What to see in Conques, a beautiful town on the French Camino de Santiago

I tell you that Conques It is one of the most beautiful towns I remember visiting in my life.

Perhaps I am influenced by still having the images of its beautiful corners in my retina, but the truth is that Conques is, from my point of view, the most outstanding of the beautiful route through the beautiful towns in the department of Aveyron, in the region of Occitania al South of France.

I'm going to place you and soon you will have the opportunity to know Conques.

Imagine a mid-mountain area, with lush forests, and whose greenery and characteristics take you to the landscapes of Galicia.

On a hillside, among the forest, lies a very small town, almost a village, through which time does not seem to have passed.

Where is Conques in France

Conques It is a town where barely 90 inhabitants reside during the year, but located in the Camino de Santiago frances, each year it receives half a million visitors, of which about 3.000 are pilgrims.

Conques It is located less than 200 kilometers north of Toulouse, in the hitherto unknown department of Aveyron, in the aforementioned region of Occitania.

In this region I have also been able to visit other very beautiful towns, such as Najac o Belcastel.

I don't want to imagine Conques full of tourists and buses at the entrance, as can happen on the weekend in other beautiful towns, as would be, for example, the case of Santillana del Mar en Cantabria.

What's more, it's hard for me to imagine because I was fortunate enough to visit it on a weekday at the beginning of July, when there were hardly any visitors.

Curiosities history of Conques

Conques (basins, in the regional language, Occitan) is a town whose history dates back to the Roman age, but its current buildings are from the High Middle Ages, in the fifteenth century.

At that time Conques It was considered a city, when now it is a very small town, almost a village, where the imposing dimensions of the town stand out. Romanesque Abbey of San Fe, built in the year 1052.

What to see and do when visiting Conques in the south of France

The best way to start discover Conques is to climb a gazebo which is identified by a cruiser, and from where you have beautiful panoramic views.

Viewpoint with panoramic views of Conques

To get to the viewpoint, as you arrive from the south on the road D901 that borders the river, before taking the road that leads to the right to the town, you must take the one that about 500 meters before goes up to the viewpoint.

From there you have some spectacular and beautiful panoramic views of Conques.

Rural architecture in Conques

Once you arrive at the town, I can tell you that during your visit you will not get tired of walking through the steep streets of Conques.

During the walk you will search for corners where you can enjoy its beauty. country architectureWith its houses with half-timbered facades, combined with the slate of the roofs.

Gates of the Conques wall

From the almost complete old medieval wall You can still go through some door, like the one in Barry or of Iron.

You will also find sources whose existence is known since the 12th century, such as the Source of Plo, next to the entrance to the abbey.

And you will even see a small castleThat of humieres, from the 15th century, which you will recognize by its tower with an octagonal silver crown.

Romanesque abbey of Santa Fe in Conques

The Abbey of Conques, is a Romanesque temple whose majesty will seem much greater when found in a small village, on the side of a wooded hill.

And it has in common with San Sernín that it is part of the Camino de Santiago French, and which is considered as Heritage.

What's more, the enormous dimensions of these two Romanesque churches built in the 11th century are due precisely to their dual function of holding liturgical celebrations and housing the thousands of pilgrims who traveled along this path.

Specifically, the current building of the Abbey of Santa Fe de Conques Construction began in the year 1031 on an old hermitage from the 1125th century, and the works continued until the year XNUMX.

For a total length of 56 meters, this Romanesque church has a transept of enormous width, 35 meters, with the aim of having ample space for pilgrims.

Its interior height will also surprise you. 22 meters in the central nave, and 10,30 meters in the side naves. For its part, the height of the dome of the lantern tower, already in Gothic style, which was built in the 26th century, is XNUMX meters.

The result is a Romanesque church of such dimensions that it becomes an exceptional building.

En Conques Initially a Benedictine monastery was established, but from the 16th century onwards it was the Augustinians who began to reside there. Today there are still five Augustinian monks.

Tu visit of the Abbey of Santa Fe de Conques You can start it in the so-called Treasure of Conques. The museum is located in the building in the old cloister of the monastery, from the 11th century.

With very modern facilities, behind an impressive access door to this true security camera you find two rooms where you can see a set of reliquaries unique in the world, some of which date back to the 7th and 8th centuries.

Among this true treasure of goldsmith There is a reliquary that was ordered to be made by Charlemagne, at the end of the 11th century.

And also a reliquary donated by the Bishop of Barbastro which is said to have a relic of the cross of Christ.

The most significant artistic work preserved in the Treasure of Conques is Majesty of the Holy Faith, a large reliquary in the form of a statue made of gold and precious stones during the 9th and 10th centuries.

Your subsequent visit to the church forces you first to stop at the porch to take a closer look at the impressive eardrum of the Abbey of Conques, in which through 124 characters the theme of Final judgment and which I will tell you about later.

You will be in front of one of the most important sculptural works in France made during the 12th century.

At interior of the Abbey of Conques The most significant thing should be a tour of the different capitals, where various scenes of great artistic value are shown.

In this desire to see the capitals, it is advisable that you sign up for the guided tours that Conques Tourist Office It is organized to go up to the stands, that is, to the upper floor that runs through the side naves and the apse of the building.

On the tour through the high stands you will also be able to see up close the modern stained glass made by the artist Pierre Soulages, which ended in 1994.

These visits are carried out in French during the period from April to September, with a duration of 45 minutes and a price of 4,50 euros.

In the most touristy months, visits are also carried out in Spanish, which you can consult at the aforementioned office, very close to the abbey.

Yes, the guided tour of the stands of the Abbey of ConquesFor safety reasons, children under 12 years of age cannot do it.

In addition, there are also guided tours of the abbey, which are also performed at certain times in Spanish. This visit begins in front of the tympanum, and then continues inside, where the history of the temple and its architectural characteristics are explained.

El price This 45-minute visit costs 4 euros for adults and 2 euros for children.

Final Judgment Tympanum in Conques Abbey

The tympanum of its cover is, possibly, the most outstanding artistic element that you will see in the imposing Romanesque abbey of Conques.

And the sculptural work on the tympanum of the porch seems to have been made in the first half of the 12th century by a sculptor who had already worked in the Santiago's cathedral, possibly in the Porch of Glory.

In fact, when you get to the very small town of Conques and you stand before the portico of the façade of his romanesque abbey, I assure you that you will be impressed by the sculptural richness of its tympanum.

Dedicated to the theme of Final judgment, in the tympanum there are up to 124 characters whose figures are very well preserved.

With a width of almost 7 meters and a height of 3,60 meters, the semicircle of the tympanum has three clearly delimited areas, divided into several compartments where different scenes are represented.

The image of Christ has the greatest prominence in the center of the sculptural group, and under it there is a scene with the archangel saint michael and a mocking demon.

In other places scenes of the Paraiso, or the Virgin with San Pedro and people of the chosen. Bill Infierno, demons and other infernal creatures also have a large presence in different spaces of the eardrum.

Finally, as a curiosity, when you are in front of the tympanum, do not stop paying attention to the figures of the curiosities that appear through the exterior archway.

Conques Treasure Museum

In the building next to the space once occupied by the cloister of an old monastery you can visit the Treasure of Conques, a small museum where a collection of reliquaries dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries.

Finally, I will tell you that on your walk through the town you will find artisan shops that work with leather, stone sculptures or jewelry.

Guided tours in Conques

I tell you that you can sign up for guided tours in Conques, which organizes the Tourist Office.

They are visits in French with various themes, from a walk through the medieval town or the visit of the Abbey of Santa Fe and the goldsmith's collection, and it is also worth highlighting the visit The Nights of Conques, which includes the multimedia presentation of the abbey's tympanum.

With a duration of 45 minutes, the guided tour prices It is 5 euros for adults (6 euros for the night visit) and 3 euros for children.

For visit Conques in Spanish You can rent a tablet with tourist information and the price is 10 euros for adults and 5 euros for young people from 14 to 17 years old.

Map: where it is and how to get to Conques

Conques It is 45 minutes away north of the city of Rodez already two hours and a quarter north of Toulouse.

Photos of Conques in the south of France

Here you have more photos of Conques, beautiful town to visit in the department of Aveyron for the Occitania region, south of France.