Paris: a chapel amidst a shopping complex

Peter and Kristina (who kindly allowed me to stay at their Paris apartment) had informed me that nearby was to be found a pilgrimage site, right in the midst of a large shopping complex called Le Bon Marché, off La Rue de Sèvres, which ran parallel to la Rue du Cherche Midi where I was staying. So on Tuesday (29th April) I duly headed to La Chapelle Notre Dame de la Médaille Miraculeuse (made famous especially by the visions of St. Catherine Labouré) - you can read about its significance on the Web site.

It's located officially at 140 Rue du Bac, not far from the turning off Rue de Sèvres; personally, knowing that it was in the area I had no difficulty locating it, but it's worth noting that there is a drive and the entrance to the church itself is at the far end, hidden from view from the road. The following is taken a little way down the drive:

Just go to the covered area and the entrance to the church is on the right. You pass on the left a statue to St. Vincent de Paul, were behind the statue are rows of small bricks or tablets that record many expressions of gratitude for prayers answered.

I proceeded into the church, where Mass was in progress, with a considerable number in attendance. I would like to explore the chapel more, but on this occasion just stood for a few minutes at the back and observed the considerable lightness in the designs. Coming out I then popped into a little shop and donated towards souvenirs - the nun who received payments was very pleasant and light, the opposite of the harshness so characteristic of urban life. She seemed to reflect the uplifting atmosphere of the chapel itself.

I then emerged and sought some more worldly souvenirs, particularly of the edible variety, to share with relative, friends and colleagues. So I dived into the Grand Epicerie(?) next door. To be honest, I'm not sure, but it certainly had some expensive food labels! I then entered another section of Le Bon Marché, which looked like this:

I bought one more item. Can you guess what it was...?

A Travel Scrabble set in French (for me to practise ahead of future visits!) However, I didn't find this so easily: I initially wandered to the top and only then identified from a chart that the toys section was in the basement, so I only found it after traipsing through furnishings, clothes, books etc. The toy department was quite extensive and I could have quite easily spent longer there! One corner was devoted to origami and among the instruction manuals was one with a foreword by Brigitte Bardot. Whereas I can imagine an English foreword talking a little about the ancient tradition of orgami and how fun it is, here was a philosophical reflection on how origami was harmonious with nature, consistent with the urgent need to protect the environment! Her religious expression in secular life, perhaps?

Paris: chapels, churches and cathedrals (2)

Being my first time in Paris, I naturally wanted to take a look at two of the most famous churches – the cathedral of Notre Dame and the Basilica of Le Sacré Coeur. Accordingly, I set aside Sunday for exploring these and made my way from the apartment onto La Rue Vaugirard, a street that was now more familiar, having already followed it to reach the Jardins du Luxembourg. On the previous day, I passed by the Chapelle St Joseph des Carmes, which during the Revolution of the late 18C witnessed bloody scenes resulting in more than 100 martyrs.

I was just in time for a quick visit - I tagged onto a tour group and when lingering at the front of the church I got a call from their guide, who had the key. Afterwards I said "I was lucky", actually meaning that I was lucky to get a look, but the guide thought I meant something else, "Yes, you could have been locked in there all night." Maybe that would have been even more interesting, however I think I would have preferred another church with a more harmonious record! On this occasion, I just took a snap to record its history:

There are lots of these triangular information points that look like metallic oars - perhaps to symbolise the navigation through the munipal information waters! In any case, they are useful - here relating the discalced Carmelite origins of the early 17th century.

Proceeding onwards, I made my way to a square by the Sorbonne. I wanted to find a guided tour to explore this ancient seat of learning, but whereas there had been quite a bit of activity the day before, with quite a few students gathered around posters commemorating the 1968 uprisings, this was Sunday morning - not known to be a time for so much student engagement! So I contented myself with a coffee and croissants, watching people amble by and relaxing through the sound of the fountains:

I crossed over the Seine and soon came to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I immediately saw the long queues and was instinctively put off from going in, so I aimed to just take a photo or two of the main entrance:

But then I reconsidered and reflected that I ought to be more patient and go with the flow, so I joined the queue and found it was snaking its way very quickly. After a few steps, I looked up again and saw the sky had changed - there was now a halo above the cathedral.

I've seen this effect before (I like rainbow effects and often spot them). The scientific explanation is that they are the result of sunlight refracting through ice crystals, but as to how this combination arises in the first place ... :-)

Inside it was very crowded - Mass was just starting and the clergy filed past close to where I was standing, carrying the cross before and appearing completely unruffled by all the motion around them. They were well aware of the grand ceremony of the Mass being the real spectacle, centre stage. Even so, it felt strange to have this proceeding surrounded by so many tourists clicking away as though this was just another series of exhibits. I too was part of the crowd, taking the odd photo; I thought that my father might be interested in proceedings, but generally the light was very poor. At least the cross was clear enough:

Videos were a bit better: I took a couple of short videos, including the following, which shows how popular the cathedral is:

It was easy to get distracted from the cathedral's purpose as a place of worship, but I just made my way slowly and it was alright.

I saw some people praying earnestly in the side chapels, some with drooping shoulders and generally sunken posture looked to be heavily burdened; I wanted to touch them lightly and say not to worry, but I didn't have the courage (or temerity). Buddhist practitioners are instructed that whatever their circumstances, the meditation posture should be upright, which can help brighten the mind; it doesn't mean a loss of humility. I think such advice would be helpful here.

Emerging from the cathedral, I took a few more photos, one showing paintings on sale and the other a view further along the river:

After lunch I headed North, initially to the Ile de Saint Louis, now a very well-to-do place to reside. I visited Saint Louis church, where they had some information on a noticeboard about Christian Meditation, as inspired by Desert fathers. They featured St. Bruno's simplicity in being still in God, but primary attention was given to the practise of Father John Main and the community he established. Actually, there exist many methods for Christians; some of the deepest states of stillness I encountered in church were when people were praying silently in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Afterwards I took the Metro to Montmartre to visit Le Sacre Coeur. Weaving in and out of the throngs, I approach from the South and beheld its bleached white Château-Landon stone:

It was the strictest church i've come across so far - inside no photos or videos were allowed; gentleman had to remove hats and ladies especially were requested to be dressed modestly, very similar to a Thai temple :-) At 4pm there was Vespers, with very prominent roles given to the nuns: forming the choir, they sung very bright alleluias. The organ accompaniment built up very gradually until it was booming, making quite a statement!

Emerging, after taking in the view into the distance, I took a route down one side and took a photo from a corner:

Having done quite an ecclesiastical tour, it was time to go home for evening reflections (browsing the photos on the Eee PC in the comfort of the apartment :-).

Paris: chapels, churches and cathedrals (1)

France is a secular state, but for centuries was Catholic, and the historical legacy, at least, is evident for all to see through many buildings that are still places of worship.

Friday was my first full day and en route to the Hôtel National des Invalides, I popped into the Church of St. Francis Xavier:

It's not much to look at from the outside and it is located in the midst of busy roads, but inside it's quite ornate (at least compared with churches in the UK) and generally they are quiet and peaceful, very convenient when wishing to pause for reflection or simply escape the milieu:

(the ceiling depicts the apostles of Jesus, including Paul, "Apostle to the Gentiles")

Moving on, I soon came to the Eglise du Dome at the Hôtel des Invalides - architecturally grander, more elegant, more eloquent:

Inside it is more elaborate, with classical scenes depicted on a large scale inside the dome,

It's conveys a lot of power, but not much spirituality - like most of what was on display in the building it celebrated battles, wars etc of the rather mundane kind. :-( However, at least the nursing role - as indicated in the title of the building - continues to this day, so many thousands of wounded have received good care and treatment.

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I did a lot of walking on Friday - I proceeded towards the Eiffel tower, lingered for a short while underneath it, crossed the river and headed into the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, a high profile architecture and heritage museum, where there are several hundred plaster-cast reproductions of church architecture spanning medieval, Gothic and Renaissance periods, complete with accompanying murals:

However, one of the most interesting exhibits depicted a famous Catalan church, La Sagrada Familia, in Meccano ...!

This corner of the museum was a competition area, containing many toy building blocks waiting to be composed into fabulous monuments. When I was a young child, Lego was one of my favourite toys and I would would have wanted to stay hours and hours designing skyscrapers!

Arrival in France

I have for quite some while being using a domain, chezpaul.org.uk, 'chez Paul' is French, meaning roughly 'at Paul's house.' Yet, as of the start of this year, the only place I had visited in France was Charles de Gaulle airport! However, in March, a couple of friends kindly offered me the chance to stay at their apartment in Paris. I looked at my work schedule (and also mindful of the celebrations at the temple) and indicated the last week of April. That was ok, so the holiday was on!

I only gradually learnt whereabouts I was staying - information was passed on little by little. "It's about 20 minutes from the Gare du Nord" - so I located the station and initially thought it would be North of that location, but actually it was south, far more central than I expected, in the 6th arrondissement, la Rue du Cherch Midi. Being excited and inquisitive about the prospect, I tried to learn more about the locale and came across a video that conveys quite well the environment:

Paris 6eme Rue du Cherche Midi
Uploaded by Chouettedor

Like most streets in Paris, there are many layers of construction history. I think the bâtiment (building) in which I stayed and many in the environs were from the early part of the 19th century. You can see a number of such buildings in the following photo was taken a couple hundred meters down the road:

I was up on the 4th floor - quite a traipse with no lift, especially when I arrived with my luggage after a long journey! (However, I wasn't that tired because I had arrived via Eurostar, which was far more comfortable than a plane).

On proceeding through the main entrance and entering a little courtyard, I was struck by the smells in the air, quite an interesting atmosphere, a sense of antiquity; and the quarterly sounding of a small church bell nearby added to the charm. The block itself is not so grand in terms of structure and apartments may not be huge, but certainly the apartment where I stayed was very nicely decorated, had what I needed, prompting me to muse over the idea of swapping with my own little flat in Oxford!

I was told that about 10 years ago one could purchase such an apartment at a modest price, but now that's no longer the case (even with the credit crunch) - confirmed when I looked at property being advertised in estate agents' windows! The locale's appeal is evident when looking at the list of names associated with the apartments - there is a wide range of nationalities: as far as I could tell, in addition to the French, there were English, Germans, Spaniards, Russians, Chinese and Japanese.

There are quite a number of reviews of this street (see e.g. a quite detailed exploration from a hotel site). They talk mainly about the cafes, restaurants, a bakery, and expensive shops - especially clothes and antiques. However, there's a lot more to it, especially when you investigate it's history - for instance one site was a military garrison and then became a prison, and is now the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme. Ideally, the best way is to get to know the people living and working there - but I couldn't do that in less than a week!

So what was the first shop I visited? Discounting a tabac, where I bought a carnet for the metro, it was actually a supermarket on la rue de Sèvres!