Sometimes a wrong turn can be a good thing. Like when it takes you on a trip through Burgundy and shows you a medieval church and her hidden frescos.

Sometimes a wrong turn can bring you a delightful outcome. While driving home from the Netherlands last month, we decided to take the backroads through Burgundy. Our thought was to pick up a bottle or two of a favorite wine and visit a few historical places. Somehow, we found ourselves a bit lost and decided to backtrack by making a u-turn in what felt like an abandoned village. Shutters were closed and there was no one in sight. The church - even the tiniest of villages have a church in France - provided a parking lot in which to consult the map. We used the impromptu stop as an opportunity to stretch our legs and explore. Little did we know the medieval treasures hidden in the old building. Eglise St. Pierre was built between the 12th and 16th centuries. The 13th-century Romanesque portico of St. Pierre. The beautiful beamed roof of the entrance portico. The 11th-century nave is simple and spectacular at the same time. The old beams and posts provide a wonderful frame for the medieval frescoes. The early Christian history of Moutiers-en-Puisaye dates back to the late 7th century as a resting place for Anglo-Saxon and Briton pilgrims en route to Rome. The story is even older as the area has important pagan roots. It's no coincidence to have an important stop on a medieval pilgrimage route correspond with earlier druid sites. The Church of St. Peter dates to the late 10th century. The 13th-century portico and impressive oak-beamed roof is a prelude to the 11th-century nave with its own spectacular wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling. The building is composed of one nave and two small side chapels that give the suggestion of a transept. During the summer of 1982, excessive drought caused cracks in the white plasterwork that covered the church's walls since the 18th century. What was revealed beneath the whitewash were medieval frescoes made with local ochre paints. Fortunately, much of the murals were able to be saved. The Japanese master painter, Isao Takahashi, worked on the restoration of the frescos over a period of 10 years. The 200 square meters of wall paintings represent one of the largest collections of medieval frescos in France. The oldest examples in this church date from the 12th century and depict scenes from the Old Testament. Massive oak posts and beams frame the paintings in three levels. Let's see if a few of my photos can bring you a sense of the artwork and its setting. The earliest frescos from the 12th century depict the story of Adam and Eve ejected from Paradise. I can't help but notice the sultry look on Eve as she watches Adam working. Many of the faces are smiling and there is a positive feeling evoked from the paintings. Art always has value. It carries with it the stories, culture, and achievements of the time it was created. Church walls and ceilings were decorated with scenes from the Bible in order to inform a mostly illiterate church parish and serve as a form of devotion. The region of Burgundy was an important center of Romanesque painting in medieval France. Here, you find a great source of mineral pigments such as various colors of ochre. From the 17th century, the region was also known for its potteries. Dug right out of the earth and mixed with water and egg for the medieval painters, color was readily available to the artist. Medieval frescos in France are more abstract, dynamic, and animated in their imagery than elsewhere in Europe. Oftentimes, we don't know the painter's name. For these murals, it's clear they were produced by a modest craftsman or a clergy member. Still, as you stand within the warmth of these earthy frescoes, steeped in history and story, you feel the presence of the artist. Later 16th and 17th-century frescos adorn the choir and the north-facing wall of the nave. Clearly, the altar is a later addition. You are permitted to walk behind and take in more of the early frescos.  A few favorite creative finds in Le Shop  Click on the photo for more details Visit Le Shop Here Some of humankind's greatest artworks were produced from ochre coaxed from the earth. The earliest cave paints to Leonardo da Vinci's sepia-tinted drawings on paper come to mind. Today there are many artists and potters working in northwestern Burgundy, creating pigments from rocks gathered locally. I'm intrigued by the process of producing color from natural materials. Next week, I'll share my experience with making color from a few rocks that found their way into my pocket while exploring the Burgundian countryside. Sure mixing your own paint allows you to control hue and consistency. But what I really love is being a part of the connection between art and history.    Embrace the wrong turn the next time you're traveling. You never know what surprises it might present. Karen 💕✨🖌🇫🇷     Please feel free to share this email with those who might enjoy a little bit of French culture in their inbox every week.