Paris1972-Versailles2003

Moving right along in wonderful Blois. Not to repeat the previous introduction, you know what I mean! To move out into the deep France and the wonderful valley of the kings or present Centre-Val de Loire region is to submerge in pure beauty. And again, a lot more than castles.

This is the case of the town of Blois, one of my favorites in the region, and lovely always. I like to tell you a bit more on the Church of Saint Vincent of Paul in Blois.

Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church in Blois, department of Loir-et-Cher no 41,in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. The former St. Louis Chapel of the Jesuit College of Blois, it was built in the 17C but only became a parish church in the 19C, under the name Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.

A bit of history I like

In 1581, King Henry III ordered the construction of a Chapel for the college which he had just decided to establish in Blois. In 1622, the Jesuits took the direction of the establishment, at the request of the city’s notables. So it was finally in 1634 that the construction of a Chapel began. In 1660, Gaston d’Orléans, exiled in Blois, decided to finance the construction of the Church, making it possible to speed up the project. The Church of St. Vincent de Paul is in fact the former Chapel of St. Louis of the Royal College of the city that Louis XIII gave to the Jesuits in 1622 and that these made restore and decorate thanks to the largesse of Gaston d’Orléans (brother of the King), then of Anne-Marie of Montpensier (The Great Mademoiselle), his daughter. From 1670, the Chapel was transformed into a monument to the glory of the prince and his family. Finally, the Church is completed in 1678 thanks to the donations of Gaston d’Orléans.

In 1773, the Jesuits were expelled from France and thus lost the direction of the Royal College and its Chapel. During the French revolution, the establishment was abandoned and its Chapel was transformed into a temple of liberty. In 1793, the department’s executive Board ordered the destruction of all the marks which recalled the former regime. The building then served as a local for the raising of the contingent of volunteers for the army during the reign of terror. Transformed into a forage store shortly thereafter, the chapel became a place of worship again in 1826, when it was established as the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church, before being renamed Notre-Dame Church of the Immaculate Conception in 1856 with the new restoration of the Church ending in 1873, and the change back to Saint Vincent de Paul Church.

The Church is constructed with a northern orientation as the Jesuit tradition wants it. Reflects the architectural principles enacted by the Council of Trent and the Catholic Counter-Reformation in the 17C. The Church is characteristic of the French religious art of the first half of the 17C as well.The latter comprises a nave of three bays comprising each of the chapels as well as a single-span choir completed by a five-pans apse. The three-level facade underlined by a very salient enlayerment is punctuated by powerful pilasters with overlapping order. The two upper levels are accosted by large fins and vases on the first floor, from pyramids to the second. A large triangular pediment crowning the center span completes the composition. The large, full-hanging windows of the chapels and that of the nave above the table reinforce the magnitude and simplicity of the interior elevation. In 1634, to establish an arch of stone warheads without dome or dome on the crusader. The monument that sheltered the heart of Gaston d’Orléans has two figures in half relief framing a high pedestal bearing a statue in round-hump. The Church enjoys a rich interior decor: statues, paintings, altarpieces, sculptures.

On the left is the altarpiece originally, there was, in its center, a painted canvas. It was replaced by an apparition of the Virgin after the French revolution. On the left is the mausoleum of Gaston d’Orléans; On the right, the monument of Mademoiselle de Montpensier.

Under the monarchies, the Chapel had beautiful stained glass windows. During the fighting of WWII, they were blown away by the explosions of the bombs dropped nearby. Only the stained glass of the vow of Louis XIII remains and the perimeter of the stained glass of the Saint-Joseph Chapel. It is called the vow of Louis XIII, the consecration of France to the Virgin Mary by King Louis XIII on February 10, 1638. All the other stained glass windows are contemporary.

Not surprisingly been a more Royal pantheon visited even today by French nobility, there is not much written on the Church; but it has a spot in the tourist office  of the Blois region as such: Tourist office of Blois on the Church St Vincent of Paul

Hope you enjoy the tour, and do visit once in Blois, like I said so much to see and always a lot more than castles… not that they are shabby especially the one in Blois!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

So let me bring you out of the Paris/Versailles wonderful combination and my Brittany. The country is awesome, no wonder is No 1 visited country in the world since 1949 according to the WTO-UN studies. I like to bring you to an area of much fanfare and visits very popular and one of its most emblematic castle.

Oh did I say castle, well that was another post. The city of Blois is loaded with goodies to see and do, and I like to bring you up to date with the Church of Saint Nicolas of Blois.

Saint-Nicolas-Saint-Laumer Church is located in Blois, department of Loir-et-Cher no 41 ,in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. It was originally the abbey church of a monastery built in the 12C. It takes the name of the founder of this abbey, Saint Laumer. Its construction began in the 12C. The choir, the transept and the first span of the nave are built from 1138 to 1186. The Church is finished at the beginning of the 13C. The Church is in the Middle Ages an important place of pilgrimage. It is indeed home to several relics: Saint Lubin, Saint Laumer, Holy Mary the Egyptian and a fragment of the Cross of Christ.

A bit of history I like

The Church of St. Nicolas as said dates back to the 12C. Fleeing the Vikings, Benedictine monks from the monastery of Corbion in the Perche area, find refuge in Blois in 924. In the 12C, they built a monastery there. Their abbey church will be the Church of Saint-Laumer, the name of the founder of their first monastery. And from this founder, they took away the relics. The real name of St. Nicholas is thus Saint-Laumer. From 1138 to 1186, the first part of Saint-Laumer was built: choir, transept and first span of the nave. The remainder was completed at the beginning of the next century. With the wars of Religion, the church was damaged by the Protestants and the abbey destroyed. The latter was rebuilt in the 17-18C. At the French revolution, Saint-Laumer became the Hôtel-Dieu (hospital).

In the Middle Ages, the Church was an important place of pilgrimage to the relics it houses: Saint Lubin, Saint Laumer, Holy Mary the Egyptian and a fragment of the Cross of Christ. The pilgrimage to Saint Marcou will take shape in the French revolution. The Church of Saint-Nicolas is a magnificent Romanesque church: the three levels of elevation of the nave are of flawless purity, the interior architecture of the transepts is very harmonious. In the ambulatory and the radiant chapels, the contemporary stained-glass windows create a unique atmosphere, bathed in a yellow or blue light, peculiar to meditation.  When you see the Church from the left bank of the Loire river , it is almost taken for a building of the 19C with two towers on the façade, a steeple above the crossroads of the transept, the sober walls, combining rigour and robustness as thus worked the Benedictines monks.

At the front façade to the right you see on the main gate built between 1186 and 1120. The archivolt consists of three character covings. Originally, the gate was surrounded by six statues, now extinct. On the left, the majestic nave gives an impression of grandeur. That the narrowness of the spans still accentuates. Everything is coordinated so that the prayers rise to the sky without hindrance.  The western façade is like no other: The three gates are dissimilar and surmounted by an elegant gallery of arches that stretches over the entire width of the façade.

The choir of St. Nicolas in all its Romanesque purity. The semi-circular apse is supported by six pillars with marquees. The second level consists of blind arches in broken arc, while the third one receives five windows of Max Ingrand in large openings. The stained glass windows at the Abbey Saint-Nicolas , in the aftermath WWII, the stained glass windows of St. Nicholas Church are to be rebuilt. From 1947, the iconographic programme of the new canopies was established with the agreement of the Religious Art commission of the Diocese of Blois. It will pay homage to the patron Saints of the Church/abbey, to those who had relics, without forgetting the coats of arms of the abbots of the Blésoises abbeys. In 1968, the nave was completed.

The Chapel of Saint-Laumer is the chapel of the baptismal font. The Chapel of the Virgin replaced, in the 14C by an ancient Romanesque chapel. The beautiful sculpture of the Assumption dating from 1672, which stands out in a very happy way on the unfigurative stained glass of the Chevalier, and the Dome of St. Nicholas is an architectural curiosity. It is adorned with niches housing-in theory-statues of Saints or Bishops. Its eight warheads converge towards the central Oculus. Since it has only four openings, it is quite dark.

Some webpages to help you plan your trip here are

Tourist office of Blois on St Nicholas Church

Tourist office of the Loire Valley on St Nicholas Church

Hope you enjoy this Church, other than the Cathedral and another (see next post) are the best religious buildings in town me think. Fully enjoyable Blois.

And remember, happy travels ,good health, and many cheers to all!!!