On days 5 and 6 of our cruise, the River Royale remained docked it Libourne. as St. Emilion, our primary destination for those days, is not on the river. We had an early breakfast for two reasons; our busses left for the 8 mile drive to St. Emilion at 8:30.
Shortly afterwards, the River Royale was scheduled to leave the dock for an hour as the mascaret was expected between 8:40 and 9:40. What is the mascaret, you ask? The Bordeaux region is very famous for wine but it also boasts a a natural curiosity: the mascaret or the river tide.
The word mascaret comes from the ancient Gascon language and it means “spotted bull” perhaps referring to the unusual height of the waves during the tidal bore.
The mascaret occurs near the mouth of rivers and estuaries during high tide and causes a sudden elevation of the water, as the strong ocean tide overpowers the natural flow of the river or estuary.
This phenomenon, called a tidal bore, takes place in France in the Gironde estuary and the inward flowing Garonne and Dordogne Rivers. Similar tidal bores occur on rivers in China, England and Brazil.
The bore often causes unusually high waves – the highest usually occur at the Equinox especially after a dry spell , when the river water is low. The waves comer in about 10 meters apart and travel at a speed between 15 km/h to 30km, depending of the location They travel up to 200 km inland and the water can be very turbulent in its wake.
Supposedly one of the best places to experience the mascaret is not far from our dock in Libourne so our Captain would take no chances with the safety of his ship and was expected to move out into the river before high tide that morning at 8:40.
The senior Rambler who didn’t plan to go on the morning’s walking tour expected to experience the phenomenon onboard the River Royale. He was disappointed however, this time the mascaret waves were not very high, not was the water very turbulent. On the other hand, river cruise ships are not made for rough water, so it was necessary for them to be prepared. Local surfers look forward to the peak times of the mascaret and take full advantage of the high waves as long as they last.
Luckily, there was a gentle walker tour for St. Emilion, so I happily boarded bus 3 with our group. One of the attractions of this tour was a visit to the Monolithic Church, an underground building carved out of limestone by the stone masons of the area in the 12th century. This was a place that I really wanted to see,as there are very few like it however Sharon, our cruise director and today’s guide, talked me out of it.
Unfortunately in order to get to the church entrance, you have to walk down a steep path called a tertre (hill) paved with large, very irregular cobblestones. Sharon was concerned that I would trip and hurt myself trying to keep up with the regular group, as the gentle walkers were going to another ancient church. When later I saw the cobblestones in question, it was obvious she was right. They were so lumpy that the city had installed a railing partway. Railing or not, I knew the senior Rambler would not be happy with me if I tried it. At least I got to see the exterior of the church, the bell tower and later, its exit on the plaza below. Sharon told me later that a couple who did not walk well had insisted on going to see the church. Unfortunately because they had difficulties, they held up the whole group which then had little time to explore the church interior. I was glad that I had taken her advice and not spoiled the tour for the others.
Before we move on, a little information about the monolithic church of St. Emilion. History relates that a Breton monk named Emilion arrived in the 8th century and established a monastery in what is now St. Emilion. He became a hermit and lived in a cave. Emilion was said to perform many miracles and thus people came to visit him there through the years. As a result, the town which sprang up around the hermitage became known as St. Emilion, although Emilion was never formally canonized. In the 12th century, the cave was enlarged by local stone masons into a church with three naves, and a small catacomb beneath.
Over time, the town of St. Emilion became wealthy due to its successful wine production and its strategic position along a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. By the end of the middle ages, this small town had a number of churches including the monolithic church and the Collegiate Church which was part of the gentle walkers tour.
Not all of the monolithic church is underground. It has a 53-meter-high bell-tower which still stands today. Unfortunately in the late twentieth century the 3,000 ton weight of the tower shifted, making it likely to collapse. as constant water infiltration had threatened its foundation. Cement columns were erected to supplement the church’s pillars and reinforce the bell tower, but this solution was was only a temporary and unsightly fix. The dangerously unstable the bell tower was placed on the endangered building list in the 1990s.
Fortunately the World Monument Foundation was able to identify and analyze the problems of the monolithic church. In 1998. geologists, architects, and engineers from universities across Europe produced recommendations for conservation strategies to save the tower which were then implemented, with funding from the local and national governments.
As locals say about the monolithic church: it was carved in the 12th century, painted in the 14th century, devastated in the 16th century wars of religion, battered during the French Revolution but restored in the 20th century.
The church’s foundations were also strengthened through the insertion of tensile bands into its pillars. A decade after it was listed as an endangered building, the Saint-Emilion Monolithic Church was stabilized, restored, and opened to the public. It is but one reason the cultural landscape of Saint-Emilion, including its most famous church, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.
Yes, the whole town of St. Emilion is considered a World Heritage site, for a variety of reason. As the gentle walkers headed towards their main destination, the Collegiate Church, Sharon reminded us to try the two famous sweet treats of St. Emilion, small cakes called caneles and macarons for which its many pastry shops are famous. The bakers of St. Emilion claim to have invented the macaron but since many others places claim this honor, the story is hard to prove. Nevertheless, the St. Emilion macarons are very good indeed.
Our destination, the early Gothic/Romanesques Collegiate Church is in the center of the town, not far from the river; its entrance is right off a busy street. The church is very large but its interior exudes a sense of peace and tranquility. The nave is in a cruciform shape with altars on each side as well as the main altar. If you look carefully, you will see a statue of St. Valery, the patron of winegrowers. Valery is a local saint whose statue, clad in the tradition garb of a vineyard worker, dates to the 16th century.
Still an active parish church, the Collegiate Church hosts both art exhibits and concerts as well as traditional religious services. On the side there is an extensive cloister where the Augustinian monks who built the church walked in rainy weather.
The Ramblers were intrigued by the many frescoes which covered the brick walls; tho faded now, they must have been brilliant when they were painted in the middle ages. We returned later during free time after lunch so the senior Rambler could see a little of the town, and the church was a good place to sit and take a break.
As we walked thru St. Emilion towards our bus stop, we noticed the many ruins along the path, all built long ago of crumbling limestone blocks. One of the largest was the ruin of the Cardinal’s Palace, built in the 13th century for the Cardinal nephew of Pope Clement V. It was Clement, the former Bishop of Bordeaux, A Frenchman, he was responsible for moving the seat of the Papacy from Rome to Avignon, where it remained for over a century.
Clement was also responsible for the dissolution of the Knights Templar with the encouragement of the French King, Philip IV who wanted the Templar Order’s money as these warrior priests had been the Papal Bankers. Jacques De Molay, the last Grand Master of the Templars was tortured and burned at the stake after he retracted his confession. As he was dying he laid a curse on those who had condemned him and the other Templars…
Not a Pope known for his sanctity, after his death, Clement’s body lay in state at a local church when a fierce thunderstorm blew up. A bolt of lightning set the church on fire and Clemen’t body was burned to a crisp. Afterwards, the remnants were gathered up an buried under his effigy.
Not all river cruising is about touring historic sites and UNESCO villages. Every ship also offers entertainment every night. The River Royale’s in house entertainer was a talented vocalist with a pleasant manner. Nathalie had the ability to play almost any song you requested and as you might expect, she was very popular. The River Royale besides a grand piano, boasted a small dance floor in the middle of the lounge. Quite a large number of passengers gravitated to the lounge after dinner because of Nathalie. The Ramblers, by no means party animals, did wander into the lounge one night and were drawn into the very congenial group of South African travel agents whose company we enjoyed. During the course of the evening they actually got us to dance to Embraceable You, which was “our song” back in the 50s. I know they videoed our dance but thankfully, we never got a copy or I might have had to upload it to the blog. LOL
