Saint-Thégonnec Parish Close Ossuary, Brittany France
The Breton region of Finistere is known for its enclose paroissials - or Parish Closes. The Parish Close is an area enclosed by a wall that surrounds a church and other architectural elements that could include a monumental gateway, porch sanctuary, ossuary (place where bones are stored and revered), relic chapel, fountain, and a high cross known in Brittany as a Calvary.
The Parish Close is a repository of some of the most exquisite religious art in Europe. I visited several of these under the guidance of Brittany expert and author, Wendy Mews in 2016.
The ossuary at Saint-Thégonnec is named for Notre Dame after the Virgin Mary. The ossuary is a separate building within the Parish Close and serves as a crypt for notables. One end of the building is completely occupied by a collection of eleven lifesized figures carved out of oak by Jacques Lespagnol in 1702. Ten figures are gathered around the figure of the dead Jesus Christ. Each figure has a unique expression showing their grief at the death including three angels.
This Parish Close and others are featured on our Brittany tour.
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Music Private Reflection by Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com
A Portion of Epiphany Mass 2013 (Saint-Denis, France)
Photos are allowed in here -- please be careful with the flash, and do not engage in distracting activities during services. You are allowed to make videos in here, just don't bother anyone, stay off to the back for instance, and don't allow anyone's face to appear for more than a second -- keep things at a distance. Visitors and congregants are encouraged to record services and share them, just use common sense.
This is the world's first Gothic church and dates from the 12th c. The Abbé Suger wanted a new architectural style which would allow in the most possible light. Light and the Light-Bearer were standard Church themes until just a relatively few centuries ago. Saint-Denis, the capital of France before Paris (France used to be a very small country!) was the number one place of Christian pilgramage in all of France for over a thousand years, and Saint Denys was the first Bishop of Paris. He and two clergy attempted to flee some Roman soldiers, did not quite make it back to the safety of what was then Saint-Denis, and were martyred, probably somewhere between what is now Montmartre in Paris, and this city. The abbey church was open only to clergy and royalty, except for special days when Christians could file past and observe relics. For this and other reasons, the basilica was quite detested and was terribly damaged, all the royal tombs desecrated and emptied, during The Terror in the first French revolution in the 18th c., when religion was banned in France. The roof was removed and melted down, and what was left of the structure became a granary. The city named was changed to FRANCIADE. Despite what you may have heard, most of those killed during the first revolution were ordinary people, followed by clergy (who often knew too much local gossip, having heard confessions), then, finally, aristocrats, who, as a class, were generally impoverished and irrelevent by that point, anyway. The revolution was fomented by bourgeois lawyers who initially had no problem with the monarchy at all per se, and would have been quite happy to allow them to remain, being no threat whatsoever, but things got out of hand. All revolutions end in betrayal. The French revolution was a dismal, tragic failure, followed quickly by a Restoration and a couple more revolutions (at least) in the 19th c.
Epiphany is a very important holiday in Mediterranean countries, and is on or around January 6. It has to do with the Three Kings who visited a miraculous child they'd heard of. There are about a week of cheerful little traditions around Epiphany, including giving to charity, getting together with others, and sharing a few drinks and sweet treats.
If you want to visit the crypt and see some interesting objects in the basilica for free, go on the first Sunday of each month, after services are over in the morning around 11 am. Otherwise, there is an admission fee. There is also a very good, reasonably priced museum in Saint-Denis nearby, a beautiful park (Napoléon's Legion of Honor), a famous market every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings, lots of good shopping for less than in Paris, et c. The mètro 13 to BASILIQUE takes you in and out of central Paris. Most of Saint-Denis is closed on Mondays.
copyright 2013 Lisa B. Falour, B.S., M.B.A. all rights reserved cutecatfaith.com
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Driving in Paris ( City of Lights ) Tour France
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Driving Along The N12 E50 From Saint-Martin-des-Champs To Plouigneau, Finistère, Brittany, France
Driving along the N12 E50 from Saint-Martin-des-Champs to Plouigneau, Finistère, Brittany, France
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