26 page booklet "Duravel, à la découverte du bourg médiéval et de
2000 ans d'histoire" (in French) for sale at the Duravel Tourist office. Price: 3€
VISITES
ST HILARION CRYPTE
A brief history: Duravel is an ancient village dating back to the Gallo-Roman period, at this time it was known as Diolindum. It was then a large town with over 5000 inhabitants, statigicaly placed on the on the Lyon - Bordeaux road.
Later in the XIth century it became the property of the Moissac Abbey who created a priory which served as a place for retired monks.
The Crypt: It's hard to date this very interesting construction. On the whole specialists agree that it is one of the few pre-romanesque vestiges in France. It is safe to assume that it is much older then the XIth century and the previous church (St Etienne). Neverthless some of the capitals were modified towards the end of the XIth century. If we examine them more carefuly we find that they date from three distinct periods.
The 4 capitals all around the crypt apart from the two situated at the entrance on the extreme left and right are most certainly from the XIth century. These are the finest and are crafted with extreme attention given to details, some of these are identical. For example the capitals with an image of a figure representing a bird and a peacock, one is in better condition then the other which has been damaged.
The two capitals on both sides of the arcoselium seem to represent the letter "T". A meaning is sought to explain this letter and the general conclusion is that it represents the "T", as in The Holy Trinity.
Put aside the two capitals that are too hard to understand and admire this masterful decoration interlaced with paterns, showing a rare talent and remarkable craftsmanship.
On one of these capitals there is a semi faded inscription, "Bernardus Cadurcenis". This probably refers to the Bishop of Cahors, Bernard IV, who in all likelyhood "consecrated" the crypt after its XIth century restoration.
Concerning the bases of the capitals you will note the snake wrapped around itself, symbolising death just as the peacock at the top represents resurrection.
