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In Gironde on the Ways of Saint James of Compostela

A selection of pilgrim sites on secondary routes
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A selection of pilgrim sites on secondary routes
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Prieuré de Saint-Macaire
CDT 33 - Hubert Sion

Saint-Macaire

Saint-Sauveur priory church, a vast and imposing edifice with a Latin cross layout and trefoil chevet, opened its doors to pilgrims. The (recently restored) murals at the chancel crossing and on the vault over the eastern apse focus on the Apocalypse and the life of Saint John. Also depicted is the Prodigy of Saint James against Hermogenes, described in Jacques de Voragine’s “Golden Legend”.

  Guided tours upon appointment for groups.
+33 5 56 63 32 14

Blasimon

Saint Nicolas abbey church – the south side of which adjoins monastic buildings now lying partially in ruins (including the chapterhouse) – is a great rectangular room composed of four rib-vaulted bays. The two-storey façade, its tripartite design set off by twinned pairs of columns, is reminiscent of other frontispieces to be found in Western France. The sculpture work on the doorway and lateral arches is among the most delicate to be found anywhere in Gironde, and may be justly compared with that on the western facades of Chadenac or Aulnay (Charente-Maritime). Pilgrims were taken in at the nearby La Roque hospital.

 La Sauve Majeure

This famous abbey, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage  site, was founded in 1079 by the Benedictine monk Gérard de Corbie, the future Saint Gérard, in the depths of a vast stretch of forestland, and was a powerful seigniory with control over large numbers of priories in Spain and England.

It developed along with the popularity of the Saint James of Compostela pilgrimage , and became a major stop-off along the route. The 12th -century abbey church is strongly influenced by Saintonge-style Romanesque art and is remarkable for its immense chevet. The main apse is flanked on either side by deep chapels, with which it communicates via spacious openings.

Each chapel is bordered by an apsidiole opening on to the transept. The Romanesque capitals in the chancel and the bay beneath the bell tower are famed for their extraordinary quality of workmanship. The vaulting, of which only the beginnings of the cross-ribbing survive, and the bell tower with its high openings date back to the gothic period. Near the church lie the remains of the 13th -century cloister, the chapterhouse and the refectory. Saint-Pierre parish church preserves a number of sculpted features (including a statue of Saint James on horseback) and items of painted decoration (Saint James holding the book and Saint James as a pilgrim, both in the chevet) evocative of the Saint James of Compostela pilgrimage.

+33 5 56 23 01 55

 

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