Morlaàs - Sainte-Foy

In 1080, when Morlaàs was in its heydays, the building of this church started by Centulle V, Viscount of Béarn, who had to make an atonement.
Morlaàs developed to an important "étape" on the Via Tolosana at that time. As the church was dedicated to St. Foy there was a kind of "link" to Conques. Later the pilgrimage business declined, the viscounts had moved away, wars arose.... The church burnt down in 1520, got severely damaged in 1569. During the French Revolution the church turned to a "Temple of Reason". The restorations of the 19th century saved the structure.

Viollet-le-Duc, the influential "Inspecteur général des Edifices Diocésains" led the restoration of the portal. At all places, where he worked (eg "Carcasonne", "Vézelay"), he "recreated" and creatively "completed", what is a method, that is disputed meanwhile. The condition of the portal is a result of this restoration. After the cleaning done in the last years and the installation of pigeon-defence-wires, the carvings are "mint".

All archivolts are semicircular. The large archivolt depicting the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse, a common icon on Romanesque portals (Moissac, Chartres, Santiago de Compostela ..) is as well semicircular.

The lavishly clothed elders wearing crowns, hold their instruments and - have a chat.

I rotated this photo as imho now the details are better visible. So the elders now seem to sit in a frieze.