Church strengthened of Holy-Radegonde

Located at the center of the village of Holy-Radegonde in the Aveyron, the strengthened church is one surprising Gothic church 13th century which accepted fortifications during the 14th century and 15th century.

History of construction

Before the fortification of the church, it seems that it there had a nave, perhaps Romance, and a rectangular sanctuary of the 13th century, arched warhead. They were decorated with frescos probably going back to a time ranging between the 12th century and the 14th century. The sanctuary was seen associating a northern side chapel (14th century, today dedicated to Saint Hilaire, with a baptistry) and a southern vault (15th century, dedicated today to the Vierge), and a neo-gothic apse at the 19th century. The village started to be strengthened at the same time as the church in 1349.

Pilgrimage for the relics of holy Radegonde

The May 26th 1412 Jean, duke of Berry, made open the tomb of holy Radegonde. In 1562 its tomb was again opened and flaring by the Huguenots left there. Thereafter the parishioners of the Holy-Radegonde church with Poitiers decided to distribute the remainders that they had been able to save in several places. Part of the relics arrived then to Holy-Radegonde to Aveyron, which became a place of pilgrimage local for the holy one.

Mural

During work of restoration in 1937 was updated a mural on the northern part of the chorus. It is about a scene with two superimposed registers, located at three meters of the ground. It seems to be truncated during successive work, it thus seems to be former to the fortification of the church.

The vestimentary details of the characters make it possible to date it graft the 13th century and the 14th century.

The two scenes represent the Terrestrial Paradise.

The first describes the Paradise before Adam and Eve ate the fruit. On the left a woman (Eve) with the long fair hair dissimulates her hands her nudity. She diverts her face of a bird which looks in direction of the second table. Adam is absent from preserved scene but it is possible that it was present in the complete decoration. The decoration is made of tree-artichokes. A young hind, of fawn-coloured color, nourishes small branches.

In the second scene, the original couple is this time vêtu. Eve is out of evening gown to the foot; Adam is at his sides. Their glances turn to the left, in direction of a being to you of girl and with the body of wader, is rolled up around an tree-artichoke, from where a bird startled with the wings with half-éployées flies away. A black wolf threatening seeks on the ground its food.

The scene of the lower level is to be attached to the pilgrimages and the miracles which the Radegonde Queen achieves during and after her life. It is pilgrims with Holy-Cross about Poitiers, the monastery founded by holy Radegonde. Y are represented the true cross exposed on the furnace bridge, the lamp whose oil overflowed miraculeusement and of the crutches during walls. ----

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