WaCAkq26iSPCTdURQlBFAmAg_7to8vRuIQ/s400/P1350715.jpg) |
Stairway leading to the narthex and the chapel of St. Michel |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUOv1smUdKbtIugzc5BabA3HbjaFWivb1hdffQPPTH5YroZpSTdgB1TnamBzDHK9ym07VQ4yebLoeq4WVdEZLs0FNgeN846dHQW6udmIrx7Y1BcgE7N5HEXSzycmrGrgBMBzvGadlDMs/s400/P1350746.jpg) |
Vicki edging up the thousand year old stairs |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF1LERL2O5WJr1pPSzGYvNZMac0ZQMEXf2JYbty7zRm837Cvca4VxEzY8YTjIsqARe7mv6-UY9wHIASlZD3n8sCI_PzKqX1tXFNTjx8ZV1J3AKOm8vKE_3FgEzdizOLScZ10savJo048/s400/P1350716.jpg) |
In the chapel, unbelievable frescoes |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__SJzEAfixYXQmuNneRlt8BzZtSk-0PMl_vCFwKBb571e_21vcmFPDSUwesqNO6gyGFBkYbTqsswn2YGkac47BC93wPHCHmqDMGPecVEUrvugZkdKxI4a5Vnq1kT7rYX_xln792YDgyk/s400/P1350722.jpg) |
Going to Hell, in the Judgement scene |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICiDjCN6F2Cvr9ks4WfsTNgInEzJOL5pikJS5Jo-WA6Lp5j5JOU7cN1iz31940fOlkLohHO46FTX_gKUN26y094kAu21SXAVJN-am5FZg7va5NjFoCvMhldlngYzOZIamB2DLq8f4zTk/s400/P1350723.jpg) |
Great Pantokrator |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRArnZlo-m7vroB1FdFgC5pLYonAfo-TSHsSljBxiZJHJvJy_BKlpNAKlsDkH2gt-FzsUru61GjLYXfQ_Q2qagFgbghK6Afk__skLiwFI1yuJFIooUkNwkoaH7QmeXpSlTK1TviXE7jeI/s400/P1350742.jpg) |
Looking from the chapel to the spare parts room of the
gallery; what an experience! We spent both an afternoon
and the next morning admiring St. Julian's Basilica |