July 04, 2007

Another church...

I’m not a frequent visitor of churches, except for looking for their beauty, listen to concerts…

This church, called Sainte Eugène – Sainte Cécile, is not so frequently visited by tourists. It’s the immediate neighbour of what used to be the “Conservatoire Nationale de la Musique” and it has got one of its two names from Sainte Cécile (Cecilia), patroness of music. (The church has no bells in order not to disturb the musicians.) The other Saint is Eugene who contributed to the evangelisation of Spain during the 3rd century, but the name was also chosen because Empress Eugénie (married to Napoleon III) sponsored the building of the church.

It dates from 1855 and is very specific in its construction (iron font used for pillars and ribs) and its decoration in very vivid colours. It’s quite dark inside, so I had some serious difficulties to well illustrate the bright colours on photos, but you have to believe me.

Another particularity is that this is one of the few churches where the mess is allowed to be held as well in French as in Latin, more or less as part of a test program where the Pope, Benedict XVI, may again authorise the mess to be held according to the Latin ritual.You can find the original photos from the above patchwork on my other blog "Peter - photos".

23 comments:

isa said...

For all the beautiful churches in Paris, they remain eerily empty.
If I understand correctly, only a small percentage of French attend mass regularly.

Shionge said...

Yes visiting churches & cathedrals is very much on the itinerary whenever we visit Europe :D

The serenity & calm is what this city girl need Peter ;)

Emilieee said...

If you remember, I've mentioned that I love seeing church and cathedral, always.

Wonderful photos of church! The colourful glasses of it are fascinating! :)

BTW, you always go into details of the building that you captured; I wonder where you get the information from? Google?

Cuckoo said...

Lovely Lovely Peter !!

Mostly all the churches are so beautifully done that one wants to visit all of them but can not.

And thanks for making us visit like this. A wonderful job indeed.

Keshi said...

Mesmerizing!

Keshi.

Olivier said...

je ne la connais pas, elle est très belle. Maintenant que penser de la messe en latin, moi personnellement je ne vais dans les églises que pour prendre des photos où écouter des concerts de musique classique ;o)

Peter said...

isabella:
On my post 13/5 "Confirmation" there were some comments about different religions etc... It seems that among catholics some 8% go regularly to church and only 2% of the younger generation.

shionge:
I can understand you so well!

emily inn:
Yes, Google is my major source. I keep learning!

cuckoo:
Thanks! I guess I will show more churches...

keshi:
Thank you for teaching me a (for me) new word!

olivier:
Comme moi!

EMNM said...

I´m visiting churches frequently, always you discover something new.
Very beautiful "vidrieras" . i don´t know the name in english, crystal windows?

hpy said...

Chuis pas trop église, mais c'est vrai qu'il y a des belles choses à photographier dans certaines. J'en ai vu une toute en dentelle l'autre jour à Caudebec en Caux. J'y suis même entrée... (il s'est mis à pleuvoir "des chiens et des chats").

Peter said...

matritensis:
I believe you say "stained glass windows", but some native English speaking "guest" may have a better word to offer.

hpy:
... et tu es entrée sans prendre des photos!

Anonymous said...

A lovely presentation, Peter. I like churches for all the wrong reasons. I seldom go to them but when I do I note the stained glass windows and the names of those who donated them.

In my village, the largest window was donated by the village blacksmith, Tommy Rice. A nice thing for him to do. Only the old people remember him.

I remember him because his shop was just across the railroad tracks from where I lived. And his banging or hammering on the anvil every day was my alarm clock.

I liked to see him working on giant horses and loved to smell the coal and see the bellows working.

And, in the end, long after Tommy had died, Patty and I moved into the old blacksmith shop. It was our first home. Completely renovated, of course, but the attic still held all of the soot and coal dust from Tommy's time.

Your post brought back those memories and for that I am grateful.

Abraham Lincoln
Read about the robins
Read about Japanese Beetles

Peter said...

Abraham:
Thanks for telling this nice story!

lyliane six said...

J'aime aussi beaucoup les églises et la messe en latin qui revient enfin..(je la connais par coeur, ayant passé ma jeunesse dans des pensionnats catholiques!)
Les vitraux sont superbes.
J'espère que tu fais une petite prière pour tous tes amis.

Peter said...

lyliane:
Tu sais, comme j'ai déjà dit, je visite les églises pour leur beauté et pour les concerts...

Malgré mes quatre ans de latin, j'avoue que j'ai du mal à comprendre la nécessité de retourner à une langue que très peu de monde comprend aujourd'hui, mais je ne suis pas catholique et je n'ai pas bien suvi le débat sur les raisons de ce retour éventuel. Bien sur, il ne s'agit pas uniquement de la langue, mais aussi des rituels...

alice said...

Il y a un an hier, j'étais à Paris avec ma fille qui passait des concours, il faisait une chaleur étouffante, j'avais cherché la fraîcheur (sans la trouver) à l'intérieur de Notre Dame. Cette année, c'est plutôt pour se mettre à l'abri de la pluie qu'on cherche refuge dans les églises! Quant à la messe, une scolarité entière chez les soeurs m'a rendue totalement allergique!

Shammickite said...

I like to wander round old churches too. I love to look at the artistry in the stained glass windows, and enjoy the way the light streams in and colours the interior. But I have to admit I am not a regular churchgoer, like many people these days.
I haven't been blogging for a few days, we have had a long weekend Strawberry Festival to celebrate Canada Day, lots of things to do, people to see, check it out on my blog.

sonia a. mascaro said...

Great post as always, Peter. Love the stained-glass window! Amazing! Just stunning photos! Thanks for sharing!

lyliane six said...

Peter,Bien sûr je parlais du rituel, c'est très beau, très solennel et puis c'est toute ma jeunesse.Moi aussi maintenant je vais dans les églises pour visiter, prier un peu, et chanter avec ma chorale, mais très rarement aux offices.

Peter said...

To resume also after these latest comments, it seems that even if many of us are not frequently attending church services, we all like to keep our churches for their beauty, as excellent places for concerts - and of course for those who still use them for their original purpose!

I will probably show you some more churches and for the moment I'm concentating on what I believe to be some of the not so well known.

hpy said...

Si, j'ai fait quelque photos, mais je n'aime pas utiliser le flash en général, et encore moins dans une église où je trouve que ça peut déranger ceux qui y sont pour des raisons autres que les miennes, alors le résultat n'est pas brillant. (Je vais peut-être m'y mettre un de ces jours, si la pluie ne s'arrête pas!)

Cergie said...

Il y en a du monde qui fréquente les églises quand c'est toi qui en parles !
Je mets le 21ème commentaire:
Notre maison familliale était juste à coté de la basilique St Maurice d'Epinal
Magnifique église, et j'ouvrais mes volets sur les arcs boutants
J'avais fini par ne plus entendre sonner les cloches, même en tendant l'oreille

Kate said...

Stained glass windows are real art treasures. I've enjoyed seeing them, some of which are very ornate, others quite plain and simple. I, too, love to visit but do not worship regularly. In a way I wish that I had a simple strong faith which is a comfort to many who do, but I guess it's not for me. Thanks for posting these remarkable pieces of church art.

black feline said...

strange...i thought i posted something here yesterday?