Chapelle des Recollets - Chapelle des Pénitents in Beziers
What a chapel. The Chapelle des Pénitents Bleus! (AKA, Chapelle des Recollets) This Gothic style interior is amazingly colourful and vibrant. In the corner of the small, but beautiful church is a painting, or murals actually with a statue positioned before them, making it 3D of three woman coming to shore on a boat… What appears to be Mary Magdalene, likely arriving by boat, let’s assume in France. Brings to mind Sauniere, and his legends. It is a very picturesque representation of the boat from the legends Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and St. Sara. You ask, what is that all about? I reply, where do I begin!
Here is a good account or summary of the legends of one of Jesus’ closest disciples:
“The story begins after the death of Jesus when his followers were persecuted in the Holy Land. Several of them were forced into a boat without rudder or sail and cast out to sea, left to perish there. Accounts vary, but a popular version of the legend says that along with Mary Magdalene were Mary Salomé, Mary Jacobé, Martha, Lazarus, Maximin, and their Egyptian servant Sara.
After a rough passage at sea, the ship was miraculously guided to Provence, where it landed at a place now called Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (Saints Mary of the Sea). Today the town is a pilgrimage site for the Romani people—also called gypsies—who come to worship their patron Saint Sara, known as “Black Sara” for her dark Egyptian skin.” Source:
Notice the doll-like figure under that Mary mural? Set in state and quite large. Notice she holds a golden arrow and an anchor. A lot of connections to the sea…
#Bible #HolyMarys #Beziers
The painting on the facing side of the Mary mural and statue is also very interesting. It’s titled “Nostra Domina Affiliations” which I believe in Latin means Affiliations with Our Lady. In the artwork, we see Jesus wrist wounds on the cross, with angels or young ladies capturing the blood in flasks or cups. Then there is a woman, two woman actually with the main, accented one, looking holier is point up to the crucified Jesus with backwards text coming out of her mouth, which if you mirror around, to reads, “Monstrateessemematrem” which in Latin is likely, “Monstra Te Esse Matrem” which means, “Show thyself a mother.” This is from the ancient hymn, Ave maris Stella”. (Latin for 'Hail, star of the sea') - interesting this tie to the sea! Source:
Monstra te esse matrem,
sumat per te precem [10]
qui pro nobis natus
tulit esse tuus.
Which in English is,
Show thyself to be a Mother:
Through thee may he receive prayer
Who, being born for us,
Undertook to be thine own.
Mary is long know as the, Star of the Sea” - again, a very interesting title!
Chapelle des Pénitents Bleus, the old church of the Cordeliers convent, (XIV - XVth centuries) was drastically effected by the Revolution. This sort of Flamboyant Gothic style is rare in the Languedoc region. The choir and several bays were destroyed in the nineteenth century, along with the ramparts to which it was backed. After serving as a meeting place for representatives of the three Orders of the French Revolution (Clergy, Nobility, Third Estate) for the drafting of the book of grievances. This chapel, this piece of history, was sold to the organizers of that very French Revolution, It was later sold again or bartered to the Blue Penitents Roman Catholic sect dedicated to the Virgin Mary. They helped the poor as their main goal and also seemed to have accepted the Santa Maria traditions.
The level, large model of the ship on the back wall, hanging high, is the Saintes Marie de la Mer, This was crafted or built by Jourdan in the 1700’s. It is a perfect reproduction (to the nearest millimeter) of a gunboat commissioned by Louis XVI then the the States of Languedoc.
Additional Sources -
Chapelle des Recollets, Chapelle des Pénitents Bleus in Beziers.
Alaverdi - Kutaisi Mravalzhamier, Chapelle des Pénitents, Beziers, France
Alaverdi - Kutaisi Mravalzhamier, Chapelle des Pénitents, Beziers, France
Places to see in ( Beziers - France )
Places to see in ( Beziers - France )
On a rocky crag beside the River Orb, Béziers is an understated city a few kilometres in from the Mediterranean and its long sandy beaches. These old stone streets are rarely swamped with tourists, but for five days in mid-August the Féria de Béziers brings a program of bullfights, and aficionados pour into the city.
Sightseers should begin with the Orb, which is crossed by a quaintly irregular medieval bridge far below the cathedral. And conversely, the boundless views across the river plain from this church are a real spectacle. The Orb, Canal du Midi and the Haut Languedoc Regional Park all promise outdoor escapades, and winery tours will also be on the menu in the world’s largest wine region.
The town is located on a small bluff above the river Orb, about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the Mediterranean coast, and 75 km southwest of Montpellier. At Béziers, the Canal du Midi spans the river Orb as an aqueduct called the Pont-canal de l'Orb, claimed to be the first of its kind. Béziers is one of the oldest cities in France. Research published in March 2013 shows that Béziers dates from 575 BC, making it older than Agde (Greek Agathe Tyche, founded in 525 BC) and a bit younger than Marseille (Greek Massalia, founded in 600 BC).
The site has been occupied since Neolithic times, before the influx of Celts. Roman Betarra was on the road that linked Provence with Iberia. The Romans refounded the city as a new colonia for veterans in 36–35 BC and called it Colonia Julia Baeterrae Septimanorum. Stones from the Roman amphitheatre were used to construct the city wall during the 3rd century. White wine was exported to Rome. A dolia discovered in an excavation near Rome is marked I am a wine from Baeterrae and I am five years old; another simply white wine of Baeterrae. It was occupied by the Moors between 720 and 752.
Alot to see in Beziers such as :
Saint-Nazaire Cathedral
The Plateau des Poètes
Beziers Arenas
The Fine Arts Museum (musée des Beaux-Arts)
The musée Saint-Jacques
Le Pont Vieux
Le Cimetière Vieux
The Canal du Midi (17th century)
The canal bridge
The Fonserannes locks
Garden de la Plantade
The Cordier or Bagnols mill
Saint-Jacques Church
The Saint-Aphrodise Church
Church of the Madeleine
Saint Jude Church
Church of the Immaculate Conception and its glazed tile roof
The Capnau quarter
Island of Tabarka, on the Orb
The Municipal Theatre (19th century)
The Art Nouveau former Théâtre des Variétés
The market hall (end of 19th century)
The Saint-Jean-d'Aureilhan estate
The Domaine de Bayssan
Chapelle du Jardin Notre-Dame (18th century)
Chapelle des Pénitents Bleus (18th century)
Oppidum d'Ensérune archaeological site
Étang de Montady
( Beziers - France ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Beziers . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Beziers - France
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