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Paradoxplace France Photo & History Pages Links to French Cathedral and Abbey Photo Pages in Paradoxplace
Basilique St-Julien, Brioude
Link to Maps of the Pilgrimage Roads of France
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Brioude's Basilique St-Julien is the largest Romanesque church in the Auvergne. It was built in the 10 - 1100s to house the tomb of Roman soldier martyr St-Julien and the large number of pilgrims this attracted, with the nave roof vaulting added a century or so later. It's a wonderful space from every perspective - perhaps made more so by its bleak featureless external town surroundings. |
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Basilique St-Julien nave, looking east
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La Chapelle St-Michel
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Keystone to the arch under La Chapelle St-Michel |
Link to French Medieval Pilgrims' Roads
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Our original reason for going to the Basilique St-Julien was to see the frescoed Chapelle St-Michel, having had our appetite whetted by the detail pictured above.
Alas the chapel is on the southern part of a large and high Spanish style gallery at the west end of the church, and the door to the stairs was locked with a notice that the chapel was "actuellment fermee aux visites" - though more optimistically it went on to say that actuellment la cle could be obtained from the office of tourism.
Sadly, being a Sunday afternoon (the time one would most expect visitors), the office of tourism - along with what little else was around the church - was very definitely not open for business. Here are some glimpses of what might have been, seen from the south aisle looking up westwards into the chapel ...
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Some Capitals
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Awestruck soldiers - "Look what we've found"
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Four Sirens, Two Capitals
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And, of course, there are the painted columns ......
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St-Julien tomb relic
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And outside, a merman ......
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Links to other pages in Paradoxplace
All original material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-08 - The contents may not be hotlinked, or reproduced without permission.
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