Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy

Common card · No. 475270

The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques, France, was a popular stop for pilgrims traveling the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela, in what is now Spain. The main draw for medieval pilgrims at Conques were the remains of Sainte Foy, a young woman martyred during the fourth century. The relics of Sainte-Foy arrived in Conques through theft in 866. After unsuccessful attempts to acquire the relics of Saint Vincent of Saragossa and then the relics of St. Vincent Pompejac in Agen, the abbey authorities set their sights on the relics of Sainte-Foy at the ancient St. Faith's Church, Sélestat. The Conques abbey opened a priory next to the shrine in Sélestat. A monk from Conques posed as a loyal monk in Agen for nearly a decade in order to get close enough to the relics to steal them. Beginning in the 13th century, the abbey began to fall into decline as Saint Faith's popularity was elipsed by that of other saints and due to Conques' marginal location. The abbey was confiscated from the...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 2.0