We visited churches in France

In the town of Rosheim, France, we came upon the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. This church had its beginnings in the years 1145-1167. It is built in the Romanesque art. Way up on top of the roof, sat this man. We managed to pull it in quite nicely with the zoom lens. Although legend says that this man and the one of the North side represent the count and the hermit, it seems they portray the material and spiritual side of life. The one on the southern side with the short tunic and something in his hand personified the life of labor. The monk reminds us that man cannot suffice unto himself but must lift his soul to God.

In the town of St. Nectaire, stands the Eglise St. Nectaire constructed around 1160. The name St. Nectaire is also given to a well-known cheese and has been produced for centuries in this area.

In the town of Vic-Le-Comte, we found the most ornate church in the region. The Sainte-Chapelle has richly colored stained glass dating back to the 15th century.

In the town of Brioude, same town where the lace school was, we found the Basilique St. Julien. It is the largest Romanesque church in the area. Building began in 1060 and was completed in 1180. Much was rebuilt including the square bell tower in the 19th century. Unfortunately, we do not have pictures of the inside. You see, for the second time in our travels, the church we really wanted to see was in the process of a funeral service.

We slipped into the back pews and listened to the most beautiful signing by a priest. In fact, we were able to make a video of some of the singing, and it is beautiful. We quickly slipped out before the services were over.

The last time we entered a funeral, we were in Munich, Germany. I believe it was St. Michael's church. This church was full of mourners and the singing was so beautiful. We also got a video of part of that.

There was only one other church at the top of our list and though The Trout had done much research on this church, we missed one small detail, thus, no pictures of this church.

We traveled west of Clermont-Ferrand, into the mountains, searching for the town of Orcival and the Basilique Notre-Dame. It was erected during the first half of the 12th century and was founded by the monks from La Chaise-Dieu.

The day was cold and rainy, and we drove through fog, snow showers and a deer running across the road. As we reached the town, we started seeing cars all over the place. They were parked on both side of the road. We were surprised as this town only has a population of 244. As we drove and could see the town down in a valley to the right of us, hundreds and hundreds of people were walking into the town. They were coming from above the town, the other side of the valley. Then we saw policemen directing traffic. My thought was "can this be the biggest garage sale in France?" The Trout, being more realistic wondered if it was the Second Coming. There must have been at least 500 cars.

We knew there was no way we could park and see the church because we would have to walk miles to get to the church. We passed by and kept driving, and more and more cars were parked on the road and people walking. So, what was going on?

We knew there were several holidays in France during May. Since this is usually our month of travel, we have become accustomed to this. However, Ascension day, 40 days after Easter is not celebrated in America as it is in France. And yes, we arrived on Ascension day, in the town of Orcival which must have the largest pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin Mary, next to the Pope visiting Fatima in Portugal. It was an experience we will not forget, even though we did not get to see the church.