Episode 63 - The Via Podiensis, Part 3 - Stolen Relics and Closed Mines

Let's walk the Via Podiensis together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. In the third part of this series, we journey today from the Lot River to the Célé River, and from the village of Estaing to the town of Figeac. Bennett Voyles, the author of Onward, Backward! -or- A Ramble to Santiago, joins to help guide us through this section, while offering stories from his family's walk and his own research on the route. He is followed by two historians who share their expertise on two important stops in this section. First, Dr. Patrick Geary, author of Furta Sacra, discusses the theft of relics in the Middle Ages, and the specific legend of Saint Foy's translation to Conques, one of the major highlights on the Via Podiensis. By contrast, the town of Decazeville, which sits further on in this section, is viewed by many walkers as a place worth bypassing. Dr. Donald Reid, author of The Miners of Decazeville, describes the history of this influential town, and the reasons that pilgrims should give it a closer look.