Cozes - Saint-Pierre

A large Romanesque church, belonging to the Augustinian Abbey of Saint-Étienne de Mortagne (15kms south), got erected in Coze within the 12t/13th century. The abbey went under, the church got altered and finally in disrepair. In 1756 the vaults of the nave collapsed and it took great efforts to rebuilt the church within the 19th century.

Some parts of the nave are dating back to the Romanesque structure. On the outside are two extraordenary capitals, illustrating "The Fox and the Stork", one of Aesop´s Fables, that were very popular in medieval times.

Here is part 1:

A fox invites a stork to have dinner with him and provides soup in a shallow bowl. The fox can lap up the soup easily, while the stork cannot drink it with its beak.