Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: tongs

Compared to the gorgeous churches in the neighbouring villages Rioux and Rétaud the single nave church Saint-Quentin in Chermignac seems very humble. The archivolts of the portal have some nice details. Here is a bearded blacksmith with sledge hammer and tongs. Such an apron (from leather) is still worn by blacksmiths today.

Saint-Pierre was the church of one of the largest Augustinian abbeys in the Poitou, that was founded in 991 by Audéarde, the wife of viscount Herbert I of Thouars. The monastery was on one of the "chemins" of the Via Turonensis, so when the number of pilgrims increased, the Canons Regular of St. Augustine had this large church erected in two construction phases from the 12th century on. This church is very long and has a wide ambulatory. It could surely host large groups of pilgrims. When the era of the pilgrimage ended, the abbey declined and impoverished during the Hundred Years' War. Most conventual buildings were destroyed in the Wars of Religion. The abbey church now serves the parish. I like the idea, that this carving may be a kind of self-portrait. Two of the craftsmen, who built this great church, proudly show their tools.