Saint-Côme-d’Olt, France 🇫🇷 2023

Date: 21st July 2023

Travelled: 20 kms around Espalion by scooter 

Visited: Saint-Côme-d’Olt and Espalion  

Stayed: Camping de Roc L’Arche, €17, N44.52230, E02.76940  

Budget: 60 days @ €87 per day

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As our next Beautiful French Village, Saint-Côme-d’Olt is only 8 kms up the River Lot we decide to stay in Espalion another day and let the Kisbee do the travelling.

The campsite has wonderful shade and it’s only a few hundred metres into the old town and there’s still things to see.

Pam’s keen for a walk as usual and we follow the pilgrims path (Saint James’ Way) up river.

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Two kms from the campsite we find a stone cross to Saint Hilarian, nearby a small sign pointing to the Chapel de Perse. Reading the various panels we find Saint Hilarian had his head chopped off by the Sarasens who returned it to his mum, nice. The Chapel de Perse is circa 11th century, Romanesque in style. It was Espalion’s church until 1862 when the village moved to higher ground and a new church was built.

It’s now a key rest point for passing walkers on pilgrimage and us today. The things you find on a morning walk.

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Saint-Côme-d’Olt, Rodez, Aveyron, Occitania, Metropolitan France, 12500, France

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After coffee we point the Kisbee upstream and follow the River Lot to Saint-Côme. We take the backroad that’s part of the pilgrims route, so other than a tractor there’s no traffic.

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From our guide book the Most Beautiful Villages of France you’ll find Saint-Côme-d’Olt on page 242. Standing on the River Lot, the village has expanded to consume the three fortified ditches that once protected it.

Its Église and the Chapelle des Pénitents make it a key point on the pilgrim’s path.

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The Église Saint-Côme-et-Saint-Damien, circa 16th century is pictured below. Its twisted spire makes it somewhat unique. It’s a little crooked as well and I spent some time trying to work if the twist was on purpose or the end result of some dodgy builder.

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Our last point of significance is the Chapelle of des Pénitents, pictured above, A must stop for the walkers. It’s a simple Romanesque chapel, no crossover or aisles. It houses a series of panels and artwork associated with the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

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So we’re done, we scooter back to the Hymer and an afternoon rest. In the late afternoon we venture out and walk up to Espalion once again, this time we visit the Église Paroissiale pictured below. As you can see it’s the full church in the Gothic style, twin spires, and flying buttresses to support the additional aisles.

All that architectural stuff aside the photos unfortunately don’t reflect the colour of the red sandstone. Added to that the huge pipe organ was being played during our visit and the whole church resinated to the depth of the music. We sat for 10 minutes enjoying.

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Too many churches and chapels today, sorry about that…our last stop a little bar, with a big sign advertising Aperol Spritz, just what Pam was craving, I settle for a large Paulaner and we spend 45 minutes watching Espalion go by. That was our day.

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Michael + Pam