Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy

Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy
Map
General information
LocationConques, France
The Sainte-Foy abbey-church in Conques
Church doors and tympanum

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.[1] 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.[2] The abbey church has been a listed monument since 1840.[3]

  1. ^ Sinram, Marianne (1993). "Representations of the Feminine in the Middle Ages". In Baker, Derek (ed.). Faith and Bondage: The Spiritual and Political Meaning of Chains at the Church of Ste-Foy de Conques. Academia Press. pp. 227–90.
  2. ^ Brockman, Norbert C. (13 September 2011). Encyclopedia of sacred places (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. pp. 109–11. ISBN 978-1-59884-654-6.
  3. ^ Base Mérimée: Ancienne abbaye Sainte-Foy, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)