CAHORS—CONQUES

We spent the end of the 2020/2021 academic year marching through southern France. Our route led from the town of Cahors, along the river and over low hills, all the way to Conques. We have thus renewed the enduring tradition of contemplating the sights through the eyes of pilgrims.

This time, the composition and workings of the group were a bit unconventional. In addition to seasoned hikers – Sabina, Klára, Anička, Fáva, Ivan and Karolína – a few newcomers also went on this year's march – Verča, a student in the English Master's program, me, approaching the trip as an experiment, using only medieval pilgrimage equipment, and finally little Anastasia, the five-month-old daughter of Karolína and Ivan. Each of us was monitored via smartwatch throughout the pilgrimage. The data collected will be used for further research. The route was also unconventional, since it was notably shorter than usual and went through only two major monuments.

Most of the group met on the morning of June 8 at the Center for Early Medieval Studies in Brno, where we breathlessly loaded all our pilgrimage luggage into the car, as well as books and other equipment for the upcoming Summer School in Conques. The car was fully loaded as we set out, not even a needle could fit in there. As soon as possible, we drove to Lausanne, where we were provided with beds and dinner. There, we also connected with the rest of the team, Ivan, Karolína and Anastasia. The very next day after breakfast we set out. This time, our destination was the city of Conques. We admired the beauty of southern France from the car window as our car approached our destination. At that moment, the group challenged me and Veronika to close our eyes and not see the city or the cathedral until we completed the pilgrimage. This was very important, not only for our personal moment of surprise, but also for the data the watches on our wrists were collecting. The first impressions that Conques and its pilgrimage church would leave us must be authentic, evoked by several days of pilgrimage, not by some view from a car window. In the parking lot in Conques, we prepared our things to sleep outside and headed up the hill outside the city, where we set up camp at a roadside resting place, had dinner, and went to bed. In the morning, we had the final drive to the beginning of our route, the city of Cahors.

In Cahors, we immediately headed to the 11th-century Saint-Étienne Cathedral. We spent quite a while in front of its doors. The most interesting was the northern portal, with an inexhaustible number of details executed in fine stonemasonry work. After a short presentation and a tour of the church and its annexes, we set out on a sandy path along the river. That day, we set up the camp right next to the road, with a beautiful view of the mill.

Right from the beginning of the trip, we were very lucky to meet nice and helpful locals. The next day, we tried to find a grocery store where we wanted to have lunch during our break. By lucky chance, the first person we met was the local mayor, who was very helpful and took us to a nearby store. Luck stayed with us for the next few days. In the village of Gaillac, where we arrived exhausted and hungry, the locals told us that we would not find a shop there. Coincidentally, the person who told us just so happened to own a minibus and offered us a ride to the city of Cajarc – one of the stops on our route. There, we enjoyed a beautiful siesta by the river and ended it with champagne and strawberries. We walked and walked through the picturesque paths of one of the main routes to Santiago de Compostela (GR65). Fortunately, we were going in the opposite direction, passing only pilgrims heading to Santiago.

The last day of the journey awaited us, with our alarm clocks set to 4:20 and a quick pace to the city of Figeac. There we quickly walked through the waking city center and the local church. Then we headed for the train that brought us to Decazeville. From there, we climbed to the highest point of our route. After a long journey, we found refuge from the midday sun in the garden of a former soldier who received us, entertained us, and left his entire garden at our disposal. But soon it was time to go, we had to reach Conques before evening. For a long time, the road led through mild terrain along a ridge overlooking the landscape. Then, suddenly, it descended sharply. As we descended, we heard bells ringing from the Conques Cathedral. We knew we would be there shortly. We arrived at the cathedral at dusk and were overwhelmed by its doorway and the interior of the church. We took a listen to the end of an organ concert and headed to the monks' garden. They welcomed us with a great candlelit dinner, right in the garden, where we later slept. On the next day, the Summer School in Conques began.