Église Saint-Laurent-et-Notre-Dame de Gargilesse et sa crypte peinte

Gargilesse-Dampierre

In a village listed among the Plus Beaux Villages de France and dear to George Sand, the Romanesque church of Gargilesse is dated to the 11th century by the Mérimée database, but archaeological analysis places it rather in the second third of the 12th century, perhaps in two building phases. It is famous for its "forest" of carved capitals, where fantastic beasts rub shoulders with biblical scenes: the twenty-four Elders of the Apocalypse spread across the eight capitals of the crossing, the Infancy of Christ and the cycle of Daniel. Beneath the east end and the transept opens the crypt, decorated with remarkable frescoes of the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries, which also preserves a small Romanesque stained-glass window dated to the 12th century. Here one admires a 12th–13th-century Christ with an elongated face, eyes open and without a crown of thorns, legs slightly bent and feet nailed separately, together with a Romanesque Virgin in Majesty, a "Sedes Sapientiae", registered as a historic monument. The building itself has been listed as a historic monument since 1840. The adjoining château, destroyed in 1650 by royal troops, was later rebuilt.

Getting there : Le Bourg, 36190 Gargilesse-Dampierre; open daily 10am–6pm all year round, free admission, visit of around 20 minutes, guided tours on request (02 54 47 83 11).

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound