I always enjoy visiting the beautiful churches in Paris, steeped in history yet magnificently constructed and sculpted, even by today’s standards. I find the side chapels most fascinating, each one different to the next offering a variety of saints, tombs and colourful stain glass windows to ponder upon in the glow of the votive candles. Anonymously visiting churches or attending mass in a foreign city is rather mystical and makes me feel like an invisible observer, free to imbibe the spiritual ambiance.
Of the many churches I visited, there are a few that formed a memorable impression, namely St Etienne-du-Mont on Place Geneviève where I attended Latin evensong, shrouded in incense and punctuated with tinkling bells.
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| St Etienne-du-Mont |
Equally noteworthy was St Sulpice with its mesmeric statue of Mary adorning the Lady Chapel, cleverly lit by natural light that uncannily casts a halo-like shadow. This was also the setting for Handel’s Messiah conducted by charismatic Hugues Reiner – a most memorable performance, especially as I was lucky enough to be sitting in the second row!
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| St Sulpice |
I consciously ignored the crowds when visiting Sacré Coeur and Notre Dame Cathedral, and focussed my attention on the stunning features that both of these landmarks had to offer. Sacré Coeur’s apse is quite spellbinding, beautifully adorned with a mosaic of Jesus Christ with outstretched hands, invoking deep divine contemplation.
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| Sacré Coeur |
Likewise, Notre Dame Cathedral’s resounding peel of bells provoked emotive reflection at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – Armistice Day.
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| Notre Dame |
The weekly Taizé prayer service at Saint-Germain-des-Prés called for further meditation, whilst participating in the spiritual chants or simply letting my thoughts flow and be enchanted by the serene yet incomplete 13th century statue of the Madonna and child – rediscovered in 1999 and pieced back together. The statue’s fragmental simplicity seems to enhance the sacred purity of the Madonna.
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| Saint-Germain-des-Prés |
Sainte Chapelle was the beautiful setting for a memorable concert by Les Soloistes Français, who performed three favourite pieces – Pachelbel’s Canon (evoking fond wedding day memories), Albinoni’s adagio in G minor and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. This repertoire may seem rather trite, but it was most welcomed after works by Luigi Nono at Saint Eustache and Opéra Bastille (‘two for the price of one’ – on the same night!). I subsequently learned that Luigi Nono is known as the ‘Father of contemporary music’; to me, his work is the musical version of minimalist modern art, which makes Philip Glass sound like Mozart!
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| Sainte Chapelle |