Brioude - Saint-Julien

The Basilica Saint-Julien in Brioude was a collegiate church constructed between 1060 - 1200. The architectoral structure is influenced by great romanesque churches like "Notre-Dame-Du-Port" in Clermont-Ferrand (70kms north) or "Saint-Austremoine" in Issoire (30kms north), planned and constructed within the same century. Three or four very skilled architects worked here over the century, all witrh a different touch. So Saint-Julien is really special, as it differs from the other great churches of the Auvergne.

Brioude was a center of pilgrimage very early, as already within the 4th century a "martyrion" existed over the grave of St. Julien. This building was replaced by an early basilica, financed by Victorius, a "comes" (count), installed by Visigothic king Eurich after he had seized the Auvergne. Gregory of Tours (538-594) visited and described it, when he about a pilgrimage to Saint-Julien undertaken yearly from Avernis (= Clermont-Ferrand) to Brioude. Within the 10th century William I, Duke of Aquitaine, (aka "Guillaume Le Pieux" - "William the Pious") funded the building of a larger church here. He got buried in this church in 917. Around 1060, works on the church still seen today started with the narthex. It took about 140 years, to complete it - and was a stopover at that time for many pilgrims to Santiago, only two days (60kms) away from Le Puy (Via Podensis).

Here is the second of the medieval door-knockers in Brioude, often descibed in the literatur. I know, that in early times the rings were very important. In case a victim of persecution reached the door and and touched the ring had escaped from secular jurisdictation (by entering the clerical one). This was the handle to the sanctuary.

I have seen a lot of medieval lions so far holding the ring.

This is the first time, that I saw a monkey. Even B. Craplet describes this as a monkey! But it is not only that, there is another "sensation".

Just over the monkey´s head is a signature! "GIRA(L)DUS ME FECIT". "Giraldus made me". Nothing is known about Giraldus, who, other than his collegue Gislebertus (of Autun), worked with metal.

Around is engraved "ILLECEBRIS ORIS CAPTOS FALLAX TRA(H)IT ORBIS". - "The artful (devil) misleads the world with alluring lies." So the monkey here gave his face to the devil. The devil has a monkey face. Are all the apes and monkeys that roam through the romanesque Auvergne symbols of the evil? I do not think so, but this one, with his mesmerizing eyes - clearly is.