Lucia, my protagonist, is approaching the end of her next adventure. Along the way, I’ve discovered stories from history that came to life as I read them.
This month, I’ll highlight two fascinating stories:
Fontevraud (English spelling, Fontevrault) is a French Benedictine abbey two and a half miles south of the Loire River, in a wooded valley in the province of Anjou.
- Although it contained both male and female Benedictine monastic communities,
- the men labored to serve the spiritual and material needs of the women
- the women lived a silent life of contemplation
- A woman (the abbess) was always in charge of the entire abbey (including the men), overseeing renovation and construction over the centuries.
- French kings and queens supported the abbey’s construction projects, including:
- Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine
- Louis XV, whose three youngest daughters were educated at the abbey (after a new complex was built with apartments, chapels, gardens, and an orangerie).
- After the French Revolution, the abbey was used as a prison, but now has been restored and open to visitors. See: https://www.fontevraud.fr/en/royal-abbey/discover-fontevraud-royal-abbey/
- To learn more about Fontevrault, also see this article: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48829063.pdf
If Queen Elizabeth wanted to ally England and Russia against Spain and the Roman Church, how could she do it? This fascinating adventure story imagines how a betrothal locket delivered to Tsar Ivan the Terrible could lead to a marriage and an alliance.
A suspenseful novel, The Tsar’s Locket is filled with rich descriptions of costumes, scenery, buildings and interiors. It offers a window into travel from England to Russia, and throws readers into the dangerous, violent world of spies and conflicts between nations and faiths in the Elizabethan era.
The main characters offer insights into how different life could be in England for people at this time, depending on one’s place in society. I enjoyed observing how the events of the story changed them.
Note to readers: Romance is also an important element of The Tsar’s Locket. Most of the novel is written at a PG-13 level, but it also contains a small amount of non-graphic sex.
Readers, what are your favorite hidden gems?