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All material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-08 - The contents may not be reproduced without permission - Adrian Fletcher can be contacted at afletch at paradoxplace dot com

CIAO ADRIANO

The Loir Valley

September 2007

THE ROUTE TO DATE WITH MAPS OF FRANCE AND OF ITS MEDIEVAL PILGRIMAGE ROADS

Back to Ciao Adriano Pilgrimage Places Overview

One branch of the via Turonensis, a pilgrim's road to Santiago de Compostela from Paris, followed the Loir River Valley (not the same as the Loire River Valley - that's bigger and further south!) for a lot of the way from Chartres to Tours.  Here are a couple of the churches the pilgrims would have visited.  The Vendome tourist people list over 20 churches in the area with frescos, but we rather think that most of these are fragmentary or modern and that the two below - which happen to be close to each other -  are the best for simple beauty and getting a feel for what it was like when churches were painted.

THE CHURCH OF ST-GENEST, LAVARDIN

Saint Francis and his birds get a place amongst the otherwise local French Saints

Marching to Hell (foreground) and Washing Feet (background)

MORE PHOTOS TO COME

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Lavardin Castle and the River Loir, seen from the Promenade du Poête

THE CHURCH OF ST-JACQUES DES GUÉRETS

The simple little frescoed medieval  pilgrimage church of St-Jacques des Guérets

MORE PHOTOS TO COME

Opposite the church is a millpond and old mill

AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LOIR, MICHEL COYAULT, CHEF GASTRONOMIQUE, GREETS SUNDAY LUNCH GUESTS AT THE WHITE HORSE

Cheval Blanc - some little hot and cold appetizers to go with the aperitif

Cheval Blanc - Le Bloc

Cheval Blanc - scallop mousse with lobster sauce

Go to the Page LIst for a full listing of pages and their status

All material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-08 - The contents may not be reproduced without permission - Adrian Fletcher can be contacted at afletch at paradoxplace dot com