What follows is my attempt to chronicle and recreate a few of experiences in Spain and France this summer for those interested. Focus primarily will rest on history and religion, and in particular the history that lives in the churches and castles that line the pilgrim roads to Santiago Compostella in Spain.

The Muslim conquest of the Holy Land in the Seventh and Eighth centuries caused the traditional pilgrimage to Jerusalem to become increasingly dangerous. As the Middle Ages unfolded, the journey across the Pyrenees and into Spain to the traditional burial place of St. James became the dominant pilgrimage route. The results were dramatic. The first great wave of Christian churches in the Middle Ages sprung up along the pilgrim roads - the age of Romanesque was born. Architecture, spirituality, culture and politics would all be dramatically affected by the great mass of Medieval Christians on the road to Compostella.

Monday, August 10, 2009

A Pilgrim Church: St. Etienne

We had an awesome experience today. We traveled to the beautiful French city of Nevers, and I was able to explore a church that I have dreamed of visiting for years: St. Etienne. It is a historical church of tremendous importance. It is one of the four remaining "Pilgrim Churches" and one of the best representations of pure Romanesque in the world. The style laid the foundation for the Gothic age that would follow.

The church was in beautiful shape, empty, and tucked away in a quiet neighborhood.
St. Etienne was dedicated in 1097, two years before the First Crusade was launched. Radiating chapels allowed for many side chapels to be placed in the ambulatory.

The choir and ambulatory were laid out to allow for a smooth flow for the pilgrims





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