Friday, August 15, 2008

Assumption


Today (Friday) is August 15 and like in most Catholic countries it's a holiday. What are we celebrating ? The Assumption of the Virgin Mary who, according to the Roman Catholic Theology, "was transported into Heaven with her body and soul united". Besides being a religious feast for some, it's also the last day off before the going back to school period and, for a lot of French people, the end of the holiday season. I'm sure that the traffic will be bad again on Monday! BTW, I took this photo in Sainte Anne de la Butte aux Cailles, a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary which I visited for the first time for this occasion.

46 comments:

  1. Very beautiful! My daughter Claire had her feast day recently. I have to look this church up, I have never been there either!

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  2. p.s. I have just returned from several days hiking in Colorado and Utah, and was surprised that we met SO many French people! There were days when we barely met any other Americans! I was surprised this would be such a popular spot!

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  3. What a beautiful image Eric, the light is great. It´s hard to take good pictures inside churches cause usually they´re rather dark.

    You´re definetely a great photographer (specially for someone who didn´t like it much before!)

    Funny.... we´re a catholic country but this friday it´s not a holiday here. I definetely miss France, if only we had that many days off! Just kidding.. I know you work hard!

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  4. The blues and golds in this photo are really lovely. Just the serene feeling I need to get through one more day of work.

    Enjoy your 3 day weekend. It is well deserved.

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  5. Beautiful photo, Eric, and great angle. Lovely colors and wonderful exposure. I've been putting together an itinerary for my visit in November and I've got plans to explore the Butte aux Cailles area but I didn't know this church existed. I really want to include it now - what a wonderful use of mosaic patterns in tile, paint and glass (IMHO)! Very charming and lovely proportions to this building as well. Thanks for the link.

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  6. Eric, a very nice photograph. There are so many beautiful churches in Paris - places of beauty and quiet reflection.

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  7. Now that I'm getting to read them, here's a follow up to yesterday's comments. I've done lots of waitressing, too and I did just fine carrying the trays on one hand -- except for one day at lunch when I had four schooners of beer (top heavy, you know!) on my tray along with the lunch plates and I was still doing just fine as I set one of the luncheon plates gently down in front of my suited customer when -- ohhhh --- I saw out of the corner of my eye the long, slow, graceful arc of a beer filled schooner going over......

    I soaked the poor guy. But I was so mortified and he had such a good sense of humor about it all (he was laughing at the top of his lungs) that it all turned out ok! Whew!!

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  8. Very calm photo, Eric. I like it. I don't follow this religion but i love the shot.

    Hey Monica, i remember this lovely photo of you! Good to see it again.

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  9. Hi Lynn!! Oh I miss you a lot, but without a daily internet access it´s hard to keep up. How you´ve been??!!

    From Cali (and Guille) I didn´t meet Rose. Hope she had a great time here and hope to hear from her soon.

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  10. Very nicely done, Eric. The light is sublime. Went to Catholic schools until high school, and even though I'm pretty much an LC (lapsed Catholic) at this point, I still can always find a feeling of peace and a certain "connection" in a church like this.

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  11. Monica and Lynn,
    So nice to see you both together, on PDP.

    I'll be seeing Lynn very soon. What a shame I'll miss seeing you, Monica.

    Best love to you both from Australia.

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  12. Very beautiful image. I am a Catholic and the photo also reminds me of being pinched by mother durning mass. I never could sit still when I was little... or now.

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  13. Nice picture, Eric. I'm not a Catholic, but I think their art is interesting, very ornate and involved.

    I'm glad you have a mini-vacation! Have a great weekend!

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  14. I like your point of view for this, Eric! The colors and lighting are very pleasing to see. Thanks for explaining the importance of Assumption in the French psyche and calendar. It's cut off function is a bit like USA's Labor Day at the end of this month ushering in the end of summer and the traditional beginning of the school year for most states. We still have 2 1/2 weeks of summer left here, and Assumption is celebrated only within Roman Catholic observances. You certainly found a lovely church to visit for the occasion.
    -Kim
    Seattle Daily Photo

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  15. Your church shots are always beautiful, Eric. Usually with a bit of mystery to them as well. This one's no exception. Enjoy your quiet weekend before the return of traffic!

    Monica, so sorry you and Rose didn't meet. It's a big country, eh?

    I'm studying French again. I bought a set of CDs: "Learn French in your car!" ("Apprenez Français dans votre voiture!) It starts with stuff I already know, but it's helpful to go over the basics. Good thing I have bluetooth because I look like I'm talking to myself.

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  16. Petrea -- hey, guess what! I just got the same set. We're both beudeu geu deu-ing in our cars simultaneously!!

    I also got a cool CD set called SmartFrench. They interview people speaking at normal rates who use all the ums, ers and half thoughts of real life speech. You learn by listening. I like them.

    I'll give them a plug here. And, when I'm done with them I'd love to lend them to you -- if you'd like to borrow them. We'll e-mail.

    (And, once again -- thanks,Eric. Because of PDP, I now have the pleasure to offer something that would otherwise gather dust on my shelf. Merci; merci!)

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  17. What a beautiful statue & mosaic Eric. Merci.

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  18. Lovely photo of the Virgin Mary -- looks divine. I love the churches of Paris. They have been there for hundreds and hundreds of years. We don't really have that in the US. I use to go to a French Huguenot church in NYC, I think it was built in the 1800's. I got married once in a Scandinavian church here in San Francisco. Both of these churches would be considered rustic or even crude in terms of architecture if put along side this beautiful church that you have photographed. Alas, those were the Pilgrims.

    Carrie, I like your waitress story. Good one. I was expecting something like this: "as I set one of the luncheon plates gently down in front of my suited customer when -- ohhhh ---" a man pinched my butt and I threw the whole tray at him. Of course, I was fired for that. BTW, that happened to a friend of mine.

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  19. S'il vous plaît visitez lorsque partir. ^ ^;
    http://tip52-nikkinikki.blogspot.com/

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  20. Merci Eric for the link to the church. The stained glass has a modern art look to it -- at the same time as being classical. Timeless.

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  21. Carrie, sounds good. Though you may want to keep them for refresher courses from time to time. You must be getting excited! Katie, too.

    The French I learned in the past (it was my minor in college) is slowly coming back to me. I was able to skip the beudeu geu deu pfft section altogether.

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  22. When I got an e-mail this morning saying that our Paris office was going to be closed tomorrow for Assumption Day, I though, what kind of holiday is that? Usually hearing about the extensive holiday schedule of all our foreign offices really frosts my cookies, but since I'm taking tomorrow off, I'm ok with it . . . this time. So now I can celebrate Assumption Day thinking about the lovely mosaics in this beautiful church in Paris!

    Yes Petrea, I'm getting VERY excited. 5 weeks from tomorrow I'll be on a plane to Paris!

    Carrie I just tried to get Smart French on Amazon and they were sold out of the Intermediate CD. Zut! I do have the "Tune Up Your French" book (which comes with a CD), and that's helping, along with the BBC series Ma France on the internet.

    Lois we must get together before my trip! Are you ready for your photo shoot??

    Oh and great job on the GF Kelly!

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  23. Nice photo and thanks for the wikipedia link.

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  24. Nice photo! thank you Eric, I live just close by this church but never went inside, I will go and have a look

    BTW, it's also Napoleon's birthday,
    he would be 239 years old

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  25. Very beautiful photograph. I see the flowers are already in place. One appears to be an orchid. I have always found it amazing how sculpting the Blessed Mother in stone does not make her appear cold and inhuman except on rare occasions. I will be singing at the Mass tonight in her honor. Perhaps the angels will assist our choir for this special occasion.

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  26. I'm so glad to live in a Christian country, all these days off..! ;)

    Eric, bravo because I find it hard to take pictures in churches without flash, you did, and succeed.

    It's fun because this church is one of the most recent in Paris (built in the early 20th century) but its decor is inspired by the Paleochristian period mostly from the beginning of the 4th century. And the golden mosaics are superb.

    'C'est la volonté de Dieu que nous ayons tout par Marie'... Whaa, sounds...mystical! :)

    Bon LONG week end les français!

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  27. Happy holiday for the Assumption, Eric. Lovely photo but I think it's slightly crooked. lol.

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  28. A serene, pretty photo. Though not a religious person, I always appreciate amystical tableau found in a church.

    Have a good weekend, everyone. I have some friends visiting, one of whom joined us in Paris in 2005 (before the first PDP picnic).

    A bientot.

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  29. "For it is Mary, Mary,
    Plain as any name can be.
    But with propriety, society
    Will say Marie
    But it was Mary, Mary,
    Long before the fashions came,
    And there is something there
    That sounds so square,
    It's a grand old name."
    ~George M. Cohan

    Eric, perhaps you can tell that like Mr. Cohan, I too have always loved the name "Mary." As for your photo, it too is "grand." Raised a Catholic, I have certainly read my share and heard my share about Notre Dame. I've always been amazed by her "courage" and her "grace" and her "love" despite all the pain. As a parent, I couldn't imagine the pain of seeing one of my children put to death. She certainly is one I look up to, and she will no doubt become a role model for my two daughters. Her presence is indeed known round the world.

    Have a great 3 day weekend!

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  30. Sorry to go off topic, but for those in the USA, I just found the magazine, Paris Gourmet on a budget. It is the September issue.
    I JUST found it in the best magazine store I have been in, in NYC, on 57th and 8th, right next to Hearst Publishing bldg. Hope it is of interest to all of you, esp. Katie who is leaving soon!

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  31. He he yes M. Benaut, Mme Benaut are soon to be meeting up! Yay...

    Monica i'm ok thanks, i miss seeing you too and have the same problem - intermittent computer access! Awful.

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  32. Katie, Photo shoot!!!! Oh no, I don't know what to do with my hair. I was thinking that when we go to the YSL show we could do a shoot in GG Park. There is a Hawaiian jungle close to the museum that I love. I have been putting together a folder with ideas on locations. We could meet for lunch and put our heads together to come up with a plan.

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  33. We first visited this church several years ago and, although vehemently anti-religious, were impressed with its beauty.

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  34. Lili, Napoleon's getting old. Wow, Time flys.

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  35. Hmmm... But the Assumption is only an assumption, right?

    Lovely picture, Eric.

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  36. Cali "Enjoy your 3 day weekend. It is well deserved." I am believe me, even if the weather is not fantastic this year... ;-(

    M. & mme Benaut. Did you pack already?!

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  37. Beautiful photo ... and of yet another Parisian church I don't believe I've visited! Merci, Eric!

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  38. This photo reminds me of the Holy Pictures from my Catholic childhood. Forgot about the Assumption. Don't recall whether or not it is a Holy Day of Obligation (meaning you're supposed to go to Mass). The only religious holiday we have in the US is Christmas, but it's not acknowledged as such. Eric, enjoy your 3-day weekend. You've earned it.

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  39. M.Beanut, it´s time for your France trip how exciting!!!

    Wish you have the best time ever (I know you will) and say hi to all our dear friends for me.

    Wish I could meet you and Mme.Benaut too...

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  40. Forgot...congrats GF Kelly! With all that hiking you did in Colorado, you still had enough energy left to claim GF. Amazing!
    ;-)

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  41. phx -- I used to work at Hearst. Do you find yourself in NYC often? Email me (or contact me through FB) if you like and we could get together to tell each other how much we loooove Paris and to toast Eric!

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  42. Bon voyage to the Benauts.

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  43. The lighting is magnificent.

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  44. Churches are so beautiful, and I love exploring them. Thanks for sharing this shot. Glad you did something to celebrate what sounds like a wonderful holiday. (I love holidays!)

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  45. So lovely... reminds me of the church of St. Anne de Beaupre in Quebec. :-)

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