Monday, May 22
Oh no! Another final day on a camino, with all the bittersweet feelings this entails. Again, we find ourselves ready to be done, yet wishing we weren’t. We spent a good part of the day talking about coming back to finish the Chemin du Puy next year or at least do another third of it.
Conques is unbelievable! The town of 1,700 inhabitants is nestled in a narrow crevasse along the Dourdou River. Half-timbered homes with steeply pitched slate roofs complement architectural masterpieces such as the Abbey of Conques aka the Église Sainte Foy. The Abbey was founded by Spanish monks fleeing Saracen aggressors in 819 – this was the same year that Santiago’s bones were discovered in Compostela. Dedicated to Sainte Foy d’Agen (a young woman martyred for her refusal to practice pagan rites), the Abbey became an important stop on the Chemin du Puy when a Conques monk infiltrated the Agen community, gaining the locals’ trust, until he was able to steal Sainte Foy’s remains and install them in Conques. Its new popularity meant that a new church had to be built. The Romanesque Église Sainte Foy was built 1045-1120. There are several interesting anecdotes regarding the church, too many to include here, so take a moment to visit https://www.tourisme-conques.fr/en/en-conques/st-foy-abbey-church for more information.
Walking into Conques
West façade of Église Sainte Foy
Our cute home for 2 days, complete with a small kitchen, bath, and extra bed. Like many historic conversions, the apartment is up a couple flights of narrow, winding stairs.
Hotel picnic dinner. A DeVillar-Richardson tradition! Locally grown, freshly cut carrots and bell peppers, miniature green asparagus, Laguiole cheese, fresh bread, local crackers, chickpea spread, tapenade (oops, this had anchovies), Dijon mustard, and French wine.
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