Famous for its Romanesque abbey church, a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Way of St James, the village of Conques in Aveyron is well worth a visit for a number of reasons. An important stopping-place for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, Conques is also an unmissable destination for all lovers of architectural heritage.
A listed Historic Monument, the Abbey Church of St Foy, built in the 11th and 12th centuries, is a masterpiece of Romanesque art with its western door. This sculpted gem has a tympanum adorned with 124 figures illustrating the Last Judgment. Inside the building, the contemporary stained glass windows are the work of the Aveyron artist Pierre Soulages. Another wonder to behold is the treasure of medieval goldsmithery, the undisputed centrepiece being the Majesty of St Foy, a reliquary statue from the 10th century made of yew wood covered in gold and silver panels! Continue your tour with a look at the Romanesque cloister, with its geminated bays and serpentine central basin, and then lose yourself in the wonderful maze of paved side streets dotted with old houses... A delightful walk that will take you back to the medieval era!
Before you leave Conques, don't forget the site of Le Bancarel, where you can enjoy a superb panoramic view of the abbey church towers and the village's thackstone roofs, which blend in harmoniously with their verdant setting...
