Conques (;

Languedocien Languedocien (French name, ), Languedocian or Lengadocian (), is an Occitan dialect spoken in rural parts of southern France such as Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, Agenais and Southern Périgord. It is sometimes also called Languedocien-Guyennai ...

: ''Concas'') is a former commune in the Aveyron

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...

, in the

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language, Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This ...

region. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of

Conques-en-Rouergue Conques-en-Rouergue (, literally ''Conques in Rouergue''; oc, Concas de Roergue) is a commune in the department of Aveyron, southern France. It lies on the Lot river. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 by merger of the former com ...

Geography

The village is located at the confluence of the rivers

Dourdou de Conques The Dourdou de Conques (, literally ''Dourdou of Conques'') is an long river in the department of Aveyron, southern France. Its source is near the village of Lassouts. It flows generally west. It is a left tributary of the Lot, into which it flo ...

and Ouche. It is built on a hillside and has classic narrow medieval streets. As a result, large vehicles such as buses cannot enter the historic town centre and must park outside. Consequently, most day visitors enter on foot. The town was largely passed by in the nineteenth century, and was saved from oblivion by the efforts of a small number of dedicated people. As a result, the historic core of the town has very little construction dating from between 1800 and 1950, leaving the medieval structures remarkably intact. The roads have been paved, and modern-day utility lines are buried. It is one of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (most beautiful villages of France). The town is situated in a valley. Its name originates , which is derived .

Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy

The

Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques, France, was a popular stop for pilgrims traveling the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela, in what is now Spain. The main draw for medieval pilgrims at Conques were the remains of Sainte-Foy, ...

in Conques was a popular stop for pilgrims on the

Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint ...

on their way to Santiago de Compostela in what is now Spain. The main draw for medieval pilgrims at Conques were the remains of Saint Faith ("Sainte-Foy"), a martyred young woman from the fourth century. The original monastery building at Conques was an eighth-century oratory built by monks fleeing the Saracens in Spain. The original chapel was destroyed in the eleventh century in order to facilitate the creation of a much larger church as the arrival of the relics of Sainte-Foy caused the pilgrimage route to shift from Agen to Conques. The second phase of construction, which was completed by the end of the eleventh-century, included the building of the five radiating chapels, the ambulatory with a lower roof, the choir without the gallery and the nave without the galleries. The third phase of construction, which was completed early in the twelfth-century, was inspired by the churches of Toulouse and Santiago Compostela. Like most pilgrimage churches Conques is a basilica plan that has been modified into a cruciform plan. Galleries were added over the aisle and the roof was raised over the transept and choir to allow people to circulate at the gallery level. The western aisle was also added to allow for increased pilgrim traffic. The exterior length of the church is 59 meters. The interior length is 56 meters. the width of each transept is 4 meters. The height of the

crossing tower A crossing, in ecclesiastical architecture, is the junction of the four arms of a cruciform (cross-shaped) church. In a typically oriented church (especially of Romanesque and Gothic styles), the crossing gives access to the nave on the west, ...

is 26.40 meters tall. The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1998, as part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France. Its Romanesque architecture, albeit somewhat updated in places, is displayed in periodic self-guided tour opportunities, especially of the upper level, some of which occur at night with live music and appropriately-adjusted light levels.

Population

Media

American author Hannah Green wrote a non-fiction work about Conques and the church entitled ''Little Saint'', based on her visit to the town in 1975. The massive movie set of the fictional provincial town of Villeneuve in Beauty and the Beast was inspired by the town of Conques.

Gallery

Image:2003 Conques hermitage IMG 6333.JPG, Conques hermitage Image:2003 Conques arch IMG 6323.JPG, Entrance gate to Conques - the Port du Barry Image:2003 Conques vista IMG 6343.JPG, Conques rooftop vista Image:Conques - panorama.jpg, Conques panorama File:Procession lors de la fête de la sainte Foy à Conques le 6 octobre 2013.jpg, Procession on Saint-Foy day in Conques on 6 October 2013

References

External links

Official Conques web site from the Tourist Office; all the essential and accurate information to visit and to know about Conques
{{Authority control Former communes of Aveyron Plus Beaux Villages de France Aveyron communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia Populated places disestablished in 2016