Until recently France was mostly a Catholic country, so no wonder there is a Catholic church practically on every corner in Paris - about a 100 according to various sources (this one - Saint Vincent de Paul - is a real wonder although is not very visited by tourists because it's not located in the center nor in touristic places). Things change though. According to a survey that was released last week, only 51% of the French people consider themselves as Catholic and half of these 51% do not believe in God! See the complete results of the survey here (in French).
Are you facing the same problem as we're in Sweden; with church-attendance dropping who is going to pay for taking care of all these churches and their treasures of art and history?
ReplyDeleteHello, discovered your site just before Christmas and I've been enjoying it since then, nice work!
ReplyDeleteIn Australia St Vincent de Paul's is a Catholic Church based society that does a lot of work with the poor. St Vincent de Paul's have second-hand clothing and furniture stores all over the country where people can buy things cheaply. Is that the case in France?
ReplyDeletethey do lots of good work here in the states too.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that there is a St Vincent de Paul society in the UK and many other places? Or that Lynsey de Paul (a relative) chose her stage surname combining the first part of her mother's maiden name (de Groot) with her father's christian name, Paul?
ReplyDeleteGreat lighting, Eric. I love the gold tones of the photo. I saw a special on Quebec's Catholic Churches on TV5. They are being bought and converted into apartment houses, restaurants, and/or offices. There aren't enough people to attend services and give money to support the churches. The world keeps changing...religion and global temperature.
ReplyDeleteYes, Saint Vincent de Paul is very good to the needy. When I was a poor student in Colorado, I ate their delicious soup for lunch. It was so popular, there was often a line around the corner.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised that only half of French are Catholic, but a bit saddened nonetheless.
Lovely picture with the sun accent. It looks cold as the sky is so blue.
Stats are a bit confusing; so 25% consider themselves catholic but do not believe in God. So how does that work then?
ReplyDeleteLovely shot, i love the contrast in this, with the dark shadows beneath the sunlit stone.
No, didn't know that Ham. Used to love Lynsey de Paul. What's she doing now?
ReplyDeleteWe have a St. Vincent de Paul Society in our Church that does a lot of good for the poor in our community. It is sad to hear that Catholics are declining in France. How can half of the 51% call themselves Catholic and NOT believe in God! That will remain a mystery to me.
ReplyDelete>>They are being bought and converted into apartment houses, restaurants, and/or offices.>>
ReplyDeleteSame with some of the church buildings here in Philadelphia, Johnny.
Not being a Catholic, the first thing I thought about too was the charity of the same name.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen this church, but I bet someone versed in architecture could tell us a lot about it. It has the towers like St. Sulpice and Notre Dame, but the greek/roman(?) entrance, etc... but again, someone who knows more about architecture might tell me I'm bonkers.
Beautiful photo with the sunlight. I have no idea about the architecture Michael, but don't get me started on religion!
ReplyDeletei like this photo very much. In Hungary altogether like 8% of the society visit churches regularly and practice religion.
ReplyDeleteSo, one side you have a dwindling population of so-called catholics who does not even beleive in God, and on the other a growing population of Muslims dedicated to spreading their beliefs.
ReplyDeleteGuess who's gonna win ?
Anonymous, I would venture to guess nobody...
ReplyDeleteExcuse me for offtop
ReplyDeletehttp://www.apoerd.org/
ok
does God have a religion?
ReplyDeleteEric,
ReplyDeleteWhy are we getting frequent posts from Anonymous featuring pill lists and other junk? Weird! Can you delete these dumb lists?
Um......... So 51% of French Catholics don't believe in God?
ReplyDeleteThere is a church of St. Vincent de Paul in New York also, on West 24th Street. The congregation was mostly New Yorkers of French descent, including the Bouvier family..which produced Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, wife of both a president and a billionaire.
ReplyDeleteComing from a family of "French" Catholics I always thought it was funny that my father and grand parents never really acknowledged the "Italian" Pope...and always commented how "we used to have our own Pope..."!! Funny, but that was centuries ago...in Avignon!
Beautiful photo of the church and very interesting info. I'm not surprised about the decline in Catholicism....the time's, they are a changin'.
ReplyDeleteNice church. I didn't visit it when I went to Paris.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite odd that only 52% of catholics believe in God.
Latin America is a very Catholic continent. It would be interesting to compare those data to the local ones.
Besides Catholics, I wonder how many people in general now believe in God...
ReplyDeleteHaxo station beware, among the good indian restaurant, lots of - very - bad food! I'd suggest Pooja, one of the best. Also the only little restaurant, cheap and delicious where you can see big stars eating!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this photo of St Vincent de Paul. Triggers a lot of memories, 10th quarter I was raised in (and I still live there) and I have an adoration for this church where I did all my sacraments. Even if I cannot claim to be catholic anymore (more interested in the "philosophy" around it) this church is really a place I'll never forget. There is such a special fell to it...
And this is a familiar name in Chicago as well:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stvdep.org/
Yet another thing I love, old churches.
ReplyDelete51% of French Catholics don't believe in God? I bet that the percentage of Catholics that don't believe in God worldwide is 51%! Especially considering all the "recovering Catholics" I know!
Anyone remember the Catholic controvery around this song when it came out?
ReplyDeleteOnly the good die young
Come out virginia, dont let me wait
You catholic girls start much too late
Aw but sooner or later it comes down to fate
I might as well be the one
They showed you a statue, told you to pray
They built you a temple and locked you away
But they never told you the price that you pay
For things that you might have done.....
Only the good die young
Thats what I said
Only the good die young x2
You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd
We aint too pretty we aint too proud
We might be laughing a bit too loud
Aw but that never hurt no one
Come on virginia show me a sign
Send up a signal Ill throw you the line
The stained-glass curtain youre hiding behind
Never lets in the sun
Darlin only the good die young
(woah x5 )
I tell ya
Only the good die young x2
You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation
You got a brand new soul
Mmmm, and a cross of gold
But virginia they didnt give you quite enough information
You didnt count on me
When you were counting on your rosary
(oh woah woah)
They say theres a heaven for those who will wait
Some say its better but I say it aint
Id rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun...
You know that only the good die young
Oh woah baby
I tell ya
Only the good die young, x2
(just music here, saxaphone? )
You say your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation
Aww she never cared for me
But did she ever say a prayer for me? oh woah woah
Come out come out virgina dont let me wait,
The catholic girls start much too late
Sooner or later it comes down to fate
I might as well be the one,
U know that only the good die young
Im telling u baby
Only the good die young x2
Only the gooooooooooooooood
Only the good die young
Only the gooooooooooooooood
Only the good die young
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooo oooooooooo...
controvery = controverSy
ReplyDeleteI'm proud to say I've visited SVdP church in Paris!
ReplyDeleteMichael - re:architecture - since it was built rather recently (XIXc.) it copied from many religious styles including the Basilica (hence the Greek Columns).
Lynn - you can call yourself catholic because you grew up in this religion, but personally, you do not believe in God.
Barbara said…
ReplyDelete"does God have a religion?". That is a pretty good question!
Just a quick comment, it's late, I have had a hard WE and the DP portal has been hacked!
Yes, like Isabella said "you can call yourself catholic because you grew up in this religion, but personally, you do not believe in God."
More here
I love that song, Michael! Sorry, don't remember the controversy, though. By the way, you spelling is impeccbale!
ReplyDeletebaises! (Did I spell that right, speaking of bad spelling!)
LOLOLOLOL Soosha...I think you meant "bises" not "baises".... I'll let one of the French speakers explain the difference! (I'm dying laughing though!)
ReplyDeleteWell there is big difference, which I can't explain here. Let's just say that one leads to the other...
ReplyDeleteyes, eric, i would have to agree with you on all points ...
ReplyDeletei find it interesting that when people (perhaps just here in the states?) are asked if they are religious, many say no they are not religious, they are spiritual. interesting distinction, which i think might be part of the answer.
hey michael, i had my volume turned way up, but still couldn't hear you singing :)
ReplyDeleteEric, t'as un truc spécial avec Hittorff en ce moment ? T'as décidé d'organiser un rallye thématique à travers la capitale ? Après la Gare du Nord, après la mairie du 1er arrondissement, maintenant l'église St Vincent de Paul ! Ne manquent plus que le Cirque d'Hiver et le Bois de Boulogne !
ReplyDeleteSinon, à propos de St Vincent, as-tu remarqué les deux escaliers sur les flancs de l'église ? je leur ai toujours trouvé un délicieux petit charme provincial et hors du temps.
Good song, Michael.
ReplyDeletethanks Isabella, yes i see. I presume you don't mean me personally. I am not catholic.
baises, bises, how mysterious. I know meanings of kissing and to go down. Erm. Have i said too much by putting those in the same sentence? Probably. Oops. Images galore in my mind now. Enlighten us someone where our dictionaries refuse. Anyway; bisoux.
What do you mean about the DP portal anyway Eric? I don't even know what it is.
ReplyDeleteFor those who wondered, yes, of course we have la Société Saint Vincent de Paul in France. See http://www.ssvp.fr/
ReplyDeleteROFLMAO!!! See? That's why I HATE Babel translations. They are NEVER right! I think I'm just going to boycott them. That's too funny, though! And quite goes along with an...erm, interesting conversation I had last night! I do hope the person had plenty of coffee and aspirin upon waking this morning!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd Soosha...did you put both "baises" and "bises" into your translator?
ReplyDeleteNah, I just asked it to translate the english word into french.
ReplyDeleteTry to do the reverse...
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, did you hear about little Pierre?
ReplyDeleteLittle Pierre was going to a public school and he was doing very badly in maths. So his mother decided to put him into a Catholic school. When she got his report card at the end of the term, his marks in maths had improved tremendously.
So she asked him why. He replied "When I saw that naked guy nailed to the plus sign, I knew they were serious"!!
When I took French 101 at the University of Kentucky, the French teacher was from Romania. She quite cleverly explained the difference in Sooosha's two words. She should consult Dr. A...he didn't have a problem with the words a few PdP's ago.LOL
ReplyDeleteMichael, I love your sense of humor. It is exactly like mine. Must be that Southern Florida influence.
Frankly Johnny, it was probably too much time spent out in the sun!
ReplyDeleteRight you are, Michael. Too much sun, too often.
ReplyDeleteRight you are, Michael. Too much sun, too often.
ReplyDeleteHey I made my profession de foi and confirmation in the Eglise St Vincent de Paul, it is indeed a nice church. Even though i became a muslim 8 years ago, I still like the nice and quite churches.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of memories around it too, from practising my skateboard skills on the stairs as a teenager, to eating sandwiches on a bench on nice sunny summer days, during my lunch break from work... I have more than 15 years of memories in the neighborhood around that church.
> Ben a dit…
ReplyDeleteHey I made my profession de foi and confirmation in the Eglise St Vincent de Paul. Even though i became a muslim 8 years ago
What does jovan Marya have to say to that ?
Johnny Parsons, one of the largest Québec churches converted into condominium apartments is just down the street from my house (St-Jean-de-la-Croix). That is only one of the many HUGE Catholic churches in my neighbourhood.
ReplyDeleteI have visited that church, and certainly agree that the 10e has many charms, though the two railway stations make it a bit tough. Gare du Nord is much less dodgy than it used to be - used to be rather dangerous, and full of junkies. Seems much better surveyed now, especially with the Eurostar to London and the Thalys trains to Amsterdam and elsewhere. I very much like the little green square in front of that church.
We also have Société Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, which runs charity shops and helps the poor. According to the fr.wikipedia article about le 10e arrondissement, the actual Saint founded his congregation, various charities, preached and died in the district where the Paris church is located. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/10e_arrondissement_de_Paris
As well as the South Asian restaurants in Passage Brady, there are also some nice little Turkish restos in that area - and of course, le canal Saint-Martin: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_Saint-Martin
I am REALLY sick of spam for penis expanders and other crap. Please wipe it!
Thing is, why do they imagine anyone will ever click on any of these links? Beats me... you'd have to have no brain cells left not to know it's spam/advertising rubbish. They're just wasting their time.
ReplyDelete