My French host papa never runs out of things to show me. Each time I go back for a visit, he has yet another jewel for me. This time, it was the Musee Ingres in Montauban, near Toulouse and near the village where we live. We spent a wonderful afternoon poking around this museum, full of paintings by Jean-August Dominique Ingres and other artists of the period and even a few that are more modern.
But there was more! Deep in the bowels of the building that once housed the Bishops of Montauban lies the chamber of the Black Prince.
This isn't great photography, but I wanted to show the whole chamber to ease your curiosity. This chamber was at once welcoming and eery. The way the sun filtered in and the coolness of the room was beautiful.I love brick, which is what most of the Southwestern cities are made of. But then there were the instruments.
It was unclear what the chamber was actually used for in its day. One can only imagine. But today, it houses a curious collection of cannons, remnants of sculptures and cornices as well as coffins and torture instruments, the most heinous of which you can see my host dad examining- a stretching table. Put the suggestive name of the chamber together with the display and the history of religious inquisition and war in the region, and you can let the sicker parts of your imaginations run wild.
1 comment:
How old is the chamber?
Post a Comment