CONQUES : to visit the golden treasure
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The golden treasure
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Saint Foy in golden majesty
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A golden statue adorned with precious stones
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"When we appeared before her, the space was so tight, the prostrated crowd was so
pressing, that we could not fall on our knees... Seeing her for the first time, all in
gold, adorned with flashing precious stones and looking like a human face, it seemed
to most of the farmers who contemplated her that the statue was looking at them in a
lively way and that she granted their plea with her eyes".
Since Bernard of Angers wrote this text, that is in the year 1010, everything has
changed round the statue, its material and as well as spiritual environment. The fervour
which surrounded the notable reliquaries - a top of the skull lined with silver
recognized for having belonged to a very young girl and placed in a cavity of the wooden
soul - has softened. Nevertheless, in this impassive face, the dark-blue enamelled eyes
fixed on eternity do not have lost their strange fascinating power.
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Changes and embellishments
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Since its creation, the statue-reliquary has known a series of changes or embellishments
which allow us to distinguish several successive states even if they do not distort its
essential characteristics. Firstly, we must set aside the long tight shoes which only
date back to the last century, except for the top filigree bands. Its forearms
horizontally outstretched and its hands which hold a small tube intended for receiving
one flower have only been crafted in the XVIth century. For this reason, we ignore the
precise gesture initially attributed to the saint. The Gothic period has brought to it a
considerable overabundance composed of various golden pieces coming from the pilgrims'
donations. The most important addition consisted in a sheet of cut silver of the XIVth
century placed on its breast and allowing to see the relic through a four-lobed central
opening. Thus we can go back up to the description left by the
Book of Miracles
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in the beginning of the XIth century. Nevertheless, even then, the Majesty did not
appear in its basic state seeing that Bernard talks about the considerable enrichments
it benefited from following donations. Therefore we must admit that the present statue,
though reshaped, was born in the IXth century, shortly after the arrival at Conques of
the relics of the saint from Agen. This would confers on it an undoubted precedence in
comparison with other well-known statues, such as the Golden Virgin from Clermont for
example, which all seem to belong to the Xth century.
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At the time of the dismantling and restoration in 1955, we noticed that the two blocks in
yew wood crudely pruned from tree trunk and used as a support for the cladding's thin gold
leaves stop at the neck. Therefore, the head made in a different gold, too big for the body
and badly adapted to it, is hollowed. Nowadays, archaeologists agree to admit that this
head, prior to the statue, probably belonged to a roman emperor of Low Empire. And, when you
think about it, you can see that this manly mask is largely responsible for the oddness
which emanates from the saint. Likewise the examination seems to prove that the crown was
originally a royal diadem of which the diameter would have been reduced in order to adjust
it to the head of the statue. Adding to it numerous antique intails over amethyst as well as
the great rock crystal intail of the Crucifixion on the throne's back, similar to the
imperial treasure's one, we can conclude that Saint Foy of Conques has probably benefited
from royal donations from Carolingian monarchs, perhaps Louis the Pious or Pépin of
Aquitaine who set theirselves up as the abbey's guardians.
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Beauty of the work
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The work is not beautiful in itself. One may criticize its stiffness, ill-formed body,
small stature (85 cm). In fact, we must try to use our imagination to understand the
plan striven by its author one millennium ago : to represent the triumphant saint
transformed by her martyrdom, accompanied by her royal attributes, the crown and throne
which symbolize her heavenly glory. This fascinating Saint Foy Majesty is also
surrounded by about forty golden pieces, not to mention precious cloth which wrapped the
relics or Aubusson's tapestries of the XVIth century which represent in four stages the
saint's martyrdom.
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Intail of the dress (217)
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Texts from Jean-Claude FAU
Guide Bleu - Midi Pyrénées
Photographs from André KUMURDJIAN
Translation from
Valérie FABRE
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