Monday 23 January 2012

Round and About : 'Marthon' Part Two

For Marthon Part one see here.

Looking down from the hill where the castle keep still stands, one can clearly see the River Bandiat running through the valley below and between the streets of the town.  The Bandiat is a small (and quite short) river, only 91 km long and is a tributary of the Tardoire. The river bridge in the town has been restored fairly recently, as you can see below.




Quite near to the river is the building below.  The entrance doors look more appropriate to a religious building, but the structure itself  does not. On further investigation, I think this is the Chapelle-Porte (chapel-doorway), the gateway to the castle. This is a tall building which combines a chapel on the upper storey and the gateway to the castle below and was built into the defensive walls around the castle. See Here

On the opposite side of the road and a little further on, is the Church of Saint Martin
The roman style Church of Saint-Martin  on the edge of the town has seen better days, the stonework being badly cracked in some places and having temporary timber supports in others. It is unusual, in my limited experience here, to see a church in a rather neglected state; religious life does however go on here regularly, judging by a paper list of services pinned up near the entrance. It does have some attractive features;  the photo above shows the belltower with its arched openings. The photo below shows two more -  the statue in a niche above the entrance and the unusual arch inset in the walls at ground level - this is called an 'enfeu' and is a tomb, likely to be that of a local dignitary, who would have been originally buried in the church wall itself.
Sadly the church door was locked, so we were unable to see what the inside looked like! Below is a modern plastic sign in French and English, highlighting the features of the building.

As always click on the photo to see it larger and read the writing.

This rear church wall appeared to have small openings which had been filled in over the years, but the one on the far right was in fact a very small stained glass window - see below. In other places, the stone has decayed and crumbled.


This house below was opposite the church, across a small lane. I just liked it as I thought that  the owners had done a fantastic job of restoration; I loved the well in the garden.

Here endeth the Tour of Marthon, but on the same day we also visited Mazerolles and there the church was open, so watch this space.

84 comments:

  1. Another lovely tour that makes me discover France through your eyes and a region that I hardly know!
    I can understand you like the house across the church and ... its well!! :)
    Cheers, love and à bientôt, Diane!

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  2. Wow,you are so lucky to be able to see all those stunning historical buildings and sites! I also think the well in the last pic is to die for!

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  3. nice clicks

    Aarthi
    http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/

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  4. Noushka I am glad you enjoy my tours as you must see so many villages and towns in your own area. Great restoration on that house :) Diane

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  5. Liesl, you need to arrange a business trip in this direction to collect some animals :)) Diane

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  6. Aarthi thanks for your visit and comment. Diane

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  7. Hello Diane:
    It is so good to see these hidden corners of France with you. The bridge over the river looked to have been restored beautifully so rather a pity that the church is still in need of some attention. But, the sweet stained glass window....so very pretty!

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  8. Jane and Lance I am sure that the church will get restored, finances are always a problem. When we arrived here in 2005 one of our local church was looking very sad, it now looks fantastic. Diane

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  9. What a lovely tour Diane.
    And i just can't get over the blue sky and the sunshine. And you are vlearly enjoying it!
    Red

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  10. Another great tour Diane, I really enjoy your visits to other towns.

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  11. These towns all have such history associated with them. I, too, love that restoration. What a nice job they've done. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  12. Boye By Red, it is good to hear you enjoy the tours. We have had an extremely mild winter to date. We have had a lot of rain, but we have had a good share of blue skies. Diane

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  13. Thanks Ellie for you visits and comments. Take care Diane

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  14. Mary I was disappointed that we never managed to get into the church, but there was plenty to see elsewhere. Keep well Diane

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  15. Love the old buildings and church. That would be so interesting to see the inside of the church too. I can see where patches have been done to the old building. I wonder what the small window was used for. Love the restored home and the well in the front. Nice.

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  16. Becca I guess we will never know what that little window is for. If we go that way again I will check to see if the door is open. Diane

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  17. Quel endroit ravissant ! J'aime les vieilles pierres !
    Bisous
    Hélène

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  18. Such lovely, interesting pictures, it seems everywhere you look in Europe is a photo-op! How fun to wander through such a quaint, pretty village - I love the bridge - they did a beautiful job with the restoration!

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  19. You know, I think that we drove through there, a few years ago, on the way to Bordeaux.

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  20. This place looks so serene ...just beautiful :)

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  21. It's a very pretty town! And you had a nice, sunny day for your tour, which makes it ever so much nicer. Looking forward to your next tour!

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  22. I really love the restored house in the bottom photo. Stunning!

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  23. yeah, looking at the last photo of the house if compared to some of the buildings shown in part 1, this is definately well restored. Is it unusual to see a church in a small town?

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  24. I enjoyed out walk Diane, merci,

    SP

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  25. Pity that you cannot come inside!

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  26. What a lovely trip around Marthon, so looking forward to your next trip that you share with us. At least I shall know where to visit next time we are over. xx

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  27. Hélène, J'aime aussi les bâtiments anciens. Merci pour votre visite. Diane x

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  28. The Café Sucré Farine, you are right there are so many perfect places to take photos here. In summer it is great going out on my bike. Diane

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  29. cheshire wife, it is quite possible but it is well off the main road. If you took the scenic route then it is possible. Diane

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  30. Vegetarian Surprises, I normally take photos between 12and 2pm, as then almost the whole of France comes to a standstill for lunch. It means that it is very quiet as everyone is eating :)) Diane

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  31. Marjie we are back to grey and damp again but we have had a few sunny days! Diane

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  32. Joyful I have to agree that this was a particularly good restoration. Diane

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  33. Lena I think you will find all small towns here will have a church and also many of the villages. The French (particularly in some areas) are generally are very religious. Diane

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  34. Merci SP, it makes a change from the places that you are used to. Diane

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  35. Ola, yes it was a shame we could not go inside, but we did manage in the other village we went to. Diane

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  36. Karen there are just so many places to visit in France and some with masses of history. When do you plan to visit? Diane

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  37. This is very interesting, Diane. The bridge is really charming but too bad the church needs some work. I hope it is taken care of and not neglected. The house looks great---I'd just love to see inside the door and the same goes for the church. Just curious, how far is this from where you live?

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  38. Thank you Diane for this interesting tour!
    Very nice old Church and so beautiful the home in the last photo!
    Best regards
    Many kisses

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  39. Such a quaint and beautiful town. I think that house looks wonderful - they did a great job restoring it!

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  40. Sonia I like your feelings :) Thanks for the visit and the comment. Diane

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  41. Pam I am sure it will get restored. Most buildings that are in use get sorted out in time. I was delighted yesterday, to see a beautiful railway station nearby that looked very sad with scaffolding around it and workman there :)) Marthon is about 30 minutes from where we live. Diane

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  42. Magda glad you enjoyed the tour my friend. Europe has some beautiful places. Keep well my friend Diane x

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  43. Pam they obviously were not short of money to do such an excellent job of that restoration, or of course they were builders! It certainly looks good, Diane

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  44. I enjoyed my lovely walk with you - they did a great job restoring the riverside. xxx

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  45. I love that house with the shutters. That would be perfect for me! Honestly, I love that kind of stonework... positively like art!

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  46. Ah Diane, I do look forward to your posts which whisk me away to France reading about it and seeing it through your eyes. Fabulous. x

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  47. Your celery plants are really handsome – I have never seen so many leaves but then I only see celery at the grocery store. I think your soup would work well with broccoli too, have you tried it with it? I like to look at your photos taken around your town. I am not familiar with that area; it looks picturesque.

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  48. What nice and lovely pictures always you have Diane!! gloria

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  49. Belas fotografias...Espectacular....
    Cumprimentos

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  50. I feel like I was just on vacation again...sigh! But I wasn't! Great stories.

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  51. lostpastremembered, I had to laugh when I saw your comment. When I took that photo, it went through my mind that I could see you walking out of the front door LOL. Diane

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  52. Froggy thanks for the kind comments but I hope that you will be seeing it through your own eyes one day. Take care Diane

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  53. Vagabonde I am sure you are right, but I only use vegetables that are growing in my garden. No broccoli at the moment, maybe later in the year.

    This is a beautiful area and yesterday we saw something quite magical out walking with a French club. I have another post to do first but watch this space :-)) Diane

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  54. Thanks Gloria, I always appreciate your comments. Take care Dciane

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  55. Fernando Santos, Saudações, obrigado pelo comentário. Diane

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  56. Sarah reading your comment made me sigh for you! Hope you are on vacation again quite soon. Diane

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  57. Ca fait toujours plaisir de te suivre à travers la France profonde.
    A très bientôt

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  58. Nadgi, Merci pour vos commentaire. Je les apprécie. A très bientôt. Diane

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  59. Diane, yes I agree that is one excellent restoration. I would love to have seen the before photo!! Diane

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  60. as always, very interesting reportage

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  61. Hello Diane, your pictures are beautiful. Thank you for the tour. Other than Paris I haven't seen other parts of France, maybe some day....

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  62. Those are absolutely wonderful pictures. I also really enjoy the wooden door on the chapel gateway! Impressive.

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  63. Thanks anni for the visit and comment. Keep well. Diane

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  64. Marco Pasho, Paris is beautiful and there is so much to see there. But there are so many small places that have so much history and interest scattered all over France. It amazes me each time we go out what we find hidden away. Diane

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  65. Jen that doorway is impressive, but it is also the entrance to the keep as well as the chapel. Thanks for your visit. Diane

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  66. It looks so nice. Lovely photos.:-) Hugs Stina

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  67. I wonder why the door of the church was locked? I agree with you on that house, it looks so pretty with those stones and the well is an added bonus.

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  68. I must of really arrived late here...my finger is exausted from scrolling down to the end of all these comments! :)

    I love the photos with the doors. That house is beautiful, hard to picture it right across the street.

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  69. Lilla Kullan, thanks for the visit and the comment. Diane

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  70. chubskulit I often find some of the country churches locked. I think they are very historic and care is taken to look after them. Diane

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  71. Lyndsey, I hope the finger has recovered LOL. It is a very narrow road and it really shows up the difference between old and restored! Diane

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  72. Re. the holes in the rear wall, they look like they may previously have supported beams which are no longer there - perhaps some extension which has been pulled down over the years. What do you reckon? Is that feasible from what you saw?

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  73. Thank your for the tour. I loved seeing the old buildings and the church, so lovely.

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  74. Tim my husband who is in the building trade, says the pattern of the holes does not suggest beams have been removed or that there was an extension. The one is very definitely a small window, maybe there were more, but the pattern does also not suggest they would all be windows!! Mystery. Thanks for your visit and comment. Diane

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  75. Words Of Deliciousness glad you enjoyed the tour and the old buildings. Take care Diane

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  76. Très bon weekend et à bientôt.

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  77. Wonderful old church! The new header is also lovely.

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  78. Thanks JM for visiting and the comment. I am always happy when you come to 'see' me. Diane

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  79. What a beautiful trip you take us on.
    Everything is so lovely. The church is very interesting..The home is really well taken care of and beautiful..
    Hope you both are well..George/Cara still have a bit of cough. Can't wait till spring..then the flu will run rampart..haha..xoCarolyn

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  80. Carolyn glad that you enjoyed the tour. This cough just does no want to let go, I still cough a bit during the day and quite a lot when I first go to bed. Nigel has not been well since Xmas, very up and down, and he now also has a terrible cough. We can't win!! Diane x

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  81. Oh, I loved this post even more (if that is possible) than Marathon part I. I would just love it there, with the fascinating castle (I am sure you are right about it being a Chapelle Porte by the way) and the sadly neglected church. It surely is in need of renovation, but still looks charming and how sad you couldn't get in.

    The little stained glass window is exquisite Diane.

    Yes, Marathon is very much on my list of Places in France I Must Visit Soon :)

    Thank you for two informative and well written posts.

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  82. Dolly you should be working but I am delighted to see you on my blog.
    I hope that one day soon the people there will decide to restore the church it is so lovely. I agree that little window is so cute.
    One day you will see it for yourself :) Diane

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