Happy Christmas from Les Bassacs

As elsewhere in Europe, we are having very mild weather so its hard to feel as though Christmas is just around the corner.  We went in to Apt yesterday evening to finish our Christmas shopping and the doors to the cathedral were open.  The cathedral is mostly Romanesque but parts are Roman and Baroque.  The lower crypt is part of the original 1st century Roman building. We visited it by torch-light which added to the drama. The upper crypt dates to the 11th century. The altar is a pre-Roman engraved table on top of a Roman funeral stele.

At Christmas churches house the "crèche". These elaborate nativity scenes are peopled by santons - little saints -  which are small clay figures in traditional Provencal dress. The Apt cathedral crèche is one of the best.

the vineyard