Just One More War -- Well, maybe a couple

Preface:  Michael is going to intersperse this somewhat  depressing text with uplifting, joyful photos of the beautiful churches and cathedrals we saw on our trip. This may seem a little disjointed, but we wanted to break up the dry history with some visuals.

CHURCH

This first series of photos is of the Église Notre-Dame de Villeréal (Church of Our Lady of Villeréal)

The church was constructed between 1265 & 1269. Unusually for the medieval period, the fortified church was built at the exact same time as the founding of the bastide town.

Alphonse,  Count of Poitiers (brother of King Louis IX (Saint Louis) commissioned the building of the church.

Built as both a place of worship and a defensive stronghold, it features high buttresses, two square turrets, arrow slits, and a crenellated walkway...

as well as strongly fortified doors.

All of the stained glass in the church (shown here and below) dates from 1887 or 1888

A view of the pulpit...

and the main altar. The church historically was surrounded by a deep moat and worshippers originally accessed the church via a drawbridge.

HISTORY

We'll jump ahead a couple of centuries so we can get to the next significant war.   Actually that isn't the reason.  It was just that by French standards the 1400s and early 1500s were pretty calm.  Kings came and went, bastides grew, countries squabled.  Nothing too outrageous.  But the friction between Catholics and Protestants knew no bounds.

CHURCH

The parish church in medieval bastide town of Monpazier is Églises Saint-Dominic (Church of St. Dominic). Construction began on this church in the late 13th century (following the founding of the bastide town in 1284) on the site of an earlier Romanesque chapel. It was built in stages over several centuries, with the choir and apse finished around the 15th to the early 16th century, and the bell tower added in the 16th century.

The church was founded as part of the establishment of Monpazier by King Edward I of England (who was also Duke of Aquitaine/Gascony) in partnership with Pierre de Gontaut, Lord of Biron, under a joint charter agreement (paréage).

A view of the bell tower completed in the 16th century...

and the main entrance to the church.

 

This gisant - The French term for a recumbent tomb effigy - showing a young woman lying peacefully in death, her hands folded in prayer, with roses placed at her feet by present day devotees.  The marble carving style suggest this is a gisant dating from the 1850s to 1880s.

 

A view of the main altar...

and a side altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

A statue of Saint Dominic before the baptismal font.

Another side altar dedicated to the pieta, with a sculpture of St. George slaying the dragon and another of St. Jean de Arc (Saint Joan of Arc).

Some of the stained glass windows of the church...

the carved wooden pulpit...

and the rose window.

We saw this in a few of the churches in France. The laminated paper above the trunk reads: "Dear visitors, by planting your nail and leaving a small donation in the collection box, you help us maintain the heritage of our church, statuary paintings, and furniture. Thank you."

HISTORY

The Huguenots were a branch of the Protestant movement.  In France they included many well educated, influential people including some nobility.  The problem here is that the country was 90 percent Catholic and that was not enough for the Pope.  Hence, the War of Religions which spanned from 1562-1598.  But it won't end there.  During the war it is estimated that between two and four million people died in the fighting or as a result of famine or death attributed to the war.  The war was brought to an end -- finally-- by the Treaty of Nantes which provided for religious freedom within the country.

Well, at least for a while.  Act II. Enter Louis XVI about 100 years later  who revoked the Treaty of Nantes and vowed to destroy the Huguenots.  He employed 300,000 soldiers and set them to work killing Huguenots.  It was decreed that Huguenots fleeing France would meet with death (although staying didn't seem to offer much upside).  And thus, they fled any way they could to Protestant countries like Germany, England, the Netherlands and the good, old United States.

CHURCH

The Romanesque Église Saint-Martin (located in Rouquette, just outside the bastide center of Eymet), was built in the 12th century. Like many rural Romanesque parish churches of the 12th century in the Aquitaine/Périgord region, it was constructed by medieval builders and monastic orders who established parish churches across the countryside prior to the founding of the bastide towns. It was built well before Eymet itself was founded as a fortified bastide town in 1270 by Alphonse de Poitiers. It originally served as the parish church for the hamlet of Roquette, which was an independent commune until it merged into the commune of Eymet.

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Church of Saint John the Baptist) is the primary church in the medieval village of Saint-Jean-de-Cole (in the Perigord Vert region of Dordogne). The building was begun in the late 11th century (around 1083) and was completed in the 12th century. It was founded by Raynaud de Thiviers (the Bishop of Périgeux) prior to his departure for the Crusades. He commissioned the church to serve as the place of worship for an Augustinian priory established on the same site. The church is famous for its unique layout in the Périgord region, featuring a square central bay with three apses radiating in a semicircle.

The main altar of the church,...

a side altar,...

and a statue of St. Jean de Arc...

and Mary with the Christ child.

Some of the stained glass windows of the Church.

HISTORY

So now it's 1787. General Lafayette has come and gone from the United States much impressed by the fledgling democracy and its right of freedom of religion.  He manages to  convince the King that his parochial (is that a pun?) view is out of date and inhumane.  The Treaty of Versailles is signed providing for freedom of religion - sort of.  While they will not be persecuted per se they cannot marry without converting to Catholicism nor can they worship publicly.  All of life is compromise.....

Among Americans descended from Huguenots were George Washington, Paul Revere and the Dupont family just to name a few.  So Louis XVI's loss was our gain.

The French Revolution and Napoleon

The French Revolution in 1789 centered around Paris and while the Dordogne suffered along with the rest it was not a major player.  However, a bit later many from the Dordogne would join Napoleon's army as they fought their way around Europe.  The Dordogne had never been wealthy but it became even poorer with the outflow of population and the end of the slave trade which was based in Nantes and a major contributor to the regional economy.  It took over a hundred years for the area to get back on its feet largely due to tourism and the wine and tobacco trade.

CHURCH

Église Notre-Dame de Bergerac (Church of Our Lady of Bergerac). While Bergerac is not officially a bishopric (and thus does not have a formal cathedral), the main Catholic church was specifically designed as a grand, imposing "small cathedral" for the city. Spearheaded by Abbé Julien Macerouze (parish priest of Saint-Jacques), who pushed for a monumental new church during the Catholic revival under the French Second Empire. It was designed by the famous French architect Paul Abadie (who also designed the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris).

Construction of the church took place between 1856 and 1865, and the church was officially consecrated on August 6, 1865.

The exterior front of the church with its cathedral scale bell tower of 80 meters that towers over the town skyline...

and a side entrance to the church.

The interior of the church...

with a view of the dome and chandelier.

An interesting carved wood main altar...

and an ornately carved wooden pulpit.

The ornately carved back drop to the side altar was very impressive.

The pipes to the historic pipe organ which is an historic symphonic organ crafted by Merklin-Schütze in 1865. It won an award at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1867.

The sculpture of Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours...

and a close up of the sculpture.

The altar of this chapel is dedicated to Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours, specifically in memory of the first parish church of Bergerac, which was dedicated to Saint Martin (316-397AD). He was the most popular saint in Gaul, and hundreds of churches throughout the Périgord bear his dedication.

Another chapel dedicated to "Our Lady" - Notre Dame...

and yet another chapel dedicated to "Our Lady" with the Christ child.

This series of stained glass windows are from a much later period than the previous ones and are quite a contrast with the stained glass windows in the Cathedral at Chartres.

HISTORY

World Wars I and II. - I'll be brief

During the 1800s the Europeans were so busy colonizing and subjugating people they had less time to murder each other.    The Napoleonic Wars was the exception. However, by the early 1900s they had pretty much finished the colonization job and spent more time in an arms race with each other.  Eventually the fuse was lit and World War I ensued.  Previously, France had been the dominant power in Europe but all that changed in the 20th century. France fought primarily on the Western Front in Belgium and Eastern France and incurred serious losses.  When we were in the Dordogne we found out that many families from Alsace  (which is on the France/German border and constantly tossed back and forth) had left during both wars and resettled in and around Dordogne.

World War II

So, there we were vacationing in the heart of Vichy France.  You know.  The collaborators.  Well, at first the Germans who physically positioned themselves in Northern and Western France kind of left the Vichy area alone but by 1942 they tightened their grasp and moved in on the area as they feared invasion by the Allies from North Africa.  Over 70,000 Jews were shipped out of Vichy France -- most to their deaths.  If one were to believe the denizens rendition of history virtually everyone was in the Resistance.  Hmmm.  Maybe...

So, I'm sure I've missed some wars, other major events and certainly everything cultural.  Trying to sum up American history from the prehistoric to present is, I think, a lot easier since we have so much less history -- sort of.  In any case, I promise not to discuss war for at least another dozen blogs. 

CHURCH 

On our way back to Paris we were able to visit Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres (Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres). The Gothic cathedral was constructed primarily between 1194 and 1220 following a catastrophic fire that destroyed most of the previous Romanesque building in 1194. It was built with astonishing speed for the medieval period (taking under 30 years to complete the main structure). It was officially consecrated in 1260 in the presence of King Louis IX (Saint Louis). The Cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and has been one of Europe's most significant Marian pilgrimage sites for centuries, largely because it houses the Sancta Camisa (a sacred tunic believed to have been worn by the Virgin Mary during the birth of Christ). 

A view of the west face of the cathedral with its two towers.

The amount of carved stonework on the outside of the cathedral is quite amazing given the time in which it was completed. This photo shows Christ at the top, with Mary below and the Old Testament Kings of Judah in a line below Mary. 

A closer look at the photo above. The Kings of Judah are the ancestral kings of the House of David, the dynastic line that, in Christian typology, leads directly to Christ.

This sculpture outside the cathedral pays homage to Fulbert, bishop from 1006 to 1028. He oversaw one of the many rebuildings of the previous cathedral and ensured a European renown for the schools of Chartres. 

The Royal Portal to the cathedral on the west facade.

This facade is the oldest and most famous sculptural ensemble, and it survived the catastrophic 1194 fire intact. The central tympanum above shows Christ enthroned at the Last Judgement within a mandorla, surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists, with the twelve apostles below on the lintel.

The outside of the rose window on the Royal Portal. The cathedral has three rose windows!

The north bell tower was built in a flamboyant Gothic style and was completed in 1513. The tower is 115 meters (377 feet)  tall. 

The older Romanesque south tower was completed in 1165 and survived the fire.

The next three photos of the column statues - originally 24 in number - collectively represent the Old Testament. 

Their clothing follows the fashion of the 12th century nobility, so contemporary viewers would have read these Old Testament figures as recognizably royal and authoritative figures.

A close up of Christ in Judgement.

As we approached the cathedral Mass had just concluded and the priest was greeting the parishioners as they exited,...

including this group of visiting Boy Scouts.

The stained glass windows of Chartres are known to be one of the best preserved and most complete set of medieval stained glass windows, celebrated for their colors, especially the cobalt blue.

As mentioned above, the intricacy of the Chartres stained glass windows is far superior to the stained glass windows from the 19th century at Église Notre-Dame de Bergerac.

All of the other stained glass windows above pale in comparison to these

The west rose window was made, in 1215. Its centre shows Christ the Judge showing his windows, angels and the four beasts from the Book of Revelation. Above are Abraham and the Elect, whilst below are souls being weighed and the twelve apostles.

The south transept rose window with lancets below.

This illustrates the first vision in the Book of Revelation (4, 1-11). At the center of the window is Christ in Majesty, while running clockwise from bottom left the first circle shows the four living creatures of a lion, a bull, a man and an eagle, also seen as symbols of the Four Evangelists. The other windows show censing angels. The next two circles show the twenty-four elders, with quatrefoils with the Dreux family coat of arms between these two circles.

The north rose window has at the center the Madonna and Child, surrounded by concentric circles. The inner one shows four doves (symbolising the gifts of the Holy Spirit), censing angels, candle-bearing angels and cherubim. The second circle is made of lozenges showing the lineage of the Kings of Judah.The third and final circle shows the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. Between the second and third circles are quatrefoils with the coat of arms of the kingdom of France.

The choir screen is a set of 41 sculpted groups depicting the lives of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, running 100 meters (328 feet) long and 6 meters (19.69 feet) high. Begun at the start of the French Renaissance in the 16th century, with the work continuing through the 18th century. This project took longer to complete than the entire cathedral.

 

This sculpture depicts the Visitation, when the Virgin Mary, newly pregnant, travels to visit her elderly cousin Elizabeth, who is herself miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist.

The elderly bearded man is Zacharias, Elizabeth's husband and a Jewish priest, embracing Elizabeth. The Virgin Mary is shown in contemporary dress of the 16th century.

The left panel shows the circumcision of Jesus...

and the left panel here shows the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

This left panel shows Jesus being brought before Pontius Pilate and the scourging of Jesus on the right panel.

This panel depicts the crowning with thorns, ...

followed by the crucifixion.

The panel on the right depicts the apostle Thomas being shown Jesus's wounds.

The first panel depicts the resurrected Jesus' appearance before Mary and the second panel shows the Ascension of Jesus to heaven.

These two panels show the death of Mary and her place in heaven with the trinity represented by Jesus on the left, the Holy Spirit as a dove above Mary and God on the right.

The warm breccia marble columns frame the sculpture by Charles-Antoine Bridan of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (body and soul) directly into Heaven. The cathedral dedicated to Notre-Dame de Chartres made the Assumption a natural subject for the high altar. This sculpture is the visual climax of Mary as the spiritual center and is visible straight down the nave from the west entrance.

The sculpture shows the Virgin at the center with arms outstretched and her gaze lifted toward heaven with the angels surrounding her. The pair of larger angels are her celestial escorts and the putti (cherub faces) tumbling at the base anchor the composition to earth, with a small crucifixion at the base linking Mary's Assumption to Christ's redemptive sacrifice.

P.S.  I apologize for complaining about our weather in the Dordogne as I look at the reports of gigantic heat waves and fires ravaging the area. No global warming....roger.