Saint Joanna

I thought my sister, whose name is Joanna, might enjoy knowing that there is a saint by that same name. She'll probably be surprised. I saw Santa Joanna — Saint Joanna — depicted in a stained glass window in a church in a village some miles east of Saint-Aignan a few weeks ago when I was out riding around.

Santa Joanna Valesia

The name of the town where this church is located is Saint-Outrille, and it's right next to the town called Graçay in the Berry region. That day, I was on my way to Bourges with CHM to see the cathedral there.

The beautiful church at Saint-Outrille
with its corkscrew steeple

The actual name of the church is a good one: « La Collégiale Saint-Austrégésile ». It was not a place or a church I had ever heard of before. I was just following road signs when I found it.

Construction detail

On one side of the church building, part of the stucco that covers the old stone walls had been chipped away. It gave me a good look at the composition of the walls and an idea of how the church is built.