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THE MEDIEVAL ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF SOUTHWEST FRANCE
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Join award-winning sculptor and VCCA Program Director Craig Pleasants and Sweet Briar College Professor of Medieval Art Tracy Hamilton, for an insightful and illuminating cultural exploration of this unspoiled and historic region in the south of France. Located between Toulouse and Bordeaux, Auvillar is just three hours north of Barcelona. This tour will delight art enthusiasts, wine aficionados and Francophiles.
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A stopover on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Auvillar has a well-earned tradition of hospitality. Designated as one of France's "100 Most Beautiful Villages," Auvillar has an abundance of haunting ancient hilltop fortifications, monuments dating back centuries, nearby medieval cathedrals and museums to explore. The region is noted for medieval villages, Faience pottery, troubadour singing, cassoulet, roasted chestnuts, strawberries, exquisite wines and tantalizing cheeses.
Arrive at Toulouse Blagnac Airport or Valence d'Agen train station where we will be met by VCCA representatives for the trip to Auvillar. After settling into the hotel, stroll the village and meet at VCCA's La Cebo, a 17th-century facility, for a welcome dinner in the courtyard. Auvillar will be our home base and we will draw heavily upon the charm and beauty of this quaint village. |
On Tuesday morning, we will tour the large open market of neighboring Valence d'Agen, a village famous for its pruneaux. The colorful market attracts vendors from all over southern Europe and North and West Africa,who sell baskets, spices, fresh and dried fruits and other assorted delicacies. In the afternoon, we will tour the old port section of Auvillar, stopping at the VCCA's 17th-century studio center and will be treated to an insider's tour of the 9th-century Chapel of St. Catherine, originally built for sailors on the Garonne River. At the end of the day we will sit by the Garonne with a few bottles of local black wine, Brulhois, and dine on the locally renowned paella.
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| Wednesday we'll meet in La Halle, the circular market of Auvillar for cafe and croissants before setting off for the famous 12th-century cloister of Moissac, a major pilgrimage church. Its cloister is home to one of the most extensive collections of Romanesque sculpture extant and is the subject of numerous scholarly studies. Besides the 76 unique capitals atop the columns of the cloister, there is the trumeau of the portal, which local legend insists is a product of miraculous origin, far too beautiful to be sculpted by human hands. We return to Auvillar and dine with Valerie and Serge, proprietors of the Hotel de L'Horloge's lovely restaurant, enjoying local specialties.
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| We'll begin the day Thursday with a walking tour of Auvillar's upper village. After a visit with the Mayor, we'll visit the 12th-century church, many of the local shops, and the museum of Faience pottery. From there, we'll take a short drive to Lauzerte, a nearby medieval hilltop village. We'll lunch in Lauzerte and spend the afternoon touring the village and its hillside garden, plus the mini-pilgrimage route with a re-creation of the trek from France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. On the way back to Auvillar we'll stop for dinner at the four-star L'Auberge de Bardigues, which will include wine from the vineyard of Thierry Combarel, Auvillar's local vintner.
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| Rocamodour, officially "France's second most beautiful village," clings to the side of a sheer cliff and towers hundreds of feet above the Alzou River. St-Cirq-La Popie rivals Rocamadour but is far less well known. Towering 200 feet above the Lot River, this picturesque medieval village also rises from the very rock it rests upon. The surrealist Andre Breton claimed to have re-discovered it and St-Cirq-La Popie has become the home of artists and craftsmen who have carefully renovated its houses into studios and workspaces.
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Whether you choose to linger or return home immediately, VCCA representatives will see you back to the train station at Valence d'Agen or the Toulouse Blagnac Airport.
For more information on Auvillar, visit the village online at www.auvillar.com or www.auvillar.net.
For information or registration call 434-946-7236
or email franceworkshops@vcca.com
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September 25 - VALENCE D'AGEN and AUVILLAR
September 29 - AUVILLAR
