ABBEY SAINTE-FOY

The abbey church of Sainte-Foy is the jewel in the crown of the magnificent village of Conques, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site as part of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in France. This monastic village is indeed organized around its church, a masterpiece of Romanesque art whose construction was spread out from the 11th to the 14th century. The village, which has less than 300 permanent inhabitants, is crossed by several hundred thousand walkers each year, on pilgrimage on the way to Compostela. Conques and its abbey church are, for many of them, an obligatory stop. Because of its vocation to welcome pilgrims and because of the presence of the relic of Saint Foy, the abbey church is also considered as a pilgrimage church.

The history of this superb building, which dominates with its majesty the gorges of the river Dourdou, cannot be told without the sacred legend of Saint Foy. It is said that the remains of this child martyr, murdered for her faith at the age of 13 at the beginning of the 4th century, were stolen from the church where she was buried, in Agen, by a monk from Conques in 886. He transported the sacred remains to Conques and installed them in his abbey. For some, there was never any question of a thieving monk, and the bones of Saint Foy were simply sheltered in the abbey of Conques during the Norman invasions of the 9th century. Whatever the reason for its presence in Conques, the relic of Saint Foy brought a great influx of pilgrims, attracted by the supposed multiplication of miracles, and led to a great prosperity. This allowed the construction of the new abbey of Conques to begin in the middle of the 11th century. Great abbot-builders succeeded each other at Sainte-Foy, who continued the construction of the building and made many improvements. At the beginning of the 13th century, the monastic community of Conques went into decline and the abbey was threatened. It lost its influence during the following centuries, was damaged during the Wars of Religion and was abandoned after the Revolution. It is to Prosper Mérimée, who imposed its rehabilitation in 1837, that Sainte-Foy Abbey owes its salvation.

During your visit, you will notice that the porch is framed by two square towers and that it has a beautifully worked tympanum. On the opposite side is the chevet, with its pyramidal style elevation. From this point, the building is slightly overlooked, which makes it possible to compare the different roofs. Inside, the intertwining of pure lines, the height and the austerity are surprising. As you stroll through the abbey, pay particular attention to the following elements:

The tympanum. Installed on the western portal, it is considered one of the most beautiful illustrations of Roman sculpture from the first half of the 12th century. On 24 blocks of limestone, spread over 29 panels, 124 characters were sculpted to compose the Last Judgment. Placed at a height of 3.50 m, 6.70 m wide and 3.60 m high, it is in a remarkable state of preservation. On the occasion of the Nocturnes de Conques, an annual cultural event, the tympanum is magnificently illuminated, its illuminated characters seem to come to life and reveal some additional secrets.

The nave. Able to welcome hundreds of faithful thanks to its important dimensions, it was built according to a classical cross plan. Very high, it marks the visitor by its verticality.

The reliquary statue. It is the must of the abbey church Sainte-Foy and the reason why pilgrims come to Conques since the 9th century. Exhibited in the choir of the abbey and displayed in a rotunda, the Majesty of Saint Foy is the masterpiece of the Conques treasure. This masterpiece of goldsmithery, dating from the 9th and 10th centuries, is in the form of an 85 cm statuette, roughly carved from yew wood and covered with gold, silver and precious stones. It is this work that houses the most noble part of St. Foy's remains, the top of her skull. In front of it, a crowd of pilgrims who have come to venerate her are always present.

The stained glass windows. The church has regained some of its original, sober light, thanks to the astonishing stained glass windows of Pierre Soulages. This contemporary artist, who was struck in his youth by the vision of the abbey church, composed stained glass windows of modern inspiration, made of a particular frosted glass. To fully appreciate this exceptional monument, it is necessary to take your time. Pierre Soulages' stained glass windows give different tints and singular atmospheres as the day goes by. By filtering the light through the seasons, the building changes its appearance continuously. It is very difficult in a simple visit to perceive all the nuances. This aspect alone deserves a prolonged stay to really appreciate the architecture of the abbey and the work of Soulages.

Sainte-Foy Abbey can be visited on its own (it is possible to rent digital tablets for a tour enriched with visuals and explanations), but to perceive all its treasures, there is nothing better than to take part in a guided tour. You will learn more about the tympanum, the relic and the stained glass windows of Pierre Soulages and, depending on the visit, you will be able to access the tribunes of the abbey church, upstairs.