Chemin du Puy, Condom, France

A small medieval town of 6,500 people, Condom sits at the confluence of the rivers Gèle and Baïse. Contrary to what our less-cultured friends might want us to believe, the name derives from the ancient Condote-o-magos, which meant “market of the confluence”. Its similarity to the English word of the same spelling is pure coincidence.

Dale and Martin, a young Yorkshire couple warmly welcomed into their champagne-inspired BnB. Their graciousness was much appreciated when we stumbled in after a 14 ½ mile walk in unexpectedly warm weather. Martin sat us down in the parlor and brought bottles of cold water, wine, beer, and salty snacks. Rehydrated and electrolytes replenished, we felt ready to taste the town.

The cellar room at Champagne House, Condom.

The patio, complete with an adorable sitting area and (unheated) pool.

Unfortunately, the town was not quite ready for us. The restaurant, which advertised vegetarian options and which had assured Dale that they would do well by us, informed us that in fact they had no vegetables. Literally…no…vegetables. Not even a salad. We ended up sharing a delicious plate of pasta, freshly prepared with home-made pesto, but left disappointed. Several other restaurants were closed – it being a Saturday! night. Needless to say, on Sunday even more restaurants, shops, etc. were closed

Condom contains the full gamut of medieval structures and attractions, a cathedral with cloister, a jail, the Armagnac Museum (now closed), several grand estates, etc. One fun fact: in front of the 16th century Cathédrale Saint Pierre is a statue of d’Artagnan and his three Musketeers. In 1611, Charles de Batz was born in a small town near Condom. As an adult, he received the title Count of Artagnan before going off to join the famed Musketeers. He was later immortalized in Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel The Three Musketeers.

D’Artagnan and his three Musketeers, Zurab Tsereteli, 2010

Historic center, Condom.

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, 16^th century.

The cathedral cloisters.

Vaulted ceiling detail in the cloisters.

Interior of the cloisters.

Hôtel de Polignac, 1773-1777, former home of the Abbot Dorlan de Polignac, early neo-classical style, confiscated during the French Revolution, and now a school.

Memorial to men lost in WWI.

The Condom Bandstand.

The highlight of our visit was the Espace Saint Michel, an art space in the former Église Saint Michel, had an exhibit entitled “I Care” a play off the concept of caring for the planet and the mythological figure of Icarus, who during his escape from prison with his father Daedalus, flew too close to the sun. The sun melted the wax which held his wings together, and he fell to his death.

The works included both feather installations and incredibly detailed mythologically-inspired pen and ink drawings. The feather installations included hanging panels of white feathers attached to fine threads and hung between openings to evoke delicate barriers and more “solid” white paper panels with feather-shaped cut-outs leading viewers though a maze before reaching a large, hanging (10’ -12’ wide) white Icarus. Elsewhere, white feathers filled holy water fonts, a thoughtful juxtaposition of religious rites and the ephemeral nature of life itself. The drawings were tougher to interpret. One grouping seemed to tell Christian stories, with plenty of Biblical images, such as the serpent and the tree of life, Noah’s Ark, and …, but the images were merged and somewhat confusing, a fact not aided by their diminutive size. Other images clearly decried the prevalence of police brutality and war.

As I think about the exhibit, I wonder if the artist, Angèle Saccucci, wasn’t trying to highlight conflicting images of peace and war, a concept further explored in her graphic piece stating “Il n’y a pas d’amour sans revolution; il n’y a pas de revolution sans amour/There is no love without revolution; there is no revolution without love”. Overall, a beautiful and moving exhibit.