Conques

Conques is a tiny medieval town on a dramatic hillside site. Tucked a considerable distance off the beaten track, it is a delightful, unspoiled village that was once an important pilgrimage stop on the way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain (known as the Way of Saint James). Conques’s pride is its 11th-century Abbaye Sainte Foy whose simple rounded arches give it the look of a Gothic cathedral. The carving of the Last Judgment in a semi-circle over the central door shows 124 characters—the grimacing devils and tortured souls are far more amusing than the somber few who are selected to go to heaven. The abbey’s treasure is the 10th-century Sainte Foy reliquary, a statue sheathed in gold leaf and decorated with precious stones. If time allows, linger in the town into early evening, when evening light plays on the wonderful old stone and cobbled streets. It is magical to hear the melodious bells as their sound echoes through the town.