Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The St. Étienne du Mont Church
One thing I like about living in Europe is seeing the churches that have been around for hundreds of years. Taking pictures of them makes you realize how impotent photography is. Below are some pictures I took last week of the St. Étienne du Mont church in Paris. The current Gothic construction dates back to the late 15th century, although an abbey was built on the site in the 6th century. It houses the remains and shrine of St. Geneviève (5th and 6th centuries), the patron saint of Paris, and is the burial place of two important 17th century figures: Blaise Pascal, one of the most important mathematicians and (Christian) philosophers in history, and Jean Racine the playwright.
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1 comment:
Thanks for your photos. My family ancestors were baptized in St. Etienne Du Mont church in the early 1600's (I'm in Canada). It's a very interesting church as I've been studying it and the connection with Clovis/Genevieve (Merovingian/Jewish).
Interestingly, the crucifix photo you took has a bit of a story behind it: the original church wasn't built with a crucifix but with a giant statue of St. Genevieve flanked with angles on each side, bowing in prayer. These statues were replaced by the crucifix in the late 1800's as the Roman Church wanted the focus more on Jesus Christ than on saints (especially powerful female role models like St. Genevieve).
Also interesting in that photo is the stained glass window in the background - Jesus laying a crown on a female figure. If Jesus was "King of the Jews" it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest that the lady being crowned is Mary Magdalene - because his mother Mary could not be his queen.
The Merovingian's believed themselves to be direct descendents of the Hebrew Benjamin Tribe - to which Mary Magdalene was from.
There is a lot more to talk about regarding this church. If you're interested, drop me a line.
Steve in Canada
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