We made lunch reservations for today, at Les Caprices Lagraulet, one of our favorite restaurants in the Gers. With over 900 favorite places on my Google map, I try to plan our drives so that we see something that I've spent time ticking as a favorite. Before lunch, we visited Chapelle Sainte-Germaine du Baradieu. According to legend, Sainte-Germaine was beheaded here in the 9th century by the Normans within the confines of her monastery. In the 12th century, the saint's family had the monastery rebuilt. The entrance to the enclosure is through a semicircular portal bearing the date of 1730, the date the church would have been enlarged. The country setting is quite beautiful.
Next we visited Eglise Saint-Martin-de-Heux. In the middle of the 13th century, the Abbot of Condom ordered a fortified tower to be built. The lower part of the tower still exists with 1.5m thick walls. The church was built at the same time, with walls just as thick. The church played an important part in the life of the inhabitants of the village of Heux, because they could store provisions in it and take refuge inside during periods of danger. In 1926, a community of nuns installed the painted ceiling. This church sits on a hill surrounded by agricultural fields, mostly of wine grapes.
We had a wonderful 2.5 hour lunch at Les Caprices LaGraulet. The menu is set each day by the chef/owner, and that's what we had. First course was spiced peach puree with roasted duck and crouton, next was a Brazilian soup, the main course was papillote of fruits du mer with potato casserole round, and apricot dessert of ice cream with tart. Délicieux!
We picked up our friend Lesley at 3:45, and drove to Sainte-Marie Madeleine, to meet her friends and sculptors, Christine and Fabrizio. They sculpt sacred art for churches in Europe. About 25 years ago, they bought Sainte-Marie Madeleine in ruins, and they have completely renovated it, using the original beams and stones. You can see photos of the ruin they bought and how it looks today, at https://www.crivelli.fr/CRONISTORIA_FOTO_1.htm. It was an enjoyable visit for us, learning about the techniques they use to produce their sculptures.
