|
The culture of a nation has various and different fields. One of the most important fied is the cultural heritage, monuments and buildings. The first day we visited a gorgeous place , the Herault valley. We admired the Devil's Bridge and learnt a legend about it. Than we walked in the valley. The next stop was Saint Guilhem Desert.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
In the year 800, in this wild and isolated valley which is called Gellone, a man, Guillaume de Toulouse, Charlemagne's companion, weary of war, of its violence, tired of power, of its honours, abandoned the world, and devoted himself to God. He founded an Abbey, situated on the St Jacques de Compostelle route, the pilgrims made it into a favoured stopping point.
|
 |
 |
|
There remains however, the layout of the buildings, the harmonious rigour of the abbey - church, the equilibrium of the cloister and the houses nestled around it, as if to protect themselves from the few real or secret dangers. The village has hugged the curves of the land and the gentle undulation of the river Verdus.Some houses have, in their walls, traces of their origin: Romanesque gemeled windows, arcatures, mullioned Renaissance windows, Gothic lintels. Saint-Guilhem-Desert deserves more than just a hasty visit. Wander about the alleyways, walk along the paths up the hills and we discover this village.
|
 |
|