The village, with its narrow streets and old houses with wood panels and stone roofs, stretches along each side of the slope of the Charlemagne road taken by the pilgrims going to the Conques Abbey.

Built by the monks of the 10th to 12th centuries, the abbatial of Conques with its spandrel representing the last judgement and the cloister is counted among one of the most beautiful successes of Roman art.  Classed by the historical monuments in 1838, the site of Conques is nevertheless registered as world heritage by UNESCO.

It was a hermit called Dadon who installed himself towards the end of the 8th century in this favourable place for meditation. 

It was he who gave the place the name of Conques, from the Latin concha; shell, because of the configuration of the rocks.  Joined by other monks, the monk Dadon founded a community according to the rules of Saint-Benoît.  Thanks to the relics of Sainte-Foy that a monk stole from Agen in 866, Conques became a major step on the route of Saint Jacques de Compostelle.
From the 11th to the 13th century, the flow of pilgrims ceased to grow notably under the influence of the "book of miracles of Sainte-Foy".

Conques then became known all over the western world. Coming from Puy-en-Valay, walkers are still numerous today who take this historic route stopping at the heart of the village where the religious welcome them.  Before, the pilgrims who came to the Abbey prostrated themselves in front of the shrine statue of Sainte-Foy, then situated in the chancel of the church.  The Abbey today harbours a fabulous treasure from the year 1000.  Beyond the statue of Saint-Foy you can see numerous relics covered in gold and silver, enamel, cameos and precious stones.

The arrival of the Protestants in the 16th century ruined the monastery, which was partially burned.  We owe the rebirth of Conques to Prosper Mérimée, then inspector of historical monuments who restored the site from the end of the 19th century.

The church has a huge nave more than 20 metres high.  Its wide collateral transepts allowed pilgrims to wander inside the church making possible the circulation of many people.  The pilgrim can today from the gallery admire the architecture of the church with its illustrated cornices and its stained glass by the contemporary painter Pierre Soulages.

After crossing the Barry door of the Charlemagne road, the pilgrim arrives at the bridge of Roumieux crossing the Dourdou. The village being at the bottom of a valley, the climb is very steep in order to leave Conques.

Direction Decazeville.  Numerous pilgrims took the alternative route by Noailhac to get there.