150 Churches in Paris and elsewhere

  Créteil is a suburb of Paris I used to work in, with too many motorways in it, though there is a quiet bit by the water. This twenty-first century cathedral (opened in 2015) has an elegant modernist altar table, baptismal font and furniture, and imaginative statues and crucifixes, along with circularish benches. It also has a lovely belltower.   The huge wooden structure inside is meant to symbolize two hands joined in prayer. The noticeboard announces meetings between Christians and Buddhists (Resilient in Hope), and a seminar on understanding the war in Ukraine, as well as monthly poetry meetings where you can read your own poems to the group.

I was very excited to have a couple of days in Antwerp, because my sister was there, and to be able to see a whole bunch of churches. The cathedral is a great experience. Before you go in, have a look at the sculpted group of cathedral builders installed in front, in honour of Pieter Appelmans and his father, architects who directed the construction of the cathedral in the 14th century. In 1566   protestant   attackers smashed the place up, and in 1794 supporters of the French Revolution did considerable damage too. This is Antwerp so you’ve got to have your Rubens. His house is just up the road ; there is a statue of him in the square outside, and the cathedral   contains four magnificent paintings by the Flemish genius : The Raising of the Cross, the  Assumption of the Virgin Mary, The Descent from the Cross  and The Resurrection of Christ  . A series of moving if far less spectacular paintings show scenes from Mary’s life. The Baroque p...