The retired traveller: Tuesday, April 28, 2015

We had planned to go to a duck farm for lunch today, but Jeri and Paul had an emergency that they had to attend to, so we canceled. Judy needed to see Sarlat and the day was sunny. Furthermore, there was no market in Sarlat today, so we thought we'd see the city without the hoards of people and vendor stalls. It's a wonderful city to wander in because the old center of town is a pedestrian zone.

We followed a couple of walking tours from a guide book, starting with the ecclesiastical buildings. We start by looking at the squares where the canons had their homes. (Remember, canons are the administrators and dignataries of the abbey. They interact with the public.)

houses that were once abbey annexes for abbey business and housing

former abbey buildings

We meander through passageways leading to a chapel and past the chapter house.

chapel entrance - building was locked however

view of cathedral from the cloister square. Building on the right would have been
dormitories for the monks.

Then finally we enter the church grounds behind the cathedral through the graveyard (jardin des enfeus) where the priests were buried. Walled and raised terraces hold grave stones and niches where important people, including rich people of Sarlat, were buried.

This church was built in several parts over several centuries. As you look at the photo below, you can see the 17th century gothic nave which has been attached to the lower 15th century romanesque cruciform choir (the part of a church that includes the altar and all the space behind and around it).

Low part (choir) is 15th century romanesque while tall part (nave) is 17th century gothic

The building of this cathedral was subject to the availability of funds and a powerful abbot and so was never finished in one piece. In the 16th century, the church architect envisioned a whole new space and so demolished the nave (the place where the congregation sits), leaving only the narthex (entrance to the church) and bell tower at the other end. Our of funds again, the space where you now see the gothic nave was empty ground until Abbot Francis II de Salignac de la Mothe Fénélon undertook the building of the nave. This makes for interesting architecture both outside and inside.

Judy, Janis & Clark along the walls in the cemetary (jardin des enfeus)

Knights Templar emblem engraved in the wall of the "jardin des enfeus"

Once again we visit the Lantern of the Dead at the top of the graveyard. Our guidebook explains that this bullet shaped, single-roomed building was actually quite special to the abbey and while quite unique, was not unknown elsewhere. This shape matches some 4th century drawings of the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem. They believe this Lantern of the Dead was built to be used in a solemn Easter ceremony where the priests would come to the "tomb of Jesus" and find Him risen. While only speculation, that theory makes some sense to us as the inside of the Lantern is like a small chapel.

Notables were buried in the walls as well as in the raised terraces (where the 2 little kids are jumping on grave markers)
The Lantern of the Dead is in the upper level of what would have been additional cemetery space.

Dave & Lynn at Lantern of the Dead

Last stop on this part of the tour is the inside of the church.

Looking down the gothic nave, you can see the 3 arches across the front of the choir.
The 15th century Romanesque choir is behind these pierced openings
that join the Romanesque and Gothic parts of the church.

Looking from the choir to the side aisles of the nave

Added in 1752 above the entrance from the narthex to the nave, this was the first organ
built by Jean François l'Epine who built organs for other large churches, including Toulouse.

Everything in the old center of Sarlat is very compact, so once outside the church, we are ready to start the next part of the tour. There is a large square in front of the Hôtel de Ville which is surprising because the rest of the streets are narrow and compact.

Place de la Liberté

Today called Place de la Liberté, this large square is the center of social life in town. There are shops and cafés and the cathedral entrance is off this square. This is also where the largest concentration of vendors are located during market days. This square is much larger than original small square just at the steps of the hôtel de ville (city hall). A block of buildings burned in 1729 and were never re-built, thus opening the square.

The building straight ahead with the domed tower is the home of a wealthy family.
On the left is the parish church of St Mary.

The size of the square can be seen from this view taken in front of the church of St. Mary. The Hotel de Ville is on left with the taller white awning. The Cathedral tower is in the background.

Sarlat is a good look at medieval social structure. There were two sources of power - ecclesiastical and consular. Both powerful, both wealthy and frequently at odds with each other. Consuls were generally heads of wealthy families with holdings in lands (think Beynac) or businesses (think shipping and trading of goods). The parish church of St. Mary (now an indoor market) was a symbol of the consular power while the cathedral of St. Sacerdos was the symbol of ecclesiastical power.

Italian Renaissance house across from Cathedral of St. Sacerdos

Wandering narrow streets past old houses onto the Place des Oies (former market square where geese were sold)

House just off the Place des Oies

Geese in Place des Oies

Looking back at the bell tower of St. Mary's at the Place des Oies

A couple of interesting photos found along the way:

In the 1600s a wealthy man wanted to build a house in town, but in typical medieval style, there were no parcels of land left in the town. So he bought 3 run-down buildings, side by side and turned it into a fancy house with entry in the center bottom and a renaissance terrace topping the entrance. He made special staircases that joined access to the houses whose floors were at different levels from each other.