Conques is known as one of the most beautiful villages in France. The village is located at the confluence of the Dourdou and Ouche rivers in northern Aveyron.
It sits on the edge of the steep gorge and preserves old narrow streets, so no vehicle can go into its medieval center, where the Abbey Church of Saint Foy is located. The centuries-old abbey is along the way of St. James and was a popular pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages.
We came to this picturesque small village to see highlights of cultural history of southern France.
The village is quite small so you can see almost everything in just one day! We arrived there in the morning, parked our car in the paid parking lot de la Salesse, and took a short walk to the heart of the village.
There were a couple of private galleries of local artists at the entrance to the village. We visited every single gallery and spent an hour or two enjoying the artworks.
Then we came to the Abbey church to see its Romanesque architecture and stained glass windows that we’d learned at le musée Pierre Soulages in Rodez 2 days before.
The church was surrounded by beautiful terraced gardens and had the small treasury museum next to it. The museum displayed Saint Foy’s skullcap and other medieval goldsmiths’ works. The collection was as stunning as the Romanesque church. But taking pictures was not allowed in the museum.
After visiting the Abbey and the treasury museum, we had authentic crêpe Française for lunch.
And we walked though the village in the afternoon. Conques was a small but really beautiful town with a lot of offer!
