This post is mostly going to be pictures because I’m tuckered out after gardening in the sun all afternoon yesterday and hiking in the haze and humidity today.
Our hike today started and ended at the simple parish church of Saint Amant in Saint-Amant-de-Bonnieure. The church dates back past 1260, its first mention in writings. Much of the structure was destroyed during the Wars of Religion, so the west side, nave and facade were rebuilt in the 16th century. Further modifications, including the Gothic arch windows at the front and wooden ceiling were added during a restoration campaign undertaken in the mid 19th century.
A remarkable treasure of the church is a stone statue of The Virgin and Child, dating from the 14th century. It was unearthed around 1870 during work on the paving in the choir area and it was officially classified as a Historic Monument in 1904. Historians speculate it was likely hidden during the French Revolution to safeguard it from the destruction that so many other religious statues suffered during that conflict.
Beyond that, it was a pleasant hike, by pastures, over rivers, alongside gardens. At one stop, a poofy-headed rooster overcame his shyness and came to serenade me at the fence with his co-co-rico. Later we walked a stretch under giant wind turbines, serenely reaching skyward and singing their chorus of gentle electrical hums, their blades lightly whooshing as they cut through the air high above our heads.
Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
I love these! VM looks kind of stern to me. And PAB is sure that wind turbines cause cancer and kill all the birds-somehow I prefer your lyrical description of them. Thank you