Page 407 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

PILGRIMAGE THROUGH
POITOU AND AQUITAINE CODEX CALIXTINUS
There are four main routes across Europe that Possibly the world’s
pilgrims took to get to Compostela. The Way of Tours first tourist guidebook,
is the westernmost route; stretching from Paris to the five-volume Codex
Compostela, it snakes through Poitou and Aquitaine Calixtinus was written
and picks up with the other three routes (the Way of by a French monk in the
St James) in the Pyrenees. In the medieval ages, pilgrims 12th century. Its inten-
would have travelled along well-trodden paths to join tion was to provide
the Way, as well as deviating from the main route to inform ation and advice
visit and pay homage to hermitages, shrines and relics for pilgrims following
as they went. In Poitou and Aquitaine, east of the Way, the Way of St James.
the abbey church of St-Savin (p405) was a popular The illustrated guide
diversion, for its extraordinarily rich narrative frescoes, features routes and
which relay the history of the Old Testament, from the sights to see along the
Creation to the Ten Commandments. Way, as well as the
Pilgrims journeying from the west would have history of St James, a
passed through 13th-century Porte St-Jacques, one of letter by Pope Callixtus
the four city gates of Parthenay (p402), and along rue and reports on miracles.
de la Vau St-Jacques, a narrow cobblestone street that
climbs up to the centre of town, to rest before carrying
on to Poitier (p398) to join the procession. Many pilgrims
would have stayed in 13th-century Notre-Dame-la-
Grande, the white jewel of Poitiers, with an
incredibly intricate Romanesque façade, before
heading south to Saintes to cross a Roman
bridge, at the time the only bridge to cross the
lower Charente river.

Hiking through the
vineyards of Poitou, en
route to Poitiers’ Notre-
Dame-la-Grande (inset)

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