One thing said about Eleanor is that she loved the sun and warmth of Poitiers and disliked the English weather, it is easy to see why, the buildings in this city are all white and shades of white and with the sun shining, it makes it hard to be anything but happy. However, to counter the brightness of the city was the reminder that medieval cities where built on hills. There was an awfully lot of up and down being done today as we explored all but one of the medieval churches.
The first one was the church of St Radagonde also spelled Radigund or Rhadegund or Radegund which is located down the hill on the outskirts of the old town. St. Radagonde was born a princess around 520 and was caught up in family power struggles where her uncle killed her father. Her uncle then allied with the kings of the Franks and when he reneged on a deal with him he was killed and Radagonde was taken by King Clotaire, first as his ward and then later as his sixth wife. She was a beloved queen to took care of the poor and the sick. When her husband killed her brother, she fled the court and convinced a local bishop to set her up as a deaconess of a monestary. She cared for the sick and was a vegetarian. She also insisted her nuns be educated and they spent their day reading and copying scripture. Her 6th century grave is in the crypt.
Next stop, only a stone's throw away was Poitier's cathedral of St Pierre, home to the current archbishop. This church was built by Henry and Eleanor between 1150 and 1162 and one corner has the most amazing ceiling paintings from that time. It was built in the Gothic style and has stained glass dating back to the 12th and 13th century including one that is supposed to be Henry and Eleanor and four of their sons, the Young King, Richard, Geoffrey and John.
From there it was on to St Jean's baptistery which unfortunately is closed on Tuesdays so more on that tomorrow and then to the museum of the St croix which is built on the old nunnery of St. Radagonde. When I say built on, I mean it as one part of the museum houses the remains. It is a modern and rather ugly building but Tuesday entry is free so definitely worth a look. They have an impressive collective of Roman and medieval ruins from the region as well as a couple of Rodin sculptures, small but it is so nice to get close to them in these smaller museums.
Once that was finished, it was time to head over to the Town Hall, an 18th century edifice on a large sunny square.
After a stop for some water, it was time to continue to St Hilaire's church, names for the first bishop of Poitiers named bishop in 350. It dates from 1049 and is a Unesco world heritage site for its role on the French route of the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela. According to legend the church lit up in 507 to help the Franks defeat the Visogoths. Much of the church dates from the 12th century. On the way back to the town hall. It was time for a lunch of quiche Lorraine and delightful French raspberry pastry.
The afternoon agenda included the Notre Dame of Poitiers. Another 11th century church, it was inaugurated by the future Pope Urban II and is in the Romanesque style. The inside walls were painted, each column a different pattern and you can still see the remnants of the paint. There is a legend associated with this church that in 1202 with English surrounding the town, the keys to the town gates disappeared and the mayor feared treason but he went to pray at Notre Dame and found the keys there on the Virgin Mary.
Near Notre Dame is the courthouse, which was the palace of the counts of Pointou. Much of the building is modern and off limits but if you ask nicely the security team will let you go into the grand hall. The grand hall is 50 meters and was built by Eleanor. Today it is vast unused space, except for some modern sculptures of ancient leaders but it is easy to imagine the Poitevin court of Henry, Eleanor and Richard holding audiences there.
Another part of the building was built by Eleanor's grandfather, William IX for his mistress (Eleanor's grandmother). Amerberge, also know as the Dangerous. Outside the tower today stands a status of St Joan who was questioned by the French here at Poitiers when she came to the king and promised to lead him against the English.
The final church for the day was the Abbaye of St Jean de Montieneuf built in the 11th century by William VIII who is buried inside. A church of flying buttresses, it is the troubadour church as William started much of the troubadour writings that Pointou became known for supporting. On the way there, we ran into the Poitier Statue of Liberty.
The day finished in a pretty park full of animals and lovely flowers despite the late season. Most notable was an Insect Hotel with rooms that creepy crawly things would like.
Dinner was all veg, a lovely tomato and cheese salad followed by simmering vegetables and a lemon tart. Now it is raining which looks pretty spectacular from the circular windows in the hotel. Tomorrow, on to Fontevraud.
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