Hi there!
Welcome back to The History Edit. Hope you’ve all been enjoying the spectacular weather (UK & France at least) and taking in all the beauty that nature in full bloom has to offer.
This edition details our mini-trip into my local town of Nérac and a bit of armchair traveling! (TW!! The armchair travel bit contains pictures of mummified people, including a child)
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Nérac
So this week we left the two cherubs with grandparents and headed off into our local town of Nérac. Apart from going in for the occasional market day, we have never actually explored the town yet due to a combination of lockdowns and being short on time. However as we found ourselves blissfully child free we resisted the urge to nap and went into town.
We went on a blisteringly hot day (35 degrees!!! ☀️) which is not necessarily recommended, but boy did that blue sky and sunshine show the town in its best light. Beautifully crooked medieval houses jostled with more modern buildings with faded shutters, enticing the eyes to seek out every detail. The honey-coloured buildings and heat were tempered with the bluest of skies and the cooling ribbon of the river Baïse, cutting through the town.
After an obligatory Orangina in the shaded terrace of a boulangerie, we wound our way through the narrow streets towards the castle and it didn’t disappoint. The Château de Nérac is situated on a site that has seen some form of fortification since the 11th century. The heyday of the castle and the current form that we can see was built in the 15th century by Alain d’Albret the Great, whose descendent became Henri IV, King of France. The palace hosted the glittering courts of the renaissance period and its walls were witness to all that court life offered in the form of grand entertainments, feasts, and hunting.
The castle was mostly destroyed during the French Revolution and the wing that we can see in this photo is all that remains. As you can see from my photo of the information board, it was once much bigger. It is now a museum dedicated to its own history (closed when we went! 😔) and tells the saga of its royal occupants, their lives, and their place in history.
I’m already looking forward to getting back to check out the museum and the local centre of culture.
The Edit
Armchair Travels
Someone recently posed the question “If you could go anywhere in the word where would you go?” Well the answer is not simple as I have a huge travel hit list as long as my arm.
However I answered with a few of the places I’ve been itching to visit for years and one of those is the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo. This isn’t the holiday destination for the easily spooked, weak of stomach, or children. I am however fascinated by all that this museum to the dead holds.
The Sicily based catacombs were built using existing caves to house the dead of the Capuchin Friars, who were established in 1534. The original burial place had become overcrowded and the exhumed friars were transported to their new home wether they were found to be perfectly preserved. It is said that the friars took this as a sign from God and they decided to display the dead in the catacombs and let nature preserve them.
From the first body placed in 1599 until 1783, the burial site only received members of the order. But soon anyone who could pay enough could secure a place for an eternity of deathly repose in public. The catacombs received its last earthly body in 1920 with the interment of little two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo. Her remains have remained perfectly intact and to this day she still looks as though she is only sleeping. The man who embalmed her, Alfredo Salafia, took his secret process to his own grave in 1933.
The catacombs are lined with the remains of around 2,000 people in various poses. They are arranged according to profession, sex, age, and standing in society. For example there is a corridor dedicated to priests.
Although not everyones cup of tea, I think it would be fascinating to visit and see the faces of 2,000 different stories looking back at me in the very clothes they were interred in.
Historical TV
This week I finally sat down to watch the first part of the new Channel 5 drama Anne Boleyn, starring Jodie Turner-Smith and produced by everyone’s favourite telly historian, Dan Jones.
Firstly I want to comment on how well shot it was, with stylish cinematography. Also the sets and the costumes were seriously divine and transport you to another time without being cheesy. Jodie Turner-Smith did a brilliant job at reconciling the two faces of Anne Boleyn that are normally put out there when describing her personality. She portrayed Anne as a clever and witty woman, an enemy not to cross, a grieving mother, and as an educated consort with a mind on reform and charity. Great stuff!
However, as brilliant as it all was, I had a feeling of impatience at the back of my mind due to the story having been done to death. I will be watching the rest of the drama just to enjoy the above, but I’m a bit Tudor-ed out to be honest. It’s definitely worth a watch though.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of The History Edit! What is your dream travel destination? Would you fancy a trip to the Capuchin Catacombs?
See you soon!