Conques Concas (Occitan) | |
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Part ofConques-en-Rouergue | |
 A view of Conques | |
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 Location of Conques | |
  Conques  Conques | |
| Coordinates:44°36′01″N2°23′50″E / 44.6003°N 2.3972°E /44.6003; 2.3972 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Aveyron |
| Arrondissement | Rodez |
| Canton | Lot et Dourdou |
| Commune | Conques-en-Rouergue |
Area 1 | 30.51 km2 (11.78 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | 237 |
| • Density | 7.77/km2 (20.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 12320 |
| Elevation | 221–663 m (725–2,175 ft) (avg. 442 m or 1,450 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Conques (French pronunciation:[kɔ̃k];Languedocien:Concas) is a formercommune in theAveyrondepartment inSouthern France, in theOccitaniaregion. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune ofConques-en-Rouergue.[2]
The village is located at the confluence of the riversDourdou de Conques andOuche. It is built on a hillside and has classic narrow medieval streets. As a result, large vehicles such as buses cannot enter the historic town centre and must park outside. Consequently, most day visitors enter on foot. The town was largely passed by in the nineteenth century, and was saved from oblivion by the efforts of a small number of dedicated people. As a result, the historic core of the town has very little construction dating from between 1800 and 1950, leaving the medieval structures remarkably intact. The roads have been paved, and modern-day utility lines are buried. It is one ofLes Plus Beaux Villages de France (most beautiful villages of France).
The town is situated in a valley. Its name originates from Occitan conca 'basin', which is derived from Latin concha 'shell'.[3]
TheAbbey Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques was a popular stop forpilgrims on theCamino de Santiago on their way toSantiago de Compostela in what is now Spain. The main draw for medieval pilgrims at Conques were the remains ofSaint Faith ("Sainte-Foy"), amartyred young woman from the fourth century.
The original monastery building at Conques was an eighth-century oratory built by monks fleeing theSaracens in Spain.[4] The original chapel was destroyed in the eleventh century in order to facilitate the creation of a much larger church[5] as the arrival of the relics of Sainte-Foy caused the pilgrimage route to shift fromAgen to Conques.[6] The second phase of construction, which was completed by the end of the eleventh-century, included the building of the five radiating chapels, the ambulatory with a lower roof, the choir without the gallery and the nave without the galleries.[5] The third phase of construction, which was completed early in the twelfth-century, was inspired by the churches of Toulouse and Santiago Compostela. Like most pilgrimage churches Conques is a basilica plan that has been modified into a cruciform plan.[7] Galleries were added over the aisle and the roof was raised over the transept and choir to allow people to circulate at the gallery level. The western aisle was also added to allow for increased pilgrim traffic.[5] The exterior length of the church is 59 meters. The interior length is 56 meters. the width of each transept is 4 meters. The height of thecrossing tower is 26.40 meters tall.[8]
The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy was added to theUNESCOWorld Heritage Sites in 1998, as part of theWorld Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France. ItsRomanesque architecture, albeit somewhat updated in places, is displayed in periodic self-guided tour opportunities, especially of the upper level, some of which occur at night with live music and appropriately-adjusted light levels.
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American authorHannah Green wrote a non-fiction work about Conques and the church entitledLittle Saint, based on her visit to the town in 1975.[9]
The massive movie set of the fictional provincial town of Villeneuve inBeauty and the Beast was inspired by the town of Conques.[10]
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