Thank you for your kind words! Yes, the planning was incomplete, which is partly why I wrote this blog afterwards in order to synthesize the experience, sense of history and place that flew by so quickly and at times wasn't covered at all. But even the planning deficits worked out in the long run.
Travel is an adventure, after all. Plus, I met some incredible folks on this tour who have become dear friends and travel companions! Please let me know what you think! As Eleanor once wrote: "So that this day may be firm and persevere unchanging in perpetuity, we have commended it to writing. Your comments thereof are welcome and may be affixed forthwith. Tuesday, October 23, Fontevraud Abbaye, Poitiers.
But the primary architectural witness to Plantagenet history that we came to inspect is the Crucifixio n window that occupies primary position in the choir:. Nonetheless, a Latin inscriptio n confirms that this window was a joint gift. A display that included a photo of this window at Fontevraud states that the figures on either side of Eleanor and Henry represent four of their children. At the time I thought they were happy little clapping angels. This year old window of 75 square feet of stained glass is considered by some art historians to be the supreme achievement of Romanesque stained glass in western France.
The window suffered in a Huguenot attack in the s, and underwent an extensive restoration in the 19th century. Eleanor seemed very close to us this day, for the donor panel is one of only three contemporary likenesses believed to be of Eleanor in existence her gisant at Fontevraud and the mural at la Chapelle Sainte Radegonde de Chinon are the other two, although the identity of the figures in the latter are disputed.
Unfortunately we did not get to visit this interesting church, which was situated atop Roman ruins and even contains contains 6th century frescoes. Eleanor would have known St-Jean as a parish church in Poitiers and likely visited it. There are some wonderful images that can be viewed on this site: LINK. What we now know as Le Palais de Justice was once a palace that served as the seat of power for the Counts of Poitou and Dukes of Aquitaine, and was the royal residence for Eleanor, Henry and their children in Poitiers.
