Jeux Et Chevalerie Et Animations Enfants At Fontaine-Henry

The Chateau parking area filled up while I was up photographing the funny farm, and we quickly noticed an unusual preponderance of kiddies lining up to visit the chateau, many en costume. It was Jeux et Chevalerie day, and fun for us as well as the kiddies. I'll post a few videos on YouTube in due course.

Thus

Of course there was a bake sale, which, in France, is not a small
deal; these puppies were humongous

Thus

But there were chevaliers, jugglers, games...

Dress-up and photography: "fromage!"

Ceremonies in front of the Chateau

Dubbing of knights by the Marquis himself (seriously)

Chivalry can be exciting, but mostly it's just sitting around and
awaiting the call

Fortunately, Mssr. Guillotine hadn't been invented yet and he was hidden away in
the chapel; can't have a proper chateau without a guillotine, right?

The Chateau Of Fontaine-Henry

The Chateau dates from a 12th century fortification, but the present building is mostly 15th-16th, with the usual continual changes, repairs, improvements, etc. It is famous for it exterior sculpture and the huge slate roof, one of the largest in France. It has been in the same line of families for some 800 years, never sold, confiscated, sacked (but was occupied by the Germans). Alas, no fotos were permitted inside the chateau.

First we visited the chapel; only a few hundred feet down the hill from the parish
chapel

Interior

More interior

No funny stuff going on here (allusion to TBL)

The Chateau

The very large, steep roof

Looking up at the tower; note carving all over

Inside now--the whole thing is a guided tour (en Francaise)(but the guide did
entertain our questions and answered in English); on the wall are coats of arms
of the 9 families that have held Fontaine-Henry, including the last, the
Oilliamsons (the French spelling spelling of the Scottish Williamson; acquired
during the grand alliance between France and Scotland (against you know who)

It was at this point I had to put my camera away

Back outside now, the building's main facade, Adam and Eve
peering out a window

Noah checking the meteo

Over the great entrance: we serve God and the King (in this case Louis XI)

Intricacies of the tower

Norman Funny Farm: Outside the Fontaine-Henry Parish Church

So I went outside into the old but not deconsecrated cemetery and began looking up to the church roof, and voila! another mother-lode of Norman funnies, including some of the weirdest yet...

Thus

And thus; and follows a selection...

Change of pace; Celtic?

Stern

Close friends

Wagging tongue

Hmmm...

Ever more

Another hmmm...

More wagging

The only comment in the church's scant description was this,
pretty much a scant description...I guess it's folly to hope to get
into the minds of those who conceived, ordered, designed, and
carved these critters 900 years ago; but don't worry, we're still in
Normandy, and there will be lots more!

Fontaine-Henry: The Parish Church

From Caen we drove on, seemingly churched-out, to the little village of Fontaine-Henry, between Caen and Bayeux, to see a noted Gothic/Renaissance chateau. The chateau didn't open until 2:30, and so, naturally, I wandered over to the very old-looking parish church nearby...

Consecrated in the 12th century, with an add-on that pretty much matched 

Everything Romanesque here, except the arch that divides the
original building from the add-on

Nicely carved, more in the choir

The add-on; still very Romanesque

The capitals were nicely sculpted, especially for this size church

Then things started getting silly

Thus

And thus

But then serious again over the side doors

Ditto

But then more weird stuff

Ditto; so I am wondering if these are some sort of 12th century speech balloons...