Swooning over Saint Emilion

If there is a more photogenic ville in France or in all the world I would like to see it someday. For now I will continue to believe that ville is Saint Emilion in the Gironde department of France. 

Saint Emilion, for whom the village is named, lived the life of a hermit and devout pilgrims on the route to Santiago in Compostela often detoured to see the relics and places associated with this Benedictine monk who left his mark some 1200 years ago.

I have been to Saint Emilion five times now but today was the first time I took the tour of the underground monuments. For just 8€ per person an English-speaking guide will walk you through the historic sites carved in the limestone beneath the lively village. Because the sites are all beneath private property and owned by individuals and families of Saint Emilion, it's not possible to take photos.

We began in the cave where Emilion spent 17 years of his life. An arched opening in the stone included an altar, a seat where he did his praying, a bed and a natural water source that is said to have powers to cure diseases of the eyes. One of the people on the tour took a handful of the water and splashed it onto his face and in his eyes in hopes of curing some ailment. The seat is said to bring on pregnancy for infertile women and our tour guide asked if anyone wanted to take a seat to see if it worked. One elderly Scottish woman piped up and said "if that works for me it will truly be a miracle." Indeed.

Next we visited the Trinity Chapel, rich in carvings and paintings from the Roman period and later into the Gothic. We saw funeral relics from members of the knights Templar and the old Scottish woman took up our time trying to solve the Davinci Code. The catacombs for rich men only were next and then we were brought into the Monolithic Cathedral, which is carved from the limestone beneath the town. Its ceiling soars nearly 40 feet and the stone pillars supporting the weight of the massive above-ground belltower are wrapped in sturdy metal supports. There are many interesting carvings in the stone: men slaying dragons, a violinist, Sagittarius drawing his bow. None are typical Christian symbols, but they all add to the mystery of the time when much of Saint Emilion happened under ground.

Our guide shared that the cathedral is only used now for a mass on Dec.6, St. Nicolas Day, and for the events associated with the Jurade, or the men chosen to lead the guild of winemakers at their festivals.

Saint Emilion has a deep and dark underbelly rich with lore, but I am more than happy breathing  the fresh air above and celebrating the town for its food, wine and historic preservation.