Vignory

France is known for its soaring Gothic cathedrals, such as Notre Dame in Paris, or the cathedral in Chartres, but we much prefer the Romanesque churches. We came to Vignory to see what is probably the earliest Romanesque church anywhere; we were not disappointed. We also had the bonus of finding a town that well represents old France: ancient buildings, quiet and, unfortunately, falling apart slowly.

The Church

Stepping into this Church was like stepping back in time about a thousand years. Iglesia St. Etienne was started in 924, on top of an earlier church. That's about a hundred years earlier than the next earliest Romanesque Church still standing. The simple and solid lines present Romanesque architecture at its best.

This church was actually pre-Romanesque, showing Carolingian influences, but it clearly shows the strong and simple forms that, once picked up by architects, found expression throughout France, Germany and Spain. About a three hundred years later, the first Gothic churches were constructed (St. Denis and Notre Dame, in Paris; the cathedrals in Sens and Chartres), and Romanesque passed into history.













The Gothic Cathedrals and churches of Europe get all the attention, with their soaring beauty, but we like the Romanesque better. We're willing to go quite a ways to see these beautiful buildings; Vignory certainly rewarded us for our effort to get there.

The Town of Vignory

Other than the Church, Vignory offers nothing for the tourist (and the Church was empty except for us, so even it draws few tourists). There must be thousands of these towns in France, and Spain and Italy and everywhere: small towns once centered on agriculture, now slowing declining. Young people move to cities where there is education and employment, agriculture becomes more automated, requiring fewer people, towns shrink.

These towns contain a ghost of their previous lives, and are enjoyable for a stroll for that reason. But one has to wonder about their future: we saw few young people, few open businesses (the town hall is open four hours per week) and no signs of a future. Yet there remains a charm to these towns, a slow way of life not found in the cities that continue to grow and thrive.

The main street of Vignory.

Some other "sights" in Vignory.

Two women talking.



Three residents watching me watching them.