Rich reds and pinks of hollyhock petals contrast with a clear blue morning sky over the maritime cemetery of the église Sainte-Radegonde (Church of St Radegund), beside the Gironde estuary at Talmont-sur-Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. Hollyhocks grow wild between the family monuments in the graveyard and also line the traffic-free streets of this fortified village on the French Atlantic coast.
Talmont-sur-Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France: rich floral reds and delicate pink petals, bursting from buds on yellow-green hollyhock stems, contrast with the clear deep blue sky above the maritime cemetery in which they flourish, beside the wide River Gironde estuary on France's Atlantic coast. Wild hollyhocks (Alcea or Althaea rosea) with white, pink, scarlet and crimson flowers thrive amidst the family monuments in the graveyard surrounding the église Sainte-Radegonde (Church of Saint Radegund), and also line the traffic-free streets of this historic fortified settlement - now officially recognised as one of ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’ (The Most Beautiful Villages of France). The Romanesque église Sainte-Radegonde was founded by Benedictine monks in the 11th century as a sanctuary for Christians pausing on the Camino de Santiago or Way of Saint James, the ancient pilgrimage route to the burial place of the apostle St James the Great in the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northern Spain. The medieval church is regarded as a superb example of the Romanesque saintongeais tradition found in the former provinces of Saintonge, Aunis and Angoumois, about half-way down the French Atlantic seaboard.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Talmont-sur-Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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