Aubeterre-sur-Dronne Charente France
Aubeterre-sur-Dronne is
a village of many parts. On the one hand it
can rightfully claim the distinction of one of the “Plus Beaux
Villages”
in France,
but it would be wrong to regard Aubeterre as nothing more
than an amphitheater of characterful and well- presented houses rising
out of the chalk hillsides high above a bend in the River
Dronne. Yes,
it’s true that at every turn in the steeply sloping cobbled
streets and
alleys a further vista opens up, offering endless opportunities to
capture that one unique photographic angle that every other tourist has
missed, but even the lush green backdrop, appliqued with what seems a
quilt work of typically Charentais tradition, is not the final statement
Aubeterre has to make.Oh no, it goes much
deeper and richer, for in the historical stakes,
Aubeterre is no lightweight, its hidden secret
nestling like an unborn
foetus, the monolithic Eglise of St Jean, the largest of
Europe’s
subterranean churches. This enormous cavern was one of many which
probably began as caves used by hermits in search of solitude and
around which communities gradually developed. Over the centuries
churches such as these were enlarged and in the case of St
Jean’s it
was
the Benedictine monks who were attributed with
much of this mammoth
task. In 1961when a lorry collapsed part of the
road, a
further
underground cavern was discovered which was reputedly used for
sacrifice and baptism with bull’s blood in celebration
of Mithras,
although this ceased in AD 395 when the chamber was adapted by monks
for Christian full-immersion baptisms and burials. Between the 4th and
9th centuries a deep cross was carved into the font. The full grandeur of the
space needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. In dimension
it is 27 metres long, 16 metres wide and 20 metres high, supported by
the two remaining hexagonal pillars. At one end of the main
nave is a Romanesque hexagonal monument carved from the solid
rock. This two-tier structure is 6metres high and 3 metres in
diameter and is believed to copy the architecture of the tomb
of Christ after the crucifixion. In 1848 it was
found to house four coffins, two of which contained the remains of
children. The present floor of
the nave covers what was once
a cemetery where monks and worshipers were lain to rest in sarcophagi
hewn out of the stone. Aubeterre Charente South West France
St Jean’s is noted as having received numerous important visitors over time. In the 16th century both the then King of France Francois I, and John Calvin were attributed as having visited. At the time of the Religious Wars part of Aubeterre was destroyed, and rather .............ly, the collegiate Church of St Jacques was all but demolished, with only the Romanesque facade remaining to this day, although in the 17th century it was rebuilt. At the time of the Revolution in 1789 like numerous other religious buildings, St Jean’s was used in the production of gunpowder and the salt-peter oven is still visible in the church to this day.
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Article written and
submitted by Ann Williams whilst staying at La Giraudiere in May 2008 any
duplication of this article is forbidden without prior permission from
lagiraudiere.com
The Images and photos of Aubeterre Village and the Monolithic church are the property of Patrick Cockell who has kindly consented to us publishing them but anyone wishing to copy or use the images should contact Patrick by emailing us at info@lagiraudiere.com Further images of Aubeterre together with further photos from Patrick can be seen within our image section at IMAGES AUBETERRE SOUTH WEST FRANCE |
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