May 3, 2024
Today's adventure was another Michelin Guide driving tour, this time north with a goal of eating Cassoulet (white bean comfort food casserole) in the town where it was supposed to have been invented, Castelnaudary. Fanjeaux will be our stop before lunch and we'll make a couple more stops after lunch.
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| Dale's map of our route |
The day is warm and sunny, a pleasant change. Here's our view as we ate breakfast.
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| our breakfast view |
Kim still doesn't feel up to touring, so the 5 of us take one car for the day's adventure. First stop: Fanjeaux. This little village of about 900 residents was already a village in Roman times when it was a crossroads between the Pyrenees (S) and the Black Mountains (N) and the Atlantic (W) and Mediterranean (E). It sits on a rocky promontory 360 meters (1000 feet) above the surrounding landscape.
It has the usual central fixtures of church (Notre Dame de l'Assomption) and covered market (Les Halles). It's medieval walls, towers, and gates have disappeared.
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The church is undergoing interior renovations and is closed
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| the covered market - les Halles |
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| this building on the square is labeled "the old school" |
Despite its small size and rural location, this village played an important role in the Albigensian campaign against the Cathares. It became a bastion of Catharism in the 12th century, attracting the preacher Dominique de Guzman, later canonized as Saint Dominique. From 1205-1215, he preached and taught in Fanjeaux, working to convert Cathares to Catholicism through persuasion rather than violence. He would later establish an order of preachers and teachers, the Dominicans.
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| House of St Dominique |
His influence on the city is remembered in several places in the village. Not far from the house of St Dominique is a belvedere (look-out point) that has memorialized St. Dominique's stay in the city.
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| Memorial to St. Dominique |
Throughout the city are modern interpretations of historic events of Fanjeaux created by artist Loic Tellier in 2017. It's an interesting and at the same time jarring contrast of medieval buildings to modern personifications.
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| La Disputation by Loic Tellier |
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La Disputation represents a peaceful discussion between Roman Catholic priests (in long robes) and Cathars (short tunics) This scene overlooks the countryside beyond the belvedere.
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| view from the belvedere |
We found several others of Tellier's art installations, most left us scratching our heads about their meaning.
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This was along the side of the church
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This sculpture was outside the house of St Dominic
| Dale and Clark at the Lac du Jupiter - Not much of a lake, but we think it is symbolic as it is next to the church and the church was built on the site of a Roman Temple to Jupiter. |
Also at this little square, the benches are covered in lines of poetry from the medieval troubadour, Peire Vidal. I especially liked this one:
Geoffroy, how good it is in the quiet room lit by the moon, I never want to leave for the sunshine. Melissandre, dear fool, you are yourself the light and wherever you pass spring flourishes, May's love and joy leave the ground. (not a very poetic translation, sorry.)
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| bench with troubadour poetry |
Moving on toward Castelnaudary, we now drove the countryside laid out below Fanjeaux. That's the subject of the next post.
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