Sainte-Foy - Conques a-n-d Alsace!

[scruffy1]

The fabulous Romanesque!!! Reading up on Romanesque churches in Alsace and I come across L'église Sainte-Foy in Sélestat, France not far from Strasbourg. ..."First mentioned in 1085 by Hildegarde de Büren" then...excuse my French..."y fit élever un édifice dont le plan s'inspirait de celui du Saint Sepulcre a Jerusalem. Cette fondation fut transferee a l'abbaye Saint Foy de Conques en 1094"??? Whatever does this mean? I am very familiar with the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, my home is here in Jerusalem. The photographs from the church in Sélestat show shared Romanesque features but no real resemblance. I know that the slippery slide descent into Conques after a rain can be treacherous a-n-d the ascent from Conques in the rain is even worse but "The foundation was transferred to Conques in 1085" has me stumped. The Sainte-Foy cult was transferred? The Sainte-Foy foundation of what was transferred? Would like to be enlightened please.
PS Saint James abounds in Alsace from Feldbach in the south to Ottrott in the north - Jerusalem may be found in Ottmarsheim by way of Aachen - Watch this Space!

 

[mspath]

Scruffy,
In this world of daily chaos there is little better than to read about the "good old days" ie Medieval building history.
Here are many citations re Selestat, Conques, and Sainte Foy for your perusal.
Happy ( continued research )!

Margaret

Église Sainte-Foy de Sélestat — Wikipédia

fr.wikipedia.org

Abbatiale Sainte-Foy de Conques — Wikipédia

fr.wikipedia.org

Saint Faith - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Kathar1na]

Cette fondation fut transferee a l'abbaye Saint Foy de Conques en 1094"??? Whatever does this mean?

Hildegarde de Buren fonda en 1087 à cet endroit une petite église et en fit don en 1094 à l'abbaye Sainte Foy à Conques en Rouergue. She founded the small church and then she donated it to Conques. It became a priory of the Conques Abbey. That's what fondation transferée means in this context.

 

[scruffy1]

Selestat held the remains of Ste Foy a young woman martyred during the fourth century. However the relics of St. Foy arrived in Conques through theft in 866.
The Conques abbey had opened a priory next to the shrine in Selestat; a monk from Conques posed as a loyal monk for nearly a decade in order to get close enough to the relics to steal them. (!!)

P-l-e-a-s-e Margaret, translated not stolen not theft. If the relics were not meant to be placed within the Roman sculpture the Saint would never allowed this to happen. A short story. Conques pilgrims mass and the good priests were somewhat amazed that a Jewish man and one from Jerusalem at that attended their mass. The organist, one of the very best professionals in all of France, came to meet me after my response to"D'où êtes vous tous" being "Un juif de Jersalem". He blessed me in Hebrew singing our most well known prayer Shema Israel - Hear oh Israel - one of the most moving moments I ever experienced on the Camino!

"

 

[scruffy1]

Hildegarde de Buren fonda en 1087 à cet endroit une petite église et en fit don en 1094 à l'abbaye Sainte Foy à Conques en Rouergue. She founded the small church and then she donated it to Conques. It became a priory of the Conques Abbey. That's what fondation transferée means in this context.

Thank you very much, A short story. Conques pilgrims mass and the good priests were somewhat amazed that a Jewish man and one from Jerusalem at that attended their mass. The organist, one of the very best professionals in all of France, came to meet me after my response to"D'où êtes vous tous" being "Un juif de Jersalem". He blessed me in Hebrew singing our most well known prayer Shema Israel - Hear oh Israel - one of the most moving moments I ever experienced on the Camino!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

My favorite photo taken from our room at the Abbey St Foy in Conques!

 

[Susan Maria]

P-l-e-a-s-e Margaret, translated not stolen not theft. If the relics were not meant to be placed within the Roman sculpture the Saint would never allowed this to happen. A short story. Conques pilgrims mass and the good priests were somewhat amazed that a Jewish man and one from Jerusalem at that attended their mass. The organist, one of the very best professionals in all of France, came to meet me after my response to"D'où êtes vous tous" being "Un juif de Jersalem". He blessed me in Hebrew singing our most well known prayer Shema Israel - Hear oh Israel - one of the most moving moments I ever experienced on the Camino!

"

If you visit Conques, and understand some French, you must attend the Sainte Foy monk's evening lecture in French on the carved arched doorway at the abbey, with the illustrations of heaven and hell. It's almost a comedy stand-up - and probably has been for 900 years. In it, you will hear the story of the theft, as told by a monk.

 

[scruffy1]

If you visit Conques, and understand some French, you must attend the Sainte Foy monk's evening lecture in French on the carved arched doorway at the abbey, with the illustrations of heaven and hell. It's almost a comedy stand-up - and probably has been for 900 years. In it, you will hear the story of the theft, as told by a monk.

Modern man has become so uninspired so hide bound within what is considered reality-such a shame. Even a quick flip through a medieval text say "The Golden Legend" by Blessed Jacobus de Varagine will revel many instances where individuals, clergy and secular, attempted to remove relics from one resting place to another. True it was often successful however if the saint in question did not desire to be trundled about the countryside to a new home the people involved were often left paralyzed or found attached to the reliquary until help arrived or were struck dead on the spot. Therefore, relics were never stolen they were transferred or in academic language translated from place to place but never ever stolen.
PS the good monk relating the story of the church and the tympanum also walks you through the different scenes depicted there. My rapidly disappearing schoolboy French was adequate enough for a wonderful experience.

 

[NavyBlue]

Hi,

"The foundation was transferred to Conques in 1085" has me stumped. The Sainte-Foy cult was transferred? The Sainte-Foy foundation of what was transferred? Would like to be enlightened please.

In medieval French, "Foundation" has the current meaning of creation, but also of "funding". "Fonder une messe" for instance is an agreement with the church board, for a periodic mass (annual, monthly or even daily) funded by transfer of a regular income.

P-l-e-a-s-e Margaret, translated not stolen not theft.

The former owners would not agree In fact, when I attended the lecture "the good monk relating the story", very tongue in cheek, proposed "furtive translation" or "pious larceny" to qualify the facts.

 

[billmclaughlin]

In a word, fondation = endowment