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100 Churches in Paris and elsewhere

Being a leading world expert in ... something else entirely (really), I started this blog to accompany my walking round Paris visiting churches (occasional guest appearances from synagogues mosques etc), walks initially decided just because I need more exercise. Very little technical vocab, but some good views. Many of the churches are in Paris, but many are churches I went to on my various trips. We are talking relaxed browsing round churches here, not comprehensive analysis.

18 Ss Peter and Paul, San Francisco

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- juillet 04, 2022

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Posts les plus consultés de ce blog

106 - Paris 12th arrondissement -Church of the Holy Spirit. Half Byzantine, half reinforced concrete

- août 02, 2024

The Holy Spirit doesn’t have that many churches dedicated to it/him/her/them. Generally disguised as a dove or a tongue of flame, the Holy Spirit is the third bit of the Trinity. It is rather less well-defined than the other two bits : God the Father, creating universes quickly before having a day off, and God the Son, gurgling in the straw when he’s not bleeding out on the cross or giving moral guidance, bread and fish to large crowds. But there are people working hard to define the Holy Spirit more carefully. In Christian theology, pneumatology is the study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Half of you think I am making this up, but I’m not. Anyway, Saint Peter and a bunch of others have more churches than him/her/it/them. This church is a twentieth century one in Paris, not far from the bookshop La Brèche ( https://la-breche.com/ ) It has kind of sepia frescoes on some of the walls, a colourful fresco of Saint Peter in his fave position, and a very origin...

50. Montreal, Basilica of Notre Dame. Coolest Gothic revival pulpit

- février 27, 2023

Montreal, Basilica of Notre Dame. Coolest Gothic revival pulpit The wikipedia article says that the interior of the church is « one of the most dramatic in the world », and dead Gothic. Gets eleven million visitors a year, and last year I was one of them. My favourite ever pulpit. If you’re gonna preach Good News About Eternal Life, you might as well do it perched on some decent furniture. The stained glass windows here don’t bother with Bible stories, but depict scenes from the history of Montreal. The other major highlight is the extra chapel behind the altar through a corridor, which is has a modern bronze altar piece which is totally stunning. It represents humanity’s journey towards God, passing through childhood, adulthood and old age. In this chapel, the Stations of the Cross are well worth a look. Information in French Information in English Information in Armenian

86 Paris, Montmartre, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The Gospel is sport!

- décembre 21, 2023

86 Paris, Montmartre, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart This tremendously famous church, which towers over Montmartre in Paris, is more directly political than most. It is often said to have been built as revenge against the Paris Commune, an insurrection during which the workers controlled Paris for a couple of months and showed the wonderful possibilities of workers’ power before being massacred by the authorities. This is not 100% true, in that the plans to build this church were decided before the Paris Commune. Nevertheless, the right wingers of the time certainly presented the church, and the worship of the sacrament in it as penance for the terrible sin of workers’ insurrection. As a result the church is cordially detested by many left wing activists in France (even more than the significant minority of left activists here who cordially detest any religious building). Shortly after the building of the church, it was the site of the National Vow, which again was a very co...

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Posts les plus consultés de ce blog

106 - Paris 12th arrondissement -Church of the Holy Spirit. Half Byzantine, half reinforced concrete

- août 02, 2024

The Holy Spirit doesn’t have that many churches dedicated to it/him/her/them. Generally disguised as a dove or a tongue of flame, the Holy Spirit is the third bit of the Trinity. It is rather less well-defined than the other two bits : God the Father, creating universes quickly before having a day off, and God the Son, gurgling in the straw when he’s not bleeding out on the cross or giving moral guidance, bread and fish to large crowds. But there are people working hard to define the Holy Spirit more carefully. In Christian theology, pneumatology is the study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Half of you think I am making this up, but I’m not. Anyway, Saint Peter and a bunch of others have more churches than him/her/it/them. This church is a twentieth century one in Paris, not far from the bookshop La Brèche ( https://la-breche.com/ ) It has kind of sepia frescoes on some of the walls, a colourful fresco of Saint Peter in his fave position, and a very origin...

50. Montreal, Basilica of Notre Dame. Coolest Gothic revival pulpit

- février 27, 2023

Montreal, Basilica of Notre Dame. Coolest Gothic revival pulpit The wikipedia article says that the interior of the church is « one of the most dramatic in the world », and dead Gothic. Gets eleven million visitors a year, and last year I was one of them. My favourite ever pulpit. If you’re gonna preach Good News About Eternal Life, you might as well do it perched on some decent furniture. The stained glass windows here don’t bother with Bible stories, but depict scenes from the history of Montreal. The other major highlight is the extra chapel behind the altar through a corridor, which is has a modern bronze altar piece which is totally stunning. It represents humanity’s journey towards God, passing through childhood, adulthood and old age. In this chapel, the Stations of the Cross are well worth a look. Information in French Information in English Information in Armenian

86 Paris, Montmartre, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The Gospel is sport!

- décembre 21, 2023

86 Paris, Montmartre, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart This tremendously famous church, which towers over Montmartre in Paris, is more directly political than most. It is often said to have been built as revenge against the Paris Commune, an insurrection during which the workers controlled Paris for a couple of months and showed the wonderful possibilities of workers’ power before being massacred by the authorities. This is not 100% true, in that the plans to build this church were decided before the Paris Commune. Nevertheless, the right wingers of the time certainly presented the church, and the worship of the sacrament in it as penance for the terrible sin of workers’ insurrection. As a result the church is cordially detested by many left wing activists in France (even more than the significant minority of left activists here who cordially detest any religious building). Shortly after the building of the church, it was the site of the National Vow, which again was a very co...

67 Charenton in the Paris suburbs : Saint Pierre : conflict between Church and State

- août 12, 2023

Just outside Paris, this 19th century church carries the inscription above the door : « Liberté Egalité Fraternité » the motto of the French Revolution. The inscription dates back to the conflict between the Church and left political forces at the end of the 19th century. The Church had a huge influence, particularly in education, and one of the huge battles of the day was to win a (relative) separation of Church and State. The conflict was very much calmed by the law of 1905 on laïcité, a law which in France everyone speaks about and noone has read. The law made all church buildings state owned, and ordered that they be leased back to the parishes almost free, and that the state would pay for repair and upkeep. The law also ruled on certain other conflicts, guaranteeing, for example, the right of churches to hold religious processions on public roads. Anyway, in the period before this when the conflict of ideas was very strong, the local government ordered (in 189...

72 London - Saint Paul's Cathedral: Cool people commemorated, but bloody Empire heroes too.

- septembre 24, 2023

Saint Paul’s Cathedral London. I seem to be visiting churches a lot faster than I am finding the time to write them up; I have a real backlog. Anyway it was great to visit Saint Paul’s cathedral, one of the four cathedrals in London if I remember correctly (two for the protestants two for the catholics - but I am probably missing some orthodox cathedral). It was Christopher Wren who was the architect, and it was built as the first Anglican cathedral on the site - previously they had just recycled Catholic hand-me-downs. His advisors, and the committees, wanted him to be sure to make it not too Catholic. So, no stained glass, and no statues, monuments etc. However, in later centuries, once they got less scared of us Catholics, the statues and monuments came by the dozens - and indeed the 20th century high altar looks like it was looted from the Vatican itself. Lots of people got monuments, mainly heroes of the bloody British Empire, like Wellington. He has the biggest monume...

119 Hastings, UK – St Mary, Star of the Sea : I recognize that lamb

- décembre 11, 2024

119 Hastings, UK – St Mary, Star of the Sea : I recognize that lamb This is the local parish church (built in 1882) I visited with my friend Franco, when I came down to see him in Hastings after we had not seen each other for 30 years (the wonders of Facebook !). Highlight was the lamb pictured here which was made many years ago by Franco’s children. Intricate dark-wood stations of the cross, and a painting of the sea at Hastings with some saint or other I think. According to wikipedia « “Star of the Sea” as a title has been in use since at least the early medieval period. Purportedly arising from a scribal error in a supposed etymology of the name Mary , it came to be seen as allegorical of Mary's role as "guiding star" on the way to Christ. Under this name, the Virgin Mary is believed to intercede as a guide and protector of seafarers in particular. Many coastal churches are named Stella Maris or Star of the Sea. «In ...

107 Blackburn (GB) – Blackburn Cathedral - Walk on by?

- août 06, 2024

This is a cathedral I walked past every school day from 1976 to 1979, but never went in because I was busy being a Catholic (long story). But much later I got to like it and regularly go in when I am visiting my mother who lives just up the road in Oswaldtwistle. They do bellringing classes and have a cool café. Very elegant pulpit and lectern in light wood. Unusual modern statue of Mary giving Jesus his bath when he was a small child, impressive stained glass. And modernist paintings for the Stations of the Cross. There are also a few fifteenth century praying seats. The official name of the cathedral is Cathedral Church of Saint Mary the Virgin with Saint Paul. It was built in 1826, and much enlarged in the 1950s and 1960s. The lantern tower is very distinctive.

123 Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Normandy : Our Lady of the Holy Parachutes

- janvier 05, 2025

I visit a lot of churches and see a lot of modern art in them, but the stained glass windows of Our Lady with parachutists landing in the background were definitely a first. But perhaps you remember the name of the village Sainte-Mère-Eglise, from the film with John Wayne. Yes, this was the village chosen for the parachute squads to drop in, a few hours before the Normandy landings (because it was in the right place). This is the church whose spire one of the paratroopers got his parachute hooked on. The Germans took him prisoner, and he survived. To this day there is a model of him hanging on to the spire by parachute (You can just see in one of the photos). Apart from the stained glass, there is a fine rood cross (that is to say one high above the altar, in the air), and and admirably chunky lectern. When I was there there was a collection of children’s drawings displayed, on the theme of peace. The church was started in the 12th century, and is actually called Our lady of ...