Alet les Bains Day 5

Today we went to Esperaza markets and had a look around the markets then time to have lunch.

We returned to the hotel and had a few free hours to look around the village, go into the church and the Abbey ruin, then walk with a map along the streets reading about the ago and history of the buildings.

Alet means chosen place, and has a long history of seekers of wisdom through the Mystery Schools, the Druids, Knights Templar and Magdalenes.

These statues we found around the corner in a little park.

Here is the Town Hall of the village, built in the 19th century in the traditional style of Northern France.

The Abbey of Alet les Bains, Bera, the court of Razes, founded the abbey of St Mary of Alet in 813, originally an ancient Cybele site.

The original capitals of the 11th century from the cloister of the abbey are in the church next door and these replicas are the replacements in the abbey.

The parish church of Saint Andre, construction of this church dates back to 1318.

A 17th century cross, however the pillar is believed to be from pagan times.

Here a street sign from the days of Napoleon, stating not only the distance to a town but also the time it would take on horseback to get there, at a height on the wall sufficient for the rider on horseback to read.