Yesterday, as we were feeling in need of a short outing, we decided to visit the grounds of the Chateau de Javarsay at Chef Boutonne. There is a huge fishing lake and park there beside the picturesque gatehouse with a well- kept park around which is very pleasant to stroll around. Afterwards, we left the park by the rear entry and walked down the narrow and charming Rue de Judee ( is this a reminder of a Jewish quarter of Chef?) and re-entered the park by the alley next to the large church of Javarsay. There was an information board about the church, which I had not noticed before, which gave some surprising details of the building.
The board stated that the church was an important stop on the route of pilgrims to Saint Jacques de Compostella, and that the visiting pilgrims were invited to venerate the fifteen relics stored in the church. These included a piece of the Cross, part of the Crown of Thorns, and the dress and veil of the Virgin Mary! Well, I am a believer in Christ but I would be hard put to believe that a church in a small provincial town would have acquired these unique relics and I fear that unscrupulous individuals in the Middle Ages have been practicing on the Church or the pilgrims! I am sure that we more doubting Thomases today would fail to swallow the provenance of these 'relics' !
Bye for now, breakfast calls!
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