It's T day already - after being away in London and visiting Kew we were home for two days before heading to our Static caravan/mobile home to spend some time with our grandchildren and my son. The weather brightened as they were leaving but we did manage to have some fun. We woke up to frost this morning and we are home now!
On the 3rd July on our way to Chateau d'Oiron we called in to see this church that our friends had described as run down and damp but worth a look!
The outside was impressive...previously an abbey, built in 1095..
..with lovely cloisters..
..and a huge door.
It was when we entered the church that our friends got a surprise, since their last visit several years ago the inside has been cleaned up and had ramps put in.
There is the one we walked down to get in.
This is the part I really found fascinating - the seats around the cross and lectern had carvings in them.
Okay...I'll stop......but there were so many more!!
Things to look out for!
We thought that these had been carved recently by referring to old photos.
This contains a saint's bones
You can see here how dirty it must have been, as this has been cleaned and the years of damp have taken their toll.
Even though it was a hot day we wanted to see the other side of the church...
..and the view from the back!
We usually have a smaller breakfast so by the time we are are shopping we are ready for a bite to eat! Hubby had cherry flavoured twist while I had my favourite - Almond croissant, although I do prefer the ones they do without sugar piled on top! I had a plain old Americano - Hubby had a fancy Latte!
I will be back soon with my TIOT post and then Kew Part 2 hopefully! ( think there may have to be a part 3 and 4 after that!)
Thanks for looking, Chris
Wow what an amazing church! I enjoyed the tour of all the photos-very unique place to visit.
ReplyDeleteMy Hubs would join you with the almond croissant-Happy T kathy
What a gorgeous church! And those carved seats...I can see why you took so many pictures. I love how each one is unique. Wood carvings are a favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteYour croissant looks delicious!
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
I'm blaming Lisca for being late visiting. She made me so hungry with her food, I took time to get something to eat. Of course, after I did that, I promptly fell asleep and just woke.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful and unusual church. I was very surprised at the carvings on the chairs. You know I would have loved to see all of them. It was a really unique look at a church tat may be on its way back to better days rather than heading for extinction.
Your "snack" looks great. I would love a croissant. For once it sounds better than T's cherry twist. And your Americano looks lovely, but I think I prefer T's Latte.
Thanks for sharing this incredible church, your croissant, and yours and T's drinks with us for T this Tuesday.
What a beautiful church, the light coming through the windows (plain and coloured ones) is fabulous. I'm not fond of croissants, so I'll share the cherry twist!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of the church, it really gleams with that expanse of white stone. And those lovely carvings! Your coffees both look good, and I like cherry twists and croissants, but my faves here are croissants filled with cheese and ham, yummy! Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteFrost already, brrr....
ReplyDeleteThat door is impressive! Well, as the rest, too! That is really craftwork, wonderful, thank you for showing all the details - and a happy T-Day.
Wow a wonderful church Chris! Amazing!
ReplyDeleteCroissants are always a pleasure ...yeah!
Happy T-Day!
It looks a really interesting old church and good that wok is being done to restore it. It must cost a lot of money for the work that needs to be done. The carvings looked fantastic.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you were enjoying your breakfast it looked yummy.
Happy T day wishes Chris
Yvonne xx
I do love a cloister! This church has lots of that monastic simplicity which is my favourite architectural mode. It's interesting that it's another one where they have both the beautiful Romanesque arches and then some with a gentle point heading towards the newer Gothic. Just shows how long it took to build a church, I suppose! It's fantastic that they are employing people with the skills and craftsmanship to do the place justice in the restoration.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've been a very busy bee lately - I hope you enjoyed Kew. Will you have as many photos as Helen, I wonder!?
Alison x
Wow, c'est magnifique! What an amazing place, I do love architecture so I would enjoy looking around with you 😀. So glad you had a lovely time at Kew, can't wait to hear more about it! Happy T Day wishes! Hugs, Jo x
ReplyDeleteWoww what an Amazing church Chris !! Loove the carved seats, I´m impressed by their beauty. Love and have enjoyed all the photographs, thanks so much for sharing them with us.
ReplyDeleteHappy T-day !! Your croissant looks so yummy.
I wish you a very nice day, and send big hugs,
Caty
"built in 1095" Wow! What a sight!
ReplyDeleteYour breakfast looks delicious to me, and though I don't ever eat breakfast I'd make an exception for such a treat :) Happy T Tuesday!
What a pleasant surprise to find the abbey had been restored, Chris. It looks like they've done an excellent job. I wonder how much it cost to restore such an old piece of history.
ReplyDeleteMay I have a bite of that delicious looking croissant?
Happy T-day! Eileen xx
Frost? Ugh. I don't think I've had that yet where I am in Connecticut US. Fantastic church architecture! Thank you for sharing your photos. Happy T-Day!
ReplyDeleteI love these old "ruins" although this is hardly a ruin. I love the old carvings and details. They are gorgeous and I would get carried away too. And your pastry looks like a work of art also. Does it taste as good as it looks. Hope it was a great T day Chris. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful surprise that the church had been restored. It is a beautiful and very old church. What a treasure! They even had new pillars crafted. Very nice. I love the cloisters and I also love it when they give information about artifacts with before-and-after photos. All in all a great experience.
ReplyDeleteYour coffee and pastries look delicious.
Happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca
What a beautiful church and interesting carvings. I really like what you called the Cloisters. Great looking coffees and croissants. Sorry I am so late. Have a great week-end!
ReplyDelete