Yet another saint I have not heard about. Even a Google search did not help. The first search result was all about a St Félicien cheese.

THE FACTS
The Bishop of Sarlat and Seigneur of Issigeac, began building this church on the site of a Romanesque priory. The church, finished in 1527, took nearly forty years to complete. It is a fine example of late Gothic architecture (apparently rare for this district). The octagonal bell tower breaks with fifteenth and sixteenth-century architectural styles recalling a more Romanesque style.

Mass was held at 9.30 am on the same day as Market Day. So there were 100s of people in the village, but most of them were not going to Church (at this time, as they had probably been to an earlier one somewhere else).

I sat down the back of the Church so as to avoid any embarrassing situations. The church door kept being blown open and as I was the closest I got up a few times to close out the cold breeze (thinking of the parishioners who attended 100s of years ago and even those more recently in winter, and even us there today as it was freezing) and the noise from the markets. Everything was so old, it was not hard to believe the catch on these big doors was not in working order.

SIMILARITIES TO MASS IN CALOUNDRA
1. Most people were (well) over 65 years of age.
2. People did not kneel down (except for the one obvious visitor just in front of me). But take a look at the floor, and who could blame them.

3. Elderly women passed around the plate.
4. Elderly women were responsible for singing and leading the responses.
5. The ‘sign of peace’ did not involve too much cheek kissing.

DIFFERENCES TO MASS IN CALOUNDRA
1. There was only one collection. (Now this was a surprise as this church could benefit from collecting more funds in order to restore it, or even heat it.)
2. Communion only involved the host and no wine. (Again this surprised me in a country that loves its wine.)
3. Communion was given out by the two priests who said Mass, and not lay people.
4. Communion was given directly into each parishioner’s mouth and not their hands. (Almost an embarrassing moment here, but it ended well).

Once the final hymn was over, I was the first to leave (being right at the back) and I walked out to a thriving market square. Amazing. I did think about John’s gospel where he quotes Jesus as saying “Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

But at least this was outside the church.