For some unknown reason, the editors of the Michelin Green Guide have chosen to overlook this troglodyte church, the high point of our trip (in our 2002 edition anyway). Perhaps villagers in tiny Vals, though, would prefer not to be overrun by rubberneckers like us — even if most tourists would be pleased to drop several euros into the
tronc, a clearly-marked donation box, for such a memorable experience. Michael happened by accident upon a reference to this little gem on an Ariège Pyréenées tourism website under a catch-all category for quirky minor attractions. Here's a link to the most detailed account of a visit to L'Eglise de Vals we've found online:
http://www.ariege.com/patrimoine/eglisedevals/info.html
At first glance the medieval church merely seems an imposing building for an isolated village, Enter the wooden door at its base, though, and you're led into chambers carved into pebbly conglomerate. Michael and I are left unmoved by the splendor of many cathedrals, but this sort of hard-won simplicity, a testament to faith literally moving a hillside, if not mountains, commands respect.
From the sublime to the quotidian: how the French living in small villages like this still manage to enjoy fine meats and foie gras.
