L’Abbaye de Cadouin

the cloister

Cadouin is a small village in a valley in the forest of the Périgord Noir in the Dordogne region. Cadoun means “ quince tree”  in Occitan, the original language of the south of France.

market day just finishing

The abbaye has survived the Hundred Years War ( though the region changed hands from French to English and back a number of times ), the Wars of Religion and the Revolution.

the church facade - very grand looking, but a simple interior

Géraud de Salles and his followers settled in the valley in 1113 and, thanks to some generous donations, were able to commence building in 1115. The abbaye became Cistercian in 1119 and so the monks wore the white habit of this order.

The abbaye became famous as the home of “ the shroud of Christ’s  head “ and attracted visitors for over 600 years. The shroud was examined by experts in 1934 and found to be linen from the Nile delta, but made around 1100AD. It is believed it was brought back from the 1^st Crusade so yet another example of a smooth talking souvenir seller. It is now kept in a safe place as a  “curiosity “  only.

A plethora of doors within the cloister ......

The buildings are constructed of pale yellow stone from nearby La Couze on the Dordogne river and have been added to and refurbished many times. There are a number of architectural styles including the original Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance.

ceiling detail

the abbot's seat - the monks have a simple stone bench

the only surviving mural so that's where these
english tourists choose to sit oblivious to all
( they were on their phones, of course)

extremely detailed stonework

I think he's picking his teeth (?)

The complex was abandoned in 1790 during the Revolution and was later used by local farmers as storage and the cloister as a pigsty.  It was bought by the Department of Dordogne in 1839 and restoration began. The work continues today and the site is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The church interior is simple but the cloister is fabulous. Well worth a visit to this charming little village off the beaten track. 

passe une bonne semaine

Catching up

I know it’s been a while and I won’t go into why it’s taken so long (mostly health) but let me assure you, we are still here.

wrapped trees again courtesy of the patchwork group

I usually show you the street decorations  in May, so I’m catching up now. The flowers are looking a little the worse for wear after les canicules (the heatwaves) that we have endured this summer.

the metal birds have reappeared

We desperately need rain for the river as it is at the lowest level we’ve seen. This hasn’t helped the festivals in celebration of the river which usually include canoes and paddleboards. But has been made up for with more music festivals than we’ve seen in years.

It's so low,  the pony club can cross now

Algae and plantlife where there should be water

Next weekend is the Fête de Port Sainte Foy to celebrate the end of the summer vacation. There will be a petanque competition, a cycling race, a vide grenier (flea market) and two dinner concerts concluding with fireworks over the river on Sunday night . Summer is always busy here in the country.

commune worker cleaning the footpaths in our street -
he never stops working

 

A poster from 1925 promoting the Congress
for the National Union of Young Christians in
Sainte Foy la Grande - not a particularly
cheerful view of the town. It has improved a lot
since then - some of it anyway.

Cabaret at a country village marché gourmand 

Enjoy, wherever you are