Conques

Conques
Conques
Administration
Country	France
Region	Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Aveyron
Arrondissement	Rodez
Canton	Conques
Mayor	Philippe Varsi (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	221–663 m (725–2,175 ft) (avg. 442 m/1,450 ft)
Land area1	30.51 km2 (11.78 sq mi)
Population2	281  (2008)
- Density	9 /km2 (23 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	12076/ 12320
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 44°36′01″N 2°23′50″E / 44.6002777778°N 2.39722222222°E / 44.6002777778; 2.39722222222

Conques (Concas in occitan) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France.

Geography

The village is located at the confluence of the Dourdou and Ouche rivers. It is built on a hillside and has classic narrow Medieval streets. As a result, large vehicles (such as buses) cannot enter the historic town centre but must park outside. Consequently, most day visitors enter on foot and, as at least one overnight visitor has observed, the majority of the tourists depart in the late afternoon, leaving the town much less crowded. The town was largely passed by in the nineteenth century, and was saved from oblivion by the efforts of a small number of dedicated people. As a result, the historic core of the town has very little construction dating from between 1800 and 1950, leaving the medieval structures remarkably intact. The roads have been paved, and modern-day utility lines are buried.

Sainte-Foy abbey church

The Sainte-Foy abbey-church in Conques

Church doors

The Sainte-Foy abbey-church in Conques was a popular stop for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, in what is now Spain. Its construction was begun on the foundations of a smaller earlier basilica, directed by the abbot Odolric (1031–1065) and completed around the year 1120. It was built in Romanesque style, using a warm-colored local limestone infilled with a local gray schist. The daringly large dome that originally covered the crossing later collapsed and was replaced in the 15th century..

The main draw for medieval pilgrims at Conques were the remains of Sainte Foy, a martyred young woman from the fourth century. Her name has been assimilated into the general conception of 'Holy Faith.' In the late 9th century, a monk from Conques allegedly stole these relics from a nearby monastery in order to draw travellers (and wealth) to Conques. The church that was eventually built had a double purpose: to accommodate the flock of pilgrims and at the same time to allow a community of monks to gather for the divine office seven times a day. Thus, Sainte-Foy has been designed like a pilgrimage shrine but also as an abbey-church. To serve the inhabitants of the town, a separate parish church was erected, dedicated to Saint Thomas of Canterbury. This smaller church is no longer standing.

In the 19th century, the author and antiquary Prosper Mérimée, appointed the first Inspector of Historical Monuments, inspired thorough restorations.

The Sainte-Foy abbey-church was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1998, as part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France. Its Romanesque architecture, albeit somewhat updated in places, is displayed in periodic self-guided tour opportunities, especially of the upper level, some of which occur at night with live music and appropriately-adjusted light levels. A particularly interesting aspect of the church is the set of carvings of the "curieux" (the curious ones) who are peeking over the edges of the tympanum arch.

Population

Historical population of Conques

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
1055	1107	1234	1317	1309	1360	1418	1387	1117	1388

1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901	1906
1288	1301	1220	1267	1282	1286	1211	561	993	990

1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954	1962	1968	1975
902	755	725	709	686	647	561	529	479	420

1982	1990	1999	2008
404	362	302	281

Media

The late Hannah Green, an accomplished writer, penned a non-fiction work about Conques and the church entitled, "Little Saint".

See also

• Communes of the Aveyron department

References

• INSEE

Gallery

• 

  Conques hermitage

• 

  Entrance gate to Conques - the Port du Barry

• 

  Conques rooftop vista

• 

  Abbey-church doorway carving

• 

  Abbey-church doorway carving detail

• 

  Abbey-church doorway carving detail

• 

  Abbey-church doorway carving detail

• 

  Abbey-church doorway carving detail

• 

  Abbey-church doorway carving detail

• 

  Abbey-church doorway carving detail

• 

  Conques panorama

External links

• History and structure of Sainte-Foy abbey-church; many photos
• Official Conques web site from the Tourist Office; all the essential and accurate information to visit and to know about Conques
• Detailed Photos and Explanation of Ste-Foy Tympanum