Narrow Streets and Cobblestones

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By early July the weather was really hot. In Moulins, France, we visited the Église du Sacré-Cœur and the Cathedral. It is difficult to pinpoint where specific photos were taken so they're all in together. The Église du Sacré-Cœur, serving the parish of St Nicholas, was created in 1751 in the heart of the Mariners quarter. The parish was given the ruined church of the Dominicans, built in 1515 on the site of the Hôpital St Nicolas, which itself was built in 1367 by Duke Louis II of Bourbon. In 1839 a new arch was built. This was the first cultural edifice in France dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Many of the churches and cathedrals we visited had side altars. In the Église du Sacré-Cœur, one side chapel was devoted to the Black Madonna and featured a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary with a notice saying she was venerated in the Mariners' Quarter during the 15th century. One of the churches had notice boards displaying the years of service of the various évéques (bishops or clerical authorities). Points of interest in the photos: • The building with all the flags is the Marie or Town Hall. • The half-timbered house has a piece of the roof missing. • The close-up of the cathedral frontage shows the black and white stone-work. • Two photos show the narrow streets that Kate, our GPS lady, kept insisting we should drive down. Note the cobblestones on one. • There is also two close-ups of the gargoyles. I didn't realise these are actually for drainage so the water falls away from the base of the walls. There are drainage channels running from the feet of the statues as well. • I love the iron hinges on this big door. • There is a figure on the bell-tower which strikes the bell. I thought this was pretty cool. The last photo shows our lovely camp spot by a lake. Unfortunately the kind man who backed us in didn't allow for our height and we damaged the skylight which we could then no longer raise to let in some air (or let out some smoke). I realise this post won't be of much interest if you can't view the slideshow but I guess them's the breaks.