Moissac (France) | Le Chemin de Saint-Jacques - Day 45

Le Chemin Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, The Way of St. James, has become synonymous with the shell of a scallop. However, as you'll see later, most depictions show yellow rays emitting from a central base against a blue background. I found this photo by Tony Mywave particularly appealing, as it is the reverse image of the symbol I typically see. Several of Mywave's photographs are displayed this morning outside Moissac's tourist office.

I don't typically visit tourist offices and generally don't have much use for them; I happened to wander by this one today, as it is right along the main road in town. I take a moment to enjoy several beautiful large photographs on display. This one is one of my favorites. It resonates with me and serves as a reminder to keep my head in the clouds and that everything is in reach as long as I ground myself. What message resonates with you when you look at this photo?

Moissac is a little town of 13,780 people in the Occitanie Region of France. It is unique in that Moissac is known as a fruit-growing region. Grapes, plums, apples, pears, and kiwis are all grown here. But it is a particular table grape, the Chasselas de Moissac, that the town is known for. This grape has an AOC label, meaning it can only be grown in the Moissac area. Unfortunately, the grape is only available beginning in September. When in season, it is in exceptionally high demand in Paris due to its sweet, aromatic, and firm flesh.

Moissac was also important for humanitarianism during World War II. Before the Nazi occupation of the region, people from Moissac took over 500 Jewish children into the town and protected them from the Nazis. The Jewish children were dispersed across the community into French households. The city was vigilant and diligently forged the papers for the children before the arrival of the Nazis. As a result, all 500 children survived the invasion thanks to the great people of Moissac.

Moissac Abbey, my destination today, is important for two main reasons. First, the cloister, a covered walkway in a monastery, is the first ever to have storied capitals. Capitals are inverted pyramids that are placed atop the columns. About half of the 76 capitals in the Moissac Abbey Cloister depict stories from the bible. If you want to learn more, the link shows off the site well. 

The cloister was an essential building for the monks who lived on site. The monks were prolific writers and transcribers. They used a style that later became famous, where the first letter on the page's first paragraph was oversized, and the letter's interior was ornately decorated. Many of these early books are now archived in Paris. The Abbey was one of the largest libraries in France from the middle ages.   

The Abbey is one of the earliest declarations of a historic building in France. The people of Moissac fought to preserve the church and Abbey in 1845 when the railroad wanted to tear the building down. Finally, a settlement was reached whereby the cloister and church were spared, but the monk's quarters were demolished to make way for the train. Below is a picture of the cloister and the capitals supporting the arches above the columns.

The second reason is the church is an essential stop for pilgrims walking Le Chemin de Puy (The Puy Road) in France. Le Chemin de Puy starts in Puy and ends in Saint-Jean-de-Pied-Port (Saint John at the Foot of the Pass). Saint-John-Pied-de-Port is the starting point for the Camino de Santiago Frances, one of 7 routes that lead to the Compostela de Santiago in Spain. More on the Chemin de Compostelle later.

One of several groups of Pilgrims walking the Chemin the Puy that I saw around the Abbey today. They are easily recognizable by the scallop shell that hangs on the right side of the gentleman's pack. Today pilgrims are encouraged to display a scallop shell on their packs, alerting everyone they are on a pilgrimage; however, historically, the scallop shell was only displayed on the back of hats after a pilgrim had completed their journey. A type of honor badge for completing the trek.

I enter the Saint-Pierre Abbey Church that adjoins the cloister. The church has a simple exterior, slightly distorted by the panoramic photo. Nevertheless, it conveys its simplicity well. The main entrance is through the archway below the white box, where the high chapel is being renovated. The Saint-Pierre Abbey Church and Cloister are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

As I walk through the church on a self-guided tour, I hear a familiar and strange sound. It sounds like a bagpipe but not nearly as high-pitched. I walk back into the main entrance, where a choir group has followed the bagpipe player. He is playing a Boha bagpipe; I had to look it up because I didn't see any drones on the bagpipe. The Boha is unique in that the drone (over shoulder pipes that make noise) and the chanter (what your fingers play) are together. You can see a Boha bagpipe and listen to the beautiful sound of the Boha on YouTube. The Boha is pleasing to listen to and has a unique sound, but I enjoy all bagpipes.

The choir group enters the church singing. The Boha plays from the back as they walk to the front of the church. Once at their destination, the Boha stops playing. The choir moves into the next song. Their voices sound angelic, and the acoustics of the church are excellent! I am captivated by the moment. I later found this was a rehearsal for a wedding later today. Below is a 3 min sample clip.

Near the Abbey, I notice a sign for Saint-Jacques de Compostelle pointing to Le Centre d'Accueil (Reception Center). The sign is the traditional sign that marks all routes along the way, letting Pilgrims know where to go. This version of the scallop shell, with the lines converging to a single point, represents the many different routes pilgrims take to get to the Compostella de Santiago. 

This was the first Chemin de Compostelle sign I encountered in France. It is located on the west side of the River Aude on the Vieux Pont next to a little church in Carcassone. I also noticed another sign while in Toulouse in Capitol Square. Toulouse and Carcassone are on a different route (refer to the purple route below) that originates in Avignon, France.

The Way of Saint-James is the 3rd most famous historic Catholic Pilgrimage. The other two are the Vatican in Rome and the Holy Land in Jerusalem. Saint-Jacques (Saint-James) was one of the 12 Apostles. He was sent to Spain to evangelize, where he struggled to convert people. James returned to Jerusalem, where he had much more success. Unfortunately, Herod Agrippa, King of Judea (modern-day southern Isreal), saw him as a threat and had him beheaded in 4  AD. The martyred Saint-James' body was sent back to Galicia. During the early 800s AD century, Spain was in a religious war against the Moors (Muslims) of Northern Africa. So when Saint-James' body was rediscovered around that time, a cathedral was built on the site. The Cathedral served two purposes, to honor Saint-James and unify Spanish Catholics against the Moors.

In the early 900s, a French monk made the Pilgrimage, starting in Northern France (refer to the red route below). When he returned, he wrote a detailed book about his travels. The Pope was so impressed when he read it that he proclaimed it the official text for the Pilgrimage and encouraged all Catholics to make the Pilgrimage. This is how the first guidebook for the Way of Saint-James originated. Since that time, people worldwide have been making the Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella (Latin derivative for Place where Saint-James is Buried) to pray and be buried at the site.

Four routes are officially recognized in France. Moissac can be found along the southern portion of the blue route. Today, most people make the Pilgrimage for recreation, although some still undertake the journey for religious purposes. I'll cover the Spanish Camino in a future post; this is supposed to be about France, right?. 

If you want to learn more about Les Chemin de Compostelle, I invite you to listen to one of my favorite podcasts with Annie Sargent, Join Us In France. Annie is a travel guide that lives in Toulouse, and her podcast is terrific. Her podcast is in English, and she covers life, history, places to visit, gastronomy, and general travel information about France. She has two episodes on the Chemin de Compostelle, History in France Episode 390, and one of her guests shares her stories after completing the trek in Episode 296, Walking the Chemin de Compostelle. You can stream Join Us in France on all podcast channels such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.