Our Lady Of Gargilesse: Capitals

The church at Gargilesse-Dampierre has some 120 sculptures on its capitals, plus some other interior features of interest. The building itself is clearly 12th century or so, with some of the arches apparently re-worked into a Gothic pointy look. Sculpture and tombs in urban churches were largely defaced or destroyed in the Wars of Religion and Revolution. In these rural churches, however, much remains intact.

East end

West; apparently never completed; or, a subsequent reno was
never completed

Interior, all limestone

Not everything on view...

Up close of the pantokrator in mandorla, over the
altar; something one doesn't see in Gothic churches
(very Byzantine)

And now, just the merest sampling of the many 

capitals

Among which are kings, prophets, other Biblical
scenes

And the usual Romanesque weird things, maybe even a Green
Man?

Flight?

The figure at the left...Mary, noticing she's pregnant with the
Messiah? 

The only burial monument in the church

Guillaume de Naillac, knight and seigneur of Gargilesse, took part
in the Crusades, died 7 November, 1266 (my French is improving)

Gargilesse-Dampierre

Our last beau village, July 3rd, was Gargilesse-Dampierre, and it was one of the best: setting, village age, beauty, and history, literary connections, and especially its parish church, which will take two posts to present. It had some of the best Romanesque capitals in this part of France (Berry), its crypt frescoes were truly stunning. But first, a bit of the town...

Winding our way up to Gargiless-Dampierre

Have to like a town that embeds flower pots in its ancient walls

The old chateau

The church, which was of greatest interest to us

Town scene

Solidarity with the people of Ukraine out here,
too--we've seen such signs all over France

Overview

Gargilesse is most famous for being the sometime residence of
George Sand (Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin), one of the 19th
century's most respected and prolific writers...now seemingly
unknown to English readers

An old dovecote in one of the towers

Yard sale just out of town

Drivin'

Carennac

And finally, for July 2nd, further on the way toward Limoges, le plus beau village de Carennac...

En route to Carennac, yet another chateau and bastide in the
valley

Entering Carennac

In the banana belt of France

We took this first to be a remnant of the old wall;
but it turned out to be one end of a very narrow
building

Thus; three floors, three entrances...narrowest we've seen

And, of course, the church, with a nice Christ in Majesty tympanum
from 1150 at the entrance

Helpful background information

Pretty thoroughly Romanesque, with all the Romanesque things
we have come to like, the sculptured capitals, the remnants of
centuries-old paint...

More of the rest of town

Fair-weather Turenne; we'd vowed to return, and got this close,
but the hour was late...and we'd already seen four beautiful
villages...and we were due in Limoges...maybe next time or next
life...