A visit to Tusson in the Charente and four years of blogging!

On 8 February this year, I will have been blogging about My Life in the Charente for 4 years! At times it seems like I have been doing it forever! My posts have slowed up quite a lot, but I thank all of you who have been consistent followers! Since this blog started, I have set up two more, one about my Life Before Charente, (but digging through old diaries and photos is slow!) and my photo blog, the Daily Diary.

In May last year, Ann from Oxford was visiting us, and one of the many places we visited was Tusson. She has already written about it well here, so I am not going to repeat that - you can just look at her blog! I took a few different photos, so here is the village from my perspective!

The village of Tusson was situated on the old Post-Royal road from Paris to Bordeaux. Until 1950, it was very famous for donkey, horse and mule trading, which provided important prosperity for the town.

The settlement owes its existence to Robert d’Arbissel, who founded an abbey here in ancient times. Ruins of its two churches, which were destroyed during the French Revolution, still remain.

Some of the ruins.

This is the  entirely Gothic designed parish church of Saint-Jacques,  founded in 1227 for the town which had grown up around the abbey.  The supports of the West arch of the nave which date from about 1230 still remain. The church was extended in the 15th century; the steeple shown here was added at the same time. Some time later the whole church was restored. 

The murals in the bay under the steeple are the work of a Dutch painter, Emile Viagers, and were painted  in 1946.

The amazing stone vaulted ceiling. What craftsmanship!

 The Way of the Cross was painted by a Parisian artist, Robert Mantienne, who took refuge in Tusson during the Second World War.

Much older murals demonstrate their complete contrast with the 20th century works.

The monumental statue of Saint Jacques in the entrance is the work of a refugee from the Moselle during the same wartime period. Among other artefacts are a 17th century lectern and a fine 16th – 17th century crucifix which probably came from the great neighbouring abbey!!

Outside the church, life seems to go on as normal.  These are workmen from the Marpen club - see later -  on their way to lunch!

Since 1976, many houses in the village  representing the style of the town's traditional buildings have been restored by the archeological "Club Marpen", using the labour services of an international young peoples organisation.  The club also promotes public awareness of local heritage (See Anne's blog) and performs an important function in the area.

The door into the Robert Farmhouse. This imposing farmhouse was built in the Neo-gothic style, which was so popular in the 19th century. It was in this lodge that the inventor Joseph Alexander ROBERT (1807-1885) is said to have developed several of his inventions, one of which was an entirely new type of artillery rifle.

Below the farm, on the way to the fountain there is a well and a lavoir, both supplied with spring water.  I am sure that my followers are now more than aware that a lavoir is where the ladies used to meet to do their washing!

Library of old books.

The publishers Lérot, fairly recently founded by Jean-Paul Louis in Tusson (in 1982), are installed in a set of three old buildings separated by courtyards and gardens. These three buildings house an antiquarian bookstore with offices upstairs, an offset printing workshop and a finishing department respectively.

The Lodge of Marguerite

This lodge, dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, was situated outside the abbey wall and close to the convent. Marguerite de Valois (1492-1549), the sister of King Francois 1, stayed there several times with the rest of her household when travelling between the kingdoms of France and Navarre (an ancient kingdom in the Pyrannean region), of which she was queen.

The buildings now house the museum of regional antiquities, the monastery garden with its medieval herbs, and plants arranged according to medieval designs and the regional heritage training centre.

The House of Heritage is an institution run by the  Marpen club, which consists essentially of a museum of arts and popular traditions and a monastery garden behind. 

Apologies for the odd spacing, Google has a mind of its own!!

See also my daily Photo Diary Here

My Life Before Charente New scanner - New post 11/02/2015