Doussay - Saint-Martin

I had not planned to visit Doussay, a small village in Vienne, but the lady I met in Airvault borrowed me her "Sculpture romane du Poitou" a valuable book, I do not own.

There I found out, that Saint-Martin in Dourssay could be traced back to Carolingian times and had even pre-Romanesque elements. When I read about an "elephant-carving" in Doussay, I changed my schedule - and reached the church early morning only to see, that the church was a ruin, fenced in under reconstruction, surrounded by heaps of building material and heavy machinery. "No Entry" signs everywhere!

After a while I met one of the workers and asked him about this elephant. He shook his head, but led me to the local bar, opposite the church, where he told the audience, that this tourist was looking for an elephant in Doussay. This triggered quite an amusement for the locals.