Le Teil - Saint-Étienne de Mélas

A church is known in Mélas (now part of Le Teil), located at the Roman road connecting Lyon and Nîmes, since merovingien times. A noble lady named Fredegonde founded a nunnery in Mélas end of the 6th century, dedicated to Saint-Étienne and Saint Saturnin.

Today´s church is younger. It consists out of three parts built in different times.

The oldest part is an octogonal chapel, dated the the 9th/10th century (see previous uploads).

Two of the three aisles were erected in the 12th/13th century. Here are some Romanesque capitals. This capital depicts the "Sacrifice of Isaac".


Genesis 22:9-13

"When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

"Here I am," he replied.

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son."