Saint-Savin and Chauvigny

This morning we went on a short road trip to the east of Poitiers.



The first stop was Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, whose abbey church is a World Heritage Site. It is very nice on the outside, but the reason it is a World Heritage Site is all inside - the ceiling is covered in early medieval murals.


So imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the entire church is closed for renovations! I knew some renovation work was going on, but when my web friend Adrian Fletcher visited last year, some of it was still accessible. Perhaps the worst part is that, as the sign above explains, all they are doing now is taking the scaffolding down! And it will fully reopen, beautifully restored, in less than two weeks! Such a bummer.

So that stop didn't take long. Our second and final stop of the day was the village of Chauvigny, which has ruins of a castle as well as a Romanesque church in its hilltop "Cité Médiévale."



There's a nice viewpoint of the whole ensemble from a road to the east.


The church, closer up.



Interior views. This funhouse-like paint job was done in 1856 and almost certainly does not reflect how it was painted in medieval times. But it definitely would have been painted.

The choir area has some of the most interesting capitals we've seen yet, with the red-and-white paint making it all the more unusual looking. There are lots of monsters devouring humans (generally thought to warn against letting your animal/evil nature getting the best of you), plus a couple biblical stories.






Adoration of the Magi, with signature of the sculptor: "Gofridus Made Me."

We had an outdoor lunch in a shady square in Chauvigny, at the "Creperie Medievale." The waitresses even dressed up as medieval peasants, but it wasn't actually a touristy-feeling place. All the other diners were French. I had another galette complet (wheaty crepe with ham, cheese, and egg) but it wasn't nearly as good as the one in Conques.


But David got a simple omelette that he said was one of the best meals he's had in France. It's certainly not much to look at it, but I agree it was mighty delicious.


Kitty who wandered around the restaurant tables, stopping for occasional naps.

Tomorrow morning we move on to Tours.