The restored façade of the town's church, Our Lady of Richelieu

in sunshine

overcast

The Eastern front of the church has been restored, and recently the extensive scaffold has been struck, showing off the fine tuffeau façade,

 including the four statues of the evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke &a mp; John.

Unusually, the church’s altar faces West - away from the sunrise and the holy city of Jerusalem  - whats that all about, Cardy & Jacques?

Do we need a Dan Brown to write a mystic story as justification?

A Jesuit-style façade based on Il Gesù in Rome, design by Vignola.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Gesù

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Can it really be true?

At least two thirds of the main road by-pass of the cité idéale have been completed and are in operation.

The remaining one third segment has been long delayed by environmental battles concerning vegetation loss, although the actual new road alignment itself has been established for a while - Henri P. has ridden the grassy route on a bicycle - and the rights of acquisition settled.

This current situation means that a main traffic artery, recently upgraded for heavy trucks over many kilometres, is only un-up-graded exactly where it passes one of France's national treasures of urban design. Enormous euro-trucks rattle the foundations of the town's 17th century girdling walls, and their raucous engines deafen the inhabitants on the western side of the town as lorries cruise past at any old time, day or night.

So we are gagging with excitement that France's cumbersome bureaucracy seems to have finally 'pulled its finger out' and started this much delayed project.....

But we may be mistaken....

We need confirmation from someone on the ground, at the heart of local politics, that it is really true....

We are sceptical....

But hopeful....

the alignment of the last segment of the town's bypass is started?.....
- a view from the Knauf works roundabout towards Loudun -

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All comments will be gratefully received below....