Penne D'Agenais is a town in the Lot et Garonne region in
France. It is about 40 kilometers south
of where we were staying in Bournel. The
castle in Penne D'Agenais was fortified by Richard the Lionheart.
The standout attraction was Notre Dame de
Peyregaud - a romanesque basilica with a silvered dome. It turns out that
although it has been a church site since 1000 this basilica is modern - being completed in 1948 and consecrated in
1949.
There are 47 stained glass windows which
were completed over the decade from 1946.
The first church on the site was
destroyed by protestants in 1562. Almost
a century later a second church was built on the site as a result of a peasant
girl's vision. It was destroyed in the
aftermath of the French Revolution.
In the 19th century they tried
again – this time in a Roman-Byzantine style. Local people had pledged to
rebuild if the town was saved from the plague. It took years and years to build
– the first stone was laid in 1897 and the basilica was completed just after
World War II.
It is styled Cœur immaculé de Marie refuge des pécheurs which
means Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners.
There were great views over the Lot
Valley from the hill on which the Basilica stands.
As we were going back to base some big
thunderclouds were gathering as you can see.
I wanna go!
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