Churches of Paris

Paris

Winter 2008

The Hunchbacks of Notre-Dame
(Feb-2008)

Journal Entry... There's always a time for prayer on every travel. First day in Paris, I headed immediately to the Ile-de-la-Cite, or the little island of Paris, to the most visited Church in Paris-- the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.

Notre Dame Cathedral - in the little island on river Seine

Trivia: Ile-de-la-Cite used to be the seat of royal power. In 1st-century B.C., the Parisii, a Gallic tribe, settled on the island in the middle of river Seine, and there founded the town of Lutetia, which took the name of Paris by the 5th century.

On Kilometre Zero

Together with the rising city, Notre Dame cathedral rose up from the banks of river Seine. Cathedral treasures include, the Crown of Thorns, a Holy Nail, and a fragment of the True Cross from Saint-Chapelle, which are put on display every year, when brought out and paraded on Good Friday. On the parvis of the cathedral was the Point Zero marker - from which all road distances are measured.
Making rounds on Paris's churches, I next visited Notre-Dame's neighbor, the Sainte-Chapelle. It was a first Sunday of the month during the visit, thus entrance was free-of-charge. 

Stained glass windows depicting a Biblical story
in the Upper Chapel of Sainte-Chapelle

This Gothic sanctuary of Saint-Chapelle in Paris's Ile-de-la-Cite

Upper Chapel
for the royal family

Sainte-Chapelle is famed for its stained glass windows in the Upper Chapel, with all fifteen (15) glass windows depicting episodes from the Bible-- from Genesis to Christ's resurrection. All 1,113 scenes combined are to be read from left to right, from the bottom upwards. Sculptures and windows are bathed in light and color glorifying the Passion of Christ, which leaflet said creates a feeling of entering Heavenly Jerusalem in the highly Gothic-decorated sanctuary. A floor down in the Lower Chapel portal, visitors are greeted first by the statue of the Virgin Mary.
Trivia: Only the King, his family and close friends, as well as the canons leading the services, were able to enter the Upper Chapel via a terrace pathway connected to the Palace, while the Lower Chapel was for palace staff.

Paris's cityscape as seen up a hill on the right bank

A Paris-scape
at Montmartre

Up the hill in old Montmartre village is the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur, with its white-lime dome of the church is pretty visible to the rest of Paris; it is a parish of pilgrimage. 
One can reach the church either of two-ways: the hard way - climbing numerous steps to the top; or the easy way - sitting pretty inside a funicular ride going up and down the hill. Hard way is free-of-charge, while the easy, and fast, way is at a fee.

Basilica of Sacre-Coeur - a parish of pilgrimage in Montmartre

Basilica of Sacre-Coeur is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A 24-hour vigil is held continuously for nearly a century, to date. It also holds one of the world's largest bells, the Savoyarde bell. Inside the church, I closed my eyes, and listened to the sound of angelic hymns...
Down Rue de Bac, must-visit the chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, where the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Saint Catherine Laboure in 1830, which is another pilgrimage site.
Link to>>> Journal Entry: A Parisian Flair #france #paris #winter2008