Maillezais - Saint-Nicolas

Maillezais, a small town with a population of less than 1000, is known for it´s old monastery, founded in the very swampy "Marais Poitevin" in 989. It developed well, when the land around got reclaimed. Later even was a bishop´s see was here. Only some ruins are left of the former Gothic cathedral, as it was burned down by Huguenots during the Wars of Religion and sold as a quarry to local entrepreneurs after the French Revolution.

Saint Nicolas, the parish church had a better fate, though vandalized and severely damaged during the Wars of Religion as well, it did not get ruined like the cathedral. The western facade is built in the "style saintonge" with the flanking blind arches.

There are nice capitals at the facade. This one depicts a dangerous encounter in the thick forest, the pilgrim has to pass through on his "chemin" to Santiago. In the twilight, entangled by vines all of a sudden there was a centaur. There is a straight object starting between the centaurs legs - and ending (in a snake´s head?) in the pilgrim´s chest. It is not the common walking stick, used by medieval pilgrims..

Anyway, the bearded pilgrim starts to run..