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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Blue439" data-source="post: 824970" data-attributes="member: 53455">If the Flavigny aniseed sweets have been quite well known in France for generations (King Louis XIV himself was a regular customer back in the 1600s), the small Burgundy village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, where they are made, is much less known. Even less known are the remains of the Benedictine abbey founded in the early 700s. Precious little remains or is known about the abbey church itself. From scattered writings, we know that the abbey was very active and powerful during the late Merovingian and Carolingian times. It housed the relics of several famous saints, but very little remains today of the abbey buildings above ground.Below ground, however, is another story, and we can still see today an extensive and magnificent Merovingian/Carolingian crypt, which was first excavated after World War II by a young student from Yale, Fred Guggenheim.This photo shows a view of one of the side chapels with three amazing  monolithic columns and splendid sculpted capitals from the 700–800s. The one to the left with the human face is quite striking. Notice the archaic vaulting, typical of this early period of the Middle Ages.What an amazing monument this was —and blissfully ignored by tourist guides and buses...!We visited this on our way to Brittany for a week-long family trip, so I only had my light travel photo kit with me. This is why it was shot with a zoom lens on my smallest tripod.  <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />Nikon Z7 II, Nikkor Z 14–30mm, ƒ/4 S lens. Gitzo Traveler GT0545T, Gitzo ball head.[ATTACH=full]411086[/ATTACH]</blockquote>

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