Lot

“That day, I was happy as hell” remembers Gérard Fillol, president of the Raconteurs de Pays du Lot-et-Garonne. It was the weekend of Pentecost, dozens of curious people responded to the invitation of the association of lovers of the transmission of local history for the very first “Cultural Touring” of Villeneuvois, via Casseneuil, Bias and Pujols. A “journey” entitled “The song of the frescoes of the Lot valley”, where the public was able to see with another eye – but also with another ear – the richness of three emblematic churches of the territory. Because throughout this roaming, visitors are “carried away” by the voice of the Haute-Contre of Villeneuvois Yoan Arbona. “People were happy and amazed at the importance of the frescoes with the voice of Yohan” recalls the president of Raconteurs de pays 47. Faced with this success, the organizers decided to repeat the operation, this Sunday, November 20 from 10 a.m. 17 hours.

Visitors will therefore pass by the churches of Sainte-Foy de Pujols and Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul de Casseneuil, which present frescoes from the 16th century, very similar in their style but very different in their themes. Another stop, the church of Bias, of Romanesque origin and has been greatly modified over the centuries. Its “coloring” was carried out in the 2010s by the local painter François Peltier, Grand Prix of the Academy of Brussels. The realization of the fresco of the Way of the Cross followed in 2011. “Beyond the aesthetic aspects, these frescoes bear witness to the evolution over the centuries of the popular expression of spirituality in rural areas” assure the Raconteurs de pays 47.

Alternation of speech and music

If Yoan Arbonna will be present throughout the day, the Raconteurs will pass the baton to discover or rediscover successively the history and the riches of the mural paintings in Villeneuvoi. The church of Bias, first, with Didier Larroque, then that of Casseneuil with Gérard Fillol and finally those of Ste Foy de Pujols with Cathy Joly. Each of them worked on their presentation in close collaboration with the lyrical singer to impregnate the visitors in the places. The Haute-Contre, a male voice that can go from the register of the chest voice to that of the particularly high-pitched head voice, resonates particularly in churches. “They worked a lot with him on the music of the Middle Ages. His voice of great purity resonates in an exceptional way in these small churches and gives an unexpected spiritual dimension to the frescoes. The contact of two such specific languages ​​creates a symbiosis The alternation of speech and music will be modulated differently on each site in
an original creation between the Raconteur de Pays and the singer. The pieces will of course be chosen in harmony with the frescoes.”

Each visit will last approximately one hour. The visits will start in Bias – the meeting is fixed at 10:30 am – then the group will go to Casseneuil for a meal. Visits to the churches of Casseneuil then Pujols will take place in the afternoon. The organization will be facilitated by the proximity of the sites, carpooling will be set up.