Danse macabre de La Ferté-Loupière (église Saint-Germain)

La Ferté-Loupière

The church of Saint-Germain, built in the early 12th century on the east side of the village, along the former ditches that protected it, was remodelled in the Flamboyant Gothic style in the late 15th century by Pierre de Courtenay and his wife Perrine de La Roche. It was during this campaign, between 1471 and 1504, that one of the very rare Dances of Death surviving in France was painted on dry plaster along the north wall of the nave: over nearly 25 metres, 42 figures, the mighty and the common folk alike, are led away by fleshless corpses reminding them that no one escapes death, whatever their rank. The ensemble is accompanied by the "Dit des trois morts et des trois vifs" (the Tale of the Three Dead and the Three Living): three young noblemen accosted in a cemetery by three dead men who remind them of the brevity of life and the salvation of their souls. Covered with a coat of limewash which, paradoxically, preserved them, the paintings were rediscovered in 1910 by the Marquis de Tryon-Montalembert and Abbé Mertens; the church was listed as a historic monument as early as 1911 and the paintings restored in 1953. One tradition holds that these images of the equality of all before death displeased the church hierarchy, which would explain their effacement beneath the limewash.

Getting there : Place de l'Église, 89110 La Ferté-Loupière; 4 km from exit 18 of the A6 motorway, towards Toucy; church open every day from 9 am to 6 pm, guided tours by appointment (03 86 73 18 65)

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

Ambient sound