Notre Dame De Paris
Churches are part of French culture and its history.There is not a village or town without its church (église), basilica (basilique) or cathedral (cathédrale). From the smallest chapel to the largest cathedral, we’re going to talk a little history and vocabulary!
Paris and its churches
In Paris alone, there are 137 churches including the Notre-Dame Cathedral which belongs to the State, to name the most famous. The dome was unfortunately ravaged by flames in April 2019. It is currently still under repair.The construction of Notre Dame de Paris was initiated during the reign of Louis VII by Bishop Maurice de Sully, Bishop of Paris, in 1163, it lasted from 1163 to 1345. It was built on an ancient church of Childebert and a temple of Apollo dating from the 4thIt is century.
Religious art : a French trend
If you have the chance to visit France, take a good look at the architecture of the churches because depending on the era, the construction and the finesse of the ornaments vary. These ornaments all tell a story, often those from biblical passages telling the story of Jesus Christ.
Les-arches-de-la-Cathedrale-de-Notre-Dame-de-Paris
You will also be able to observe the magnificent stained-glass windows (vitrail – singular / vitraux – plural). To be a stained-glass artist is to practice an artistic profession. This work requires meticulous and delicate know-how.
Des-vitraux – french culture churches
Man made the first opaque glasses in Mesopotamia, Syria and Egypt around 5000-3000 BC. In 1500 BC, translucent glasses appeared thanks to high temperature ovens. Then, we find multicolored and transparent glasses 6 to 4 centuries BC. in the eastern Mediterranean. Finally, at 1is century BC, the blown glass technique developed and gave rise to the glass industry. It was only during the Roman era that the art techniques became widespread.
Stained glass windows (vitrail – singular / vitraux – plural) were found mainly in the homes of the rich, then in cathedrals and churches.
Un autre vitrail,
France, a country of cathedrals
It has the largest surface area of stained glass in the world, some 90,000 m2, according to the National Institute of Crafts
Don’t hesitate to enter the churches, as there are magnificent representations, paintings, stained glass windows and decorations in the oldest of them. Often adorned with gold and worked in methodical ways. This inspires respect because so much beauty shows the amount of hours of work to create such works.
The altars (autels) are also magnificent. It is here that the priest preaches mass to the faithful and distributes the host
Anyone can enter, regardless of your religion. They are places of peace, which inspire humility and contemplation. It doesn’t matter if you’re a believer or not, this is your place if you need to go inward and find peace.
But what are the differences between church, basilica, chapel….?
Une chapelle en Bretagne, French culture Churches
A parish church is the place of the community of Christians who live around it.
A basilica is a name from the Roman world. Today it is an honorary title given by the pope to distinguish a church, particularly in a place of pilgrimage. These sanctuaries are thus linked to the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome , built on the tomb of Saint Peter, the first pope.
An abbey (une abbaye) is the church of an abbey, that is to say a monastery of monks or nuns placed under the responsibility of an abbot or abbess. The choir is particularly developed so that the monks or nuns can meet there several times a day to pray.
A cathedral is the seat church (in Greek, cathedra) of the bishop of a diocese. In each diocese, it is the first of the churches.
A chapel ( une chapelle) is a secondary place of worship with an altar, linked to a religious community, a college, a prison, a hospital, a castle. In the countryside, chapels can be linked to one or more villages, or even to an exceptional natural site.
Then a collegiate (collegiale) is a church whose service was provided by canons, priests who live in a community (in a college).
Famous pilgrimages in France
L’autel d’une petite chapelle, French culture Churches
Dor centuries people have tested their faith by walking towards sanctuaries dedicated to one or more saints. Today’s pilgrims still walk, for several days or a few hours, behind relics. Sometimes, he leaves for religious reasons, but also for the sporting appeal of the approach and its spiritual dimension in a quest for renewal.. Walking is discovering varied landscapes and meeting others. There are the marked paths to reach a sacred place like the paths of Saint Jacques de Compostela or the paradise towards Mont-Saint-Michel, but also the paths that we experience like the one that leads to holiness or the one who invites us to live mercy on a daily basis.
The best known pilgrimages.
The first is the Lourdes and one of the four high shrines with Cotignac, l’Île-Bouchard, Rocamadour.
Notre Dame de Lourdes is located in the Pyrenees, in the southwest of France.
It is in the lower part of Lourdes, on the banks of the Gave, that the Sanctuary was built over time. Today, it extends over 50 hectares. A large esplanade, the Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire basilica, that of the Immaculate Conception and the underground basilica of Saint-Pie-X, swimming pools, fountains, meadows, and two stations of the cross, one of which is accessible to people with reduced mobility.
It is in the Cave of Apparitions that, in the footsteps of Bernadette Soubirous, pilgrims in single file touching the rock wall with their fingertips and praying. Under the gaze of the Virgin dressed in white surrounded by blue, as she appeared to the teenager in 1858, we place flowers there, we listen to the water from the spring flow then on one of the benches we is collected by saying the rosary.
Lourdes is a focal point for millions of pilgrims and visitors from around the world.
Conclusion:
As our adventure through the spiritual wonders of France comes to a close, remember that every church, basilica and cathedral is a chapter in the novel of French culture. So, arm yourself with this new vocabulary and let the allure of these cultural wonders inspire your own odyssey through the language and culture of beautiful France. See you soon ! (Till next time !)
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Take care
Julie
Tips are always good!
Vocabulary:
- Église (Church)
- Clocher (Bell tower)
- Autel (Altar)
- Vitrail (Stained glass)
- Chœur (Choir)
- Basilique (Basilica)
- Dôme (Dome)
- Relique (Relic)
- Pèlerinage (Pilgrimage)
- Cathédrale (Cathedral)
- Flèche (Spire)
- Abbaye (Abbey)
- Chapelle (Chapel)