Jerusalem Way: Decazeville - Conques

Today we are hiking in the department of Aveyron. Our stage town Conques is not located in the Lot valley, but in the valley of the southern Lot tributary «Le Dourdou». However, since we are not hiking along the Lot but over the heights, we come by a fairly direct route to Conques.
From Decazeville the path gently rises to the height, the steeper sections await us only towards the end of the stage. At Noailhac we come across the chapel of St. Roch, a saint who enjoys considerable fame in this area and whose name is therefore frequently encountered. Later on the heights before the valley of the stream «Le Dourdou» we come across the chapel Sainte-Foy, which, like the church of Conques, is dedicated to the martyr Foy. Then follows the descent to the stream «Le Dourdou», which we cross on a bridge from the 15th century. Finally follows the final ascent to Conques, where we come across another chapel Saint-Roch in front of the town.
The stage town of Conques is also referred to as the «pearl on the way from Santiago to Le Puy-En-Velay», and we will certainly share this assessment. In the 9th century the still well-preserved Benedictine monastery was established here, which today serves as a pilgrim accommodation. The church Ste. Foy is especially known for the tympanum on the west portal, a masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture.

Note(s)
The «Jerusalem Way / JERUSALEM WAY» is a pilgrimage route network that leads pilgrims from Central Europe to Jerusalem. Jerusalem, together with Rome and Santiago de Compostela, is one of the three most important Christian pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages. This route begins at Cape Finisterre on the west coast of Europe and leads either through Italy or along the Danube via the Balkans into Turkey, and from there again along a common route to Jerusalem.

See also
See also www.jerusalemway.org/