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.
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| West facade |
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| Up closer |
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| View of port bow; pretty Romanesque, no? |
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| Up closer...scores of corbels |
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| South door |
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| Hardware |
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| Outside, Vicki noted the more recent paving left two grave sites recognizable |
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| Nave view; note the colors of the different stones... |
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| Some of the pillars and columns still showing paint |
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Thus; St. Julian's apparently didn't get the memo from St.
Denis about pointy architecture |
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| Large mosaic floor throughout |
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| Much of the stone volcanic |
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| Vierge a L'Oiseau, 14th century |
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| Near the altar, floor of the earlier Carolingian church |
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| Pantokrator presiding over the altar |
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| Crossing, as it were |
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| Elevation |
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| Port aisle |
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| Stairway leading to the narthex and the chapel of St. Michel |
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| Vicki edging up the thousand year old stairs |
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| In the chapel, unbelievable frescoes |
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| Going to Hell, in the Judgement scene |
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| Great Pantokrator |
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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 |
