Churches in Auvergne - France

Another postcard that Oscar bought on his way from Switzerland to Portugal. Unfortunately, he didn't visit any of these churches in the french region of Auvergne.

www.editions-debaisieux.fr

These are the churches:

- Church of Saint Astremonius in Issoire, 12th century;

- Church of St. Nectarius, in the city with the same name. Also dates from the 12th century;

- Basilica of Our Lady of Orcival in Orcival, also of the 12th century and Romanesque as the previous two;

- Clermont-Ferrand Gothic Cathedral;

- Basilica of Our Lady of Port, also in Clermond-Ferrand. It was built and rebuilt in Romanesque style between the 6th and 12th centuries;

- Cathedral of Saint-Flour. Built between 1398 and 1466 in Gothic style.

Villars Cave - France

I like to visit caves and it seems that Damien likes caves too. Not so long ago he sent me a Lascaux caves card and this time he sent this one of Villars Cave. 

The Villars Cave is one of Perigord’s largest underground networks with, up until today, about 13 km of explored ground. 

Edition Christophe Levillain

The underground river has dug enormous rooms linked to each other by passages. The infiltration waters have created fantastic natural scenery. 

The prehistoric paintings were discovered in 1958 and are the legacy of the art of our ancestors.

More than 19000 years ago, the Cro-Magnon men frequented the Cluzeau massif. They were nomad hunter-gatherers. These prehistoric men developed a complex cultural world which was expressed through artistic expression.

In Villars, the prehistoric artists used manganese (black natural pigment) which was reduced to a powder and combined with a binder. Some paintings, such as the rotunda of horses is covered by a fine film of calcite, giving it its specific blue hue.

On it, there are many horses as well as ibexes and buffaloes, it is one of the rare human representations of prehistoric art. - in: http://grotte-villars.com/gb/?page_id=93

Alquezar - Spain

Every now and then Celina goes on short but great trips to Spain. In September she went to Aragon region and a few days ago she sent to Andalucia. 

In September she sent me thos great cards from Alquezar, a town in Huesca province, Aragon region. 

Ediciones Sicilia S. A.

Alquezar is an attractive Moorish village situated on the canyon of the Rio Vero in the Sierra de Guara national park. 

Alquezar has lovely, narrow, arcaded lanes which wind up hill to the Moorish citadel set on a rocky outcrop with views down over the village and the river below. Alquezar is entered throug a Gothic gate and then ambling through the narrow streets is like stepping back in time. The ancient town square is surrounded by arcaded houses

The citadel (castle) was built in the 8th century. Christians took the castle and village in the 11th century and built the Collegiate church of Santa Maria la Mayor in the 12th century. Only the cloister with carved capitals remains from this time and the current church is 16th century. - in: http://www.spainthisway.com/places/alquezar.php

Camino de Santiago symbols

Every year thousands of pilgrims and hikers make their way to Santiago de Compostela. This is something I'd like to do someday, just don't know when. Óscar would like to do the Camino too. This postcard he sent shows some of the symbols connected with this network of pilgrims' ways.

© Ediciones A. M. Fotos: N. Benitez; P. Bucero; A. Murillo; A. Badía y D. Acevedo

* Stylized Scallop - Universal symbol as identification of the Way of Saint James. Being an element of identification, it represents schematically the convergence of the various European routes to the city of Santiago de Compostela. In some situations, the stylized viera, as well as identifying element, can be assumed as a guiding element of the route for the pilgrim. In the latter case, the application of this symbol may be positioned in the following direction;

* Santiago Cross - is a Latin cross simulating a sword-shaped lily. It is believed to have originated in the time of the Crusades. The three lilies represent the irreproachable honor which refers to the character traits of the apostle James. The sword represents the noble character of St. James and the way he was martyred, beheaded by a sword.

Yellow Arrow - very popular symbol  among the current pilgrims as a guiding element of the course to follow. Elías Valiña, priest in Cebreiro (Spain), was the pioneer in the application of a sign with yellow arrows as a support to the pilgrims who got lost in this locality. Nowadays the use of the yellow arrow is present in almost all the ways towards Santiago de Compostela. For this reason, this symbol became universal with the pilgrims of Santiago.

Graça Fort - Portugal

I've been to Elvas once to attend a Christmas Postcrossing meeting a few years ago. This city located in easternmost central Portugal, has a lot of wonderful monuments worth to visit, the Graça Fort is definitely one of them. 

© Sergiy Scheblykin 2016 * Iberian Landscapes

PT-541987, sent by Alice.

If you ever visit this fort in Elvas, you might meet Alice, she's has been working there for the last 2 years.

Also known as the Count Lippe Fort, the Graça Fort is located in a mount with the same name, one of the highest mounts in the region, with a big strategic-defensive importance, at about 1km distance north from the town of Elvas. 

This wonderful military monument was started in 1763, ordered by king D. José I, and inaugurated in 1792, already during the reign of Queen D. Maria I. 

Built in an area that had already been suffering with the many enemy attacks, namely from the nearby Spanish forces, the Graça Fort has resisted the Spanish attacks during the Oranges War (1801) and to the French bombings commanded by General Soult, in the context of the Peninsular War (1811). 

Graça Fort is constituted by three defensive lines, including in its interior several dependencies such as barracks, chapel, bunkers, the governor house, a big cistern, cannons, among many others. 

Important part of the Elvas defensive strategy, a town that since early times has been an important strategically defensive point, the Graça Fort was built in the place where before was located the ancient Santa Maria da Graça Chapel. - in: https://www.guiadacidade.pt/en/poi-forte-da-graca-20171

The Fort is classified as National Heritage since 1910 and is part of the UNESCO WHS Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications.

Lourinhã - Portugal

As a teacher, Leninha has taught in several places. This year she moved again and now her postal code is from Lourinhã, from where she sent this postcard with the local Main Church, also known as the Church of Saint Mary of the Castle.

Situated in the lovely village of Lourinhã, this Gothic Church was built in the second half of the 14th century and classified as a National Monument in 1922. 

In the place where the Church is located was, supposedly, located a Moorish fortification dated from the Moorish occupancy of the territory. 

The temple was built in two different phases. It is constituted by a central nave, two laterals and a polygonal apse. The central nave is the highest and wider, separated from the laterals by eight pointed arches with vegetal decorative elements. 

In the southern nave is located a bell tower built in the 17th century. - in: https://www.guiadacidade.pt/en/poi-igreja-de-santa-maria-do-castelo-17317

José Franco Typical Village - Portugal

I had never heard of this typical village until I had received the 1st postcard from there, sent by Ninocas and also signed by Zé and Vitória. The 3 were the participants in the Postcrossing anniversary meeting in 2012.  The other postcard was sent a few days ago by Joana Duarte.

This typical miniature village is located in Sobreiro, about 4 km northwest of Mafra on the road to Ericeira.  

José Franco was born in 1920. His parents were potters by profession, manufacturers of small tiles that farmers in the region used in their homes, and so he too began to manufacture and sell his small pottery door to door and in folk festivals and fairs.By 1945 José Franco dreamed he could build a living museum of his region to mimic the habits of his childhood and some aspects and activities of peasant life.

The most amazing part of this wonderful set is made up of small sets built in the style of a crib, with figurines of clay modeled by José Franco, replicating a village with houses that are copies of the houses on the outskirts of Lisbon from the end of the century.Inside the castle that José Franco built for delight of the children there is another village full of pictures of people in their usual activities - weddings, baptisms, rural churches, and the work of the fields.The center of this small world of wonder is a potters workshop where José Franco was shaping in clay dozens of pictures representing the pastor, the miller, the farmer, the barber, the pig slaughter and all typical figures of the region. - in: https://www.guiadacidade.pt/en/poi-aldeia-tipica-de-jose-franco-20369