The Conques Imp

In Conques during the 11th century, Abbot Oldoric undertook the construction of a romanesque Abbey on the site and in place of an 8th century monastery built by the hermit Dadon. The abbey is on a rocky promontory overlooking the Ouch River in Rouergue. At first dedicated to St Saviour, the Abbey became famous for its devotion to St. Foy. Conques became one of the principal stopover points of the the St James of Compostella pilgrimage. The western facade, with its polychrome tympanum representing the Last Judgment, is a masterpiece romanesque art. The dominant colours are blue (for paradise) and red (for hell). It is decorated with a frieze of 124 figures sheltered by a deep arch. The imp, or little devil, is at the centre of the tympanum, beneath the Christ. Armed with a club, he shoves the condemned into the mouth of hell.