Thank you Patrick!
Indeed, the 'notch' is just how the rug was laid out - I didn't quite have room and so the top left corner is draped over an inch of marble fireplace!
I suspect you are spot on with your diagnosis of the cause of the cut & shut repairs. From what I understand the rugs in the churches were given by families over many years - centuries even! Often functioning to mark a place in the church for a specific family (?) A bit like the modern German beach towel....
Quite often literally hundreds of rugs might accrue to the larger churches and hence the collections at places like the Brukenthal.
Can you say whether there is a specific top or bottom to my rug? Should a rug be hung any which way? Any comment on what the geometric shapes might convey?
In any event, it's a nice rug and I wanted to try to find out some more about it. It's destined to spend the rest of its days adorning a wall or floor in a very old house in the Middle of Nowhere, France.
Fascinating tidbit about your man Tuduc - I shall be looking him up. Many thanks.