Tauriac - Saint-Etienne

A "villa Tauriaca" was given to the Bishop of Le Mans already in 585 by some Alderic. At that time probably a chapel existed here. The portal seen today dates to the 12th. century - and it is unusual, as it does have tympana in the flanking arches. Modifications were made, when the church got fortified in the 16th century, but meanwhile the portal is pretty much back to the original state.

It is claimed, that some of the carvings may be older than the church and may have been part of the earlier (merovingien?) church. At least a tympanum like this is not typical for the "style saintongeais". There is an inscription around the Agnus Dei - and below, over the lions, but I could not decipher the words.

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I had been in this area a couple of times before - and took already lots of fotos, but as I had the time now, I visited places like Tauriac again. If you want more details, just search - for "Tauriac" in my photostream.