It's Boot Sale season, so yesterday we went to one in a village not far from our baker; killing two birds with one stone.
The village is called Goujounac (46), and possesses yet another beautiful medieval church; one where I had yet to visit the interior.
The front doorstep appears to be a re-cycled sarcophagus cover; I can't imagine it was intended to be used as a stepping stone.
This ancient cupboard door, by the altar, probably hides all the priest's magic potions; I didn't like to look inside. I think it says a lot about the church's interior; it looks as if it ought to be outside..
There are interesting things everywhere, amongst which was this floor flagstone half way up the aisle. Too little left of the inscription to know what it originally said.
Outdoors again, and another piece of medieval carving; beautiful.
The Boot Sale was rubbish. Luckily the church wasn't. The amazing thing is that almost every village has a fantastic medieval church.... sometime I'll show you some of the others.
Beautiful. I'd love to see more. Too bad the boot sale was rubbish, but you saved money, you didn't acquire more stuff, and you got to see this lovely building. Win win!
ReplyDeleteAmazing old buildings, it makes me wonder how they built them in the days before our modern construction machines.
ReplyDeleteIt is so beautiful, makes me want to go and take some photos of the churches not far from here in Ein-carem (may be they are in Google street view).
ReplyDeleteWe have a 12th c. church not far from us - amazing that they have survived the ravages of time.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful....and there are so many becoming abandoned now...such a shame.
ReplyDeleteRomanesque and no frills. Heavy and solid, matronly. No messing.
ReplyDeleteBuilt to last; and they did.
DeleteThe Church in our town is 15th century { although, it is mentioned in the Doomsday book } and has either a sarcophagus cover or a tombstone as the step into the church. Maybe it was standard practice to re-cycle old stuff even then Cro ?!!!!! XXXX
ReplyDeletePerhaps it (they) marked the graves of some church big-wig; a saint, bishop, or whatever. Re-cycling is always good.
DeleteBeautiful church and I'd like the ancient cupboard door please. It will go well with all the other ancient material we'll be using to build our new home.
ReplyDeleteI had my eye on it too!
DeleteBeautiful church Cro. We have just spent a few days wandering around the very large churches in Suffolk (many of them so called Herring churches). Blythborough was particularly beautiful. Sadly I had forgotten my camera - I purposely didn't take many photographs this year and now there are some omissions I regret.
ReplyDeleteI know about the Wool Churches, but not heard of Herring Churches. I shall investigate.
DeleteThe small cupboard in the sanctuary was where the Holy Eucharist was commonly kept in medieval churches before the Reformation. After the Council of Trent (1545-63) standard practice in the Catholic Church was to keep it in a tabernacle on the altar. This is likely to have been the case in Goujunac, but in post-Reformation England such churches 'changed hands' and popish practices eliminated making the 'small cupboard' redundant for different reasons.
ReplyDeleteThere was a very beautiful ancient carved and painted tabernacle behind the altar, but my photo was rubbish.
DeleteGeez, back then you could only find a few teepees hereabouts. Wonder why?
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your photos of the church. I never thought I'd see the day when I became a church crawler and certainly never the one when I'd happily admit it. I enjoyed the recycling of gravestones. Our local parish church has incorporated them into the pavement running along side it.
ReplyDeleteArilx
It's the history, the architecture, and the décor that interest me; otherwise I'm a committed atheist.
DeleteMe neither- it's the history etc that interests me.
DeleteCovet that door though it wouldn't be the thing for a '30s semi in a Devon seaside town!
ReplyDeleteOh yes please do show more churches. French, medieval - the older the better!
ReplyDelete