Tuesday Photo Challenge: Tower

Frank’s theme for his Tuesday Photo Challenge this week is ‘Tower’. This image gives you two for the price of one.

It shows an aspect of the church in the preserved village (and national monument) of Oradour-sur-Glane.

Tuesday Photo Challenge: Tower

Tuesday Photo Challenge: Mystery

Today I am participating for the first time – as it moves into its second year – in the Tuesday Photo Challenge hosted by Frank at Dutch Goes The Photo!

The theme for this week is ‘Mystery’. This photograph shows part of the astonishing painted ceiling in the crypt of the village church of Gargilesse, in central France. Clearly, it’s a religious – specifically Christian and even more specifically Roman Catholic – theme, and as such some of the imagery is familiar, but there’s also some that’s a mystery, at least to me.

Thursday Doors: Lesterps (Part 1)

Lesterps is yet another of those charming old villages that surround Tranquility Base at a distance of an approximately twenty-minute drive. It’s best known for its  very large 11th century church (more specifically, it’s an Abbatiale, which means there must once have been an Abbey there), which dominates the village, to the extent that it’s virtually impossible to get a proper photograph of the whole edifice. The image from Google Earth at the bottom of this post gives some idea of its relative scale.

This is the main door:

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and this is one of three substantial archways, which I think qualify as doors for this purpose:

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This walled up doorway on a building just acrooss the road from the church could well be a remnant of the accommodation of the monks who must once have lived here:

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Elsewhere, this house (also opposite the church), with its massive beam, looks like it might once have been a byre, housing livestock:

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We visited Lesterps last weekend for the Marché de Noel, so here’s something in the Christmas spirit. You’re welcome.

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And this is quite possibly the smallest door in the entire commune. It’s at about head height but it certainly doesn’t look like a shutter, and I can’t imagine it’s the meter cupboard:

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Next time, more from Lesterps – including some very strong contenders for Ramshackle Door of the Year.

Thursday Doors 22 December 2016

PS here’s that screenshot from Google Earth:

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Photography 101: Warmth

Although I’m as secular as they come, I do appreciate the architecture of churches and cathedrals.

Typically, though, the interiors of these buildings  are largely of grey stone and emanate anything but warmth. However, this church, in the medieval town of Chauvigny, is an exception, especially when, as in this image, natural sunlight streams through the high windows above the altar.

Warmth