Saint-Pierre d'Aulnay-de-Saintonge

There was so much to see at various points on our visit to France that many were skipped in the day-to-day posts.  One in particular is worth its own entry -- the church St.Pierre d'Aulnay-de-Saintonge.  We found it on the way from the Vendee to Bordeaux, near the auto-route   Jeanne suggested we stop there for lunch during our road trip.  We were very glad we did.

The town was originally Roman.  The church was originally constructed in about 1100.  It shows many Romanesque features, with a clear Oriental influence.  The carvings represent many devils and monsters, as well as elephants.  Some of the non-figurative carvings looked almost Islamic in style.

The front facade of the church is mostly Romanesque, but the tower is Gothic.

The graveyard across from the facade contains unusual structures above the graves.

The entrances are deeply carved, this one featuring a central figure of the upside-down cross.

 All of the exterior carvings show great detail and imagination.  We did not see any repetition in the hundreds of figures.

A side entrance.

A detail of the side entrance, showing an owl among the real and fantasy creatures.

The kissing figures reminded us of Brancusi's "Kiss".  Do you suppose...?

The interior of the church at first appears typical.

But then one notices the extraordinary carvings. We thought at first these were Vikings, but the book at the church said they were devils.

This is a devil with its head between its legs.

A photographer  set up to get some long shots.

Those elephants.

 

 These are part of a frieze on the capitals near the altar, we think showing John the Baptist.

 A remarkable visit.