39 Paris 5th arrondissement - Saint Médard

 This church is named after Saint Medardus, a 6th cenury bishop. According to wikipedia "Medardus was one of the most honored bishops of his time, often depicted laughing, with his mouth wide open, and therefore he was invoked against toothache".

I visited in December, so there were two cribs - a fairly standard nativity scene inside, and a chirpy crib in the church yard.

Some of the stained glass in the church goes back to the 16th century, and one of the paintings is by Zurburan, a well-known Spanish artist. Exquisite painted Stations of the Cross, and a written notice on the holy water basin saying that crossing yourself with this water (as Catholics do when walking into church) is meant to remind you of your baptism (Noone ever told me this). The Stations of the Cross reminded me that I need to learn more about how to take decent photos in less than optimal lighting.

I liked the collection of confessionals too (which seemed to be mostly out of use). The memorial to the dead of the Paris in World War One seemed to be fronted by a Pietà.































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