Again, killing two birds with one stone

Pierreclos

Just like the chapel in the previous blog, this one also belongs to a castle. Although not as stunningly located as Berzé-le-Châtel, Pierreclos is certainly worth a visit, and not only for of the castle. The chapel on the castle grounds is a jewel of Romanesque art. The castle lies outside the village, about 1 km south of it.
We had also visited this château previously, years ago. In those days one had to take a guided tour, and a wine tasting was also included in the tour. Even though the caves are beautiful (Pierreclos, like Berzé-le-Châtel grows its own wine), we were not very impressed with their wines. Nowadays (2013) they have a in my opinion a better system. There is no longer a guided tour, and one can choose to buy just an entrance ticket (€ 7.50), just a dégustation (€ 3.00) or a combination (€ 9.00).

The chapel

Needless to say that we went for the first option. Our first port of call was the chapel, which has been decorated from top to bottom in the 19th century. Even though they also painted the Romanesque capitals at the same time, the colour combination of those fits in quite well with the rest of the chapel. The capitals are very interesting, and show a mix of floral, human and animal motifs.
A number of rooms of the castle can be visited; visiting the donjon and the view from there are certainly worth the climb, and also the wine cellars are worth a visit. The arms room has a coat of mail (a replica I assume) that visitors can try on, and only trying to lift the blooming thing almost gave me a slipped disc...

For a number of pictures of Pierreclos, click here

Practical information (courtesy of Eduard van Boxtel) :
Former chapel Saint-? (castle chapel) in Pierreclos, 12th century, 3*

For our own website, click here.

Two capitals