I love the soothing ambiance of Cadouin and its cloisters, but I also love the whole village which is well worth a visit. The best time, I think, to visit the cloisters is early morning or late evening when the angle of the sun causes the light to filter into the galleries through the arcades. A great photo opportunity!

Arriving at the village square, the imposing facade of the church is highly suggestive of this place’s long, rich history…

But, once inside, in the intimacy of the cloisters, one cannot help but be touched by its very particular atmosphere and so one pauses in one’s day to meditate and reflect… And, whatever you do, don’t miss the monk stuck between two pillars in the eastern gallery!!

One afternoon in February, I opened the door to see the cloisters bathed in sunlight… it was extraordinarily beautiful. Gradually, I discovered the decorated stones.  Everything is expressed in this small, luminous space: the seasons, our joys and sorrows, happiness and suffering… I walk, look around me, turn back, sit down, explain, recount, and always leave slightly regretfully, even in the knowledge that I will find it again in all its beauty tomorrow.