Taking a Hike part 2

My next stop was the Palace of Poitiers.  A place that has been rumored to be the place that Joan of Arc did her second trial.  I’ve always seen the back of it but could never find the front door to go in.

Then I asked a few people in Frenglish how to get inside.  I was told that you couldn’t get inside the Palace any more.  That it was sealed off.  So for now all I have is some pretty pictures of the back side.

There is a walk way you can go up.  There isn’t much here but a sewer grate but it is the closet you can get to the Palace.

 

A sign by the back of the place reads:

 THE PALACE

During the 11th century the counts of Poitou, dukes of Aquitaine, built the palace where they were subsequently to reside.
Artist, builders, sculptors and troubadours flocked to Poitiers which soon became a highly prosperous city.

As a result of the Treaty of Bretigny, the city became English in 1360, but Du Guesclin recaptured it in 1372.  Jean de Berry then took possession of Poitou in the name of his brother Charles V, King of France, and undertook more building work in the palace.

After the Revolution the building became the law courts, thus echoing Merovingian times when justice was also dispensed here.

 So then I decided to make the journey to Montierneuf.  On the web it shows this great building with unique architectural details.  I’m all for that!  On my way I saw this popping up out of the skyline.  Being adventurous I headed that way instead.  It was the Cathedral of St. Peter again!  I swear you can see this church from anywhere in Poitiers!

 This may be the furthest place I’ve traveled to on foot.  My directions told me I had to pass by the University of Poitiers.  Being the American that I am, I started to keep a look out for some massive building.  This is what the University of Poitiers looks like.  So small compared to our universities.  They must have the same feeling when they see our banks and churches though.

I also saw this sign and snapped a photo.  Anytime I see something advertised that looks like home I feel the odd need to snap a photo.  Just reminds me that France and America aren’t really that far apart.  We are still on the same Earth at least.

A little further up the road I ran into what my aunt Joy would call a Happen-a-pon.  It mean I found a place that I wasn’t really looking for.  This is the Saint Germain.

The sign read:

SAINT GERMAIN

Built on an ancient Gallo-Roman site, Saint Germain is a typical small parochial church.  The original settlement here included public baths, fed by an aqueduct, and an exercise area for the public.  The 1st-century baths were destroyed in Merovingian times and replaced by a necropolis.  The church itself is a mixture of architectural styles, from Romanesque to Flamboyant Gothic.  Deconsecrated at the time of the Revolution, it was bought by the City and subsequently restored.  Today it is an auditorium for the region’s national conservatoire.

I found these stones on the side of the building.  They look kind of like grave markers.  There is something written on them but I couldn’t make out what it was.  Then I started to poke around a little.  Tried a few doors but couldn’t get them to open.  Then I saw to guys from across the street, out of a building that they later told me was a music school, come over and open one of the doors.  I asked in Frenlish again if I could come in with them.  I held up my camera and they just laughed and waved me in.  This is the only picture I got.  I wish I could have seen more of the original building but it was still and exciting Happen-a-pon.

Then I headed back out towards the Montierneuf.  After another surprisingly short walk I saw the entrance. 

Another sign greeted me saying:

MONTIERNEUF FAÇADE
The church of Saint-Jean-de-Montierneuf is characterized by the majestic soaring heights of its Flamboyant Gothic apse.  Shouldered by flying buttresses, it rests on the lower section of a late 11th-century apse. 

The interior is laid out on a simple plan of eight bays flanked by aisles, leading up to the transepts.  Both the church and its abbey were built by William VIII, Court of Poitou, in expiation of his sins.  A man of action, he is best known for his victory over the Saracens at Barbastro, in Spain, in 1063.

The whole place was under construction.  Besides layers of bricks this was the only thing you got to see in the front.  It hung over the door.

The stained glass here were all unique.  Instead of displaying different biblical scenes most of them were simple patterns in different colors.

 

 

 The statues here where pretty interesting.  For one thing it felt like going to a marble zoo.  There were birds, dogs with fish tails, and even elephants.  I’m not even sure what that last animal was supposed to be!

Here is a lesson from Sesame Street.  Which one of these is not like the others?  Which one of these doesn’t belong?

How about the odd fellow with the top hat!?  He looked so out of place.  (on the far left)

This place also had a painted ceiling, another thing I’m starting to really get into about the churches in France.  All this paint makes you just feel alive.  One sad thing is that when you take pictures of these painted walls/ceilings you can’t use the flash on your camera.  It eats away at the paint.  So it’s hard to show what you really see.  Thank goodness for photo editing devices on the computer.  It’s not always 100 percent real to life but its close enough. 

There was this odd looking thing in the center of the church.  I couldn’t tell you what it was.  But I took pictures of the front and back of it.  At first I thought it was the tomb but I found one on the other side of the room.  Maybe my smarty pants little historian back home can share her insight on it.  It resembles what I think the Arc of the convenient might look like.

I headed outside and caught a few gargoyles but they were very low quality.  Then I took the money shots.  The back of this church is just spectacular!  After this I went home and strait to bed.  I was very sick the next few days.  I may have over done it there a bit, but after looking at these pictures… yea I’d do it again!

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