The Church Saint-Germain-l’Écossais of Amiens !!

Posted in Europe, France

Again, tackling this beautiful city off the beaten path for many that should be seen more, I have written on the city in my blog , these are new finds in my cd rom vault that should be here for you and me, The church is not far from the cathedral. Therefore, here is my take on the Church Saint-Germain-l’Écossais of Amiens !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Church Saint-Germain-l’Écossais is located in Amiens ,in the department no 80 of the Somme , in the region of Hauts de France and in my belle France, It is, the 3rd oldest church in the city. It has been deconsecrated and is currently closed to the public because it is dire state. Restoration work took long and now read lately the work was to begun on September 2024. The city of Amiens is 112 km from Dieppe, 66 km from Beauvais, 63 km from Arras, 155 km from Versailles, and 560 km from my current home, We went there up the A86, then A15/A115 ,N184 to connect with the A16 and to Amiens.

The Church Saint-Germain-l’Écossais steeple, which leans heavily towards the north, has earned it the nickname “The Little Pisa of Picardy”. The church is in the flamboyant Gothic style. The construction plan is that of a Latin cross. It is made up of three naves, on simple ribbed vaults, the keystones are decorated. The church preserves a number of works of art such as a polychrome gilded stone entombment dating from 1506, and the presence of a number of statues from the 16C, Christ of Pity in stone ; Christ on the cross in polychrome wood ; Saint Nicholas ; Saint Catherine, and six Louis XVI style candlesticks, The altar of the Virgin with the statue of the Virgin and Child, a bas-relief of the Passion is from 1867.

A bit of history tell us that the earliest mention of the existence of a church dedicated to Saint Germain the Scot in Amiens dates back to 1131. The current church was built, for the most part, between 1455 and 1490, after the Hundred Years’ War with the return of prosperity. Several brotherhoods had their headquarters in the church, such as the Brotherhood of the Port. The church was damaged during the siege of Amiens in 1597. The restoration of the church was completed in 1604. From 1855 to 1877 a thorough restoration of the church was done, Around 1878, the arms of Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII were sculpted on the leaves of the western portal. The church was damaged in 1918 at the end of the Great War or WWI, during German bombings. It was more cruelly affected during WWII, during the nazis bombing of May 19, 1940. The restoration of the church was long, it spanned from 1957 to 1992.

Who was Saint-Germain the Scottish? His origins have long been debated. He was said to be English, Irish, or Scottish because of the “Scot” origin once mentioned. For this reason, it was customary to call him Saint Germain the Irish in Normandy and Saint-Germain the Scottish in Picardy. Today, he is presented as coming from a family in Ireland, or from a multi-ethnic background in the British Isles. His names are numerous: Saint-Germain the Scot, Germain at the sea, Germain at the wheel, Germain of Amiens, Germain of Sénarpont… He was a missionary bishop in the 5C who officiated in the North West of Gaul. Canonized, the feast of Saint Germain the Scots is celebrated on May 2.

The city of Amiens on its heritage: https://www.amiens.fr/Je-suis/Touriste/Amiens-en-un-jour

The Amiens tourist office on its heritage: https://www.visit-amiens.com/culture-heritage

There you go folks just another effort on this wonderful beautiful city of Amiens ,which should be on anybody’s list of things to see more in France.   Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Saint-Germain-l’Écossais of Amiens !! as I.

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

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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