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Last Judgment in the tympanum at the Abbey of st. Foy bristles with hideous imagination of the fate to befall sinners in the afterlife.

Abbey of St. Foy is longtime medieval pilgrimage route

By • Catholic Online • 1/17/2013

The Abbey of St. Foy, nestled in the hills of southern France is a beautiful Romanesque church perfectly aligned with its surroundings. The tiny village of Conque that surrounds the abbey echoes its pointed towers in the surrounding architecture. The abbey is also the only medieval shrine ...

Abbey founder Bernard of Clairvaux believed that light should enter the church. He shared the Eastern Christian of Byzantine emphasis that the God is the source of all light and that one way to experience God's presence is through light.

Austere Abbaye de Fonteny filled only with light

By • Catholic Online • 12/5/2012

Found in the Burgundy Valley, the Abbaye de Fontenay is a well-restored 12th-century Cistercian monastery founded by St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The inside and outside of the structure is simple and unadorned. While Bernard of Clairvaux did not attempt to reject art or beauty, he was cautious of ...

Graham Hughes ended his epic four-year journey by crossing into Juba, the capital of South Sudan, which did not even exist when he set off from his hometown of Liverpool on New Year's Day 2009.

British man visits all of the world's 201 nations - without flying in a plane

By • Catholic Online • 11/27/2012

Thirty-three-year-old Graham Hughes of Liverpool wanted to travel with his feet firmly planted on the soil. To this end, the eccentric Briton can now claim to have visited all of the world's 201 countries - without once taking an airplane. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Hughes says that he ...

The vast majority of biblical capitals illustrate the Old Testament, with John the Baptist and the story of Lazarus and Dives being the only New Testament themes represented. But the most famous capital at Vezelay combines the two: known as the Mystic Mill, it shows Moses grinding grain, which symbolizes the Old Testament into flour - the New Testament) which Paul solemnly collects in a sack.

The Basilique Ste-Madeleine second only to Notre Dame in size

By • Catholic Online • 11/15/2012

The Basilique Ste-Madeleine or Basilica Church of St. Mary Magdalene in V�zelay is the largest Romanesque church in France. It is only 10 yards shorter than the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Reportedly guarding the relics of St. Mary Magdalene, V�zelay was a major medieval pilgrimage ...

Connected to the mainland by a thin natural land bridge, which before modernization was covered at high tide and revealed at low tide, gave the mount a mystical quality.

Mont-St-Michel island abbey connected with natural land bridge

By • Catholic Online • 10/12/2012

Mont-St-Michel, also written Mont Saint Michel) is a small island from the north coast of France at the mouth of the Couesnon River in Normandy. The abbey is best known for the medieval Benedictine Abbey and steepled church. Connected to the mainland by a thin natural land bridge, which ...

The Saint-Beno�t-sur-Loire Abbey features 11th- and 12th-century architecture, and has a large collection of interesting Romanesque and Gothic sculpture.

Saint-Beno�t-sur-Loire Abbey greets visitors near Orleans in central France

By • Catholic Online • 10/9/2012

Saint-Beno�t-sur-Loire Abbey is a beautiful as well as significant church on the Loire River, which is close to Orl�ans in central France. The site has remained a major place of pilgrimage since 673, ever since the relics of St. Benedict were brought there from Montecassino. The church features ...

The Abbey of Fontfroide is an excellent example of the monastic town prescribed by Saints Benedict and Bernard, in which everything necessary for simple living is accessible within the monastic complex.

The Abbey of Fontfroide was onetime center of orthodoxy

By • Catholic Online • 9/21/2012

The Abbey of Fontfroide, located in the Languedoc region of southern France is one of the most complete abbey complexes remaining today. Founded as a Benedictine abbey in 1093 and affiliated with the Cistercians in 1145, construction on the church began soon after. The 12th century design there is ...

The star attraction is on the right side of the apse: the marble sarcophagus of Saint Sernin, designed by the Master of Cabestany. The sarcophagus is carved from a single block of Pyrenean marble. The detailed sculptures tell the story of St. Sernin's ministry, arrest, martyrdom and burial in Toulouse.

France's Saint Hilaire Abbey contains sarcophagus of Saint Sernin

By • Catholic Online • 9/16/2012

Saint-Hilaire-d' Aude or the Saint Hilaire Abbey in France is a medieval Benedictine monastery of Carcassonne. The building's chief claim to fame is an essential work of Romanesque art inside the church, the sarcophagus of St. Sernin by the Master of Cabestany. The church also features ...

A Baroque facade was added to the lower west front, which centers on a sculpture of St. Matthias holding an axe. The figure holds an open book with a reference to John 15:14: 'You are my friends if you do what I command.'

Bring binoculars to the St. Matthias Abbey Church to see architectural marvels

By • Catholic Online • 7/24/2012

St. Matthias Abbey Church or Abtei St. Matthias in Trier, Germany, is a beautiful 12th-century church, part of an active Benedictine abbey and is still visited by many Catholic pilgrims. The abbey houses the relics of St. Matthias, the apostle who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot as he ...

With its short length and multitude of towers and turrets, the Maria Laach Abbey resembles a fairy-tale fortress, accentuated by its scenic, lakeside setting.

Masterpiece of German Romanesque architecture, the Maria Laach resembles fairy tale castle

By • Catholic Online • 6/29/2012

The Maria Laach Abbey, or as it is known in Germany, the Abtei Maria Laach or Kloster Maria Laach is located on the wooded shores of a crater lake. The church is considered an important example of German Romanesque architecture. With its short length and multitude of towers and turrets, the ...