CONQUES : to visit the Rue Charlemagne
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The rue Charlemagne
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The steep rue Charlemagne links the
church
square with the
«roman» bridge
over the Dourdou. At the entry, the corbelled dwelling with wooden struts dating back to the
XVIIth century is hold on the corner by a stone corbel coming from the abbey-church which
represents Adam eating the prohibited apple.
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The Barry gate
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Down below, the Barry Gate, one of the three preserved gates of the town, with its great
red arch, is a construction dating back to the XIth or the XIIth century, at least as far
as its lower part is concerned. Beyond it, the main suburb of Conques (called the «Barry»
in occitan) was beginning.
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The Barry fountain
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The Barry Fountain, situated in a recess of the rue Charlemagne, also belongs to the roman
period. The spring water flows into a subterranean reservoir covered by a barrel vault.
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The Saint Roch chapel
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A path leaves the rue Charlemagne to lead to a rocky hillock above the confluence of
both the Ouche and the Dourdou. There, the Saint Roch chapel (XVIth century) is built on
the site of an old fortified castle which allows us to command a very beautiful view on
the village and both the Dourdou and the
roman bridge
on the other side.
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The "roman" bridge
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Over the Dourdou, the old humpbacked «roman» bridge (that is the pilgrims bridge, or
«roumis») gave access to the way to Aubin and Villefranche of Rouergue.
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Texts from Jean-Claude FAU
Editions of Beffroi - Regional Council of Aveyron
Photographs from André KUMURDJIAN
Translation from
Valérie FABRE
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