108 Paris 4th arrondissement : Saint Merry, the Gospel is no piece of cake !

 St Merry is a 16th century church just round the corner from the Pompidou centre. It has beautiful Gothic volumes, and interesting enamel Stations of the Cross, as well as an ornate 18th century pulpit which looks good to preach from. A number of fine 17th century paintings can be found. One of the modern sculptures « Christ mocked » is particularly beautiful.

The saint was a seventh century monk, also called Médéric. He came from an illustrious family and was given to the Church when he was a teenager. He became quite well-known for his miracles. Later, for fear of becoming too proud, he retired to the forest (like you do), before doing a pilgrimage in old age and releasing prisoners he came across on the way.

The Church was badly damaged during the French Revolution, and was used as a gunpowder factory for a while. There is a plaque to commemorate priests killed during the French Revolution.

I last visited in the year of the Olympic Games. A number of churches in Paris used the theme in their public relations material, organized fun runs from one Basilica to another, or, as in this case, just used sporty slogans. The poster I photographed is appealing for altar boys and girls. The slogan « L’évangile, c’est sport » is a play on words, because it can mean « the gospel is sport » or « the gospel is no piece of cake » - in the sense that spreading the gospel requires a lot of energy and can be tiring.