31 August: Conque to Livinhac en Haut

Conque is considered one of the top 5 best medieval villages in France. It is built on the side of a hill but at converse such that it is situated in a bowl. Conque means a bowl in Latin. It is quaint for certain but you better be in good shape to live here.

Conque is anchored by the Abbaye to St Foy. St Foy was a simple but religious 12 year old girl who was martyred for refusing idol worship. The Abbaye was founded in the same year that the remains of St James were found in Spain, around 8-900 CE. St Foy Abbaye became an important Pilgrimage site as a stopover on the route to the Camino to Santiago in Spain It’s tympanum is considered to be a masterpiece.

The walk out of Conque was a brutal climb. Almost 1 kilometers in length. It was rough. At the top one found oneself to be walking on a ridge. The countryside was spectacular – in all directions. Beauty in the early morning light and mist. You could almost cry in seeing nature in all of God’s glory. I was overcome with emotion. At the same time it was tough as the temperature and humidity were increasing dramatically. By 930 I was soaked in perspiration.