Nativity scene

Christmas is approaching as you all know and it's not all about buying gifts and eating like a pig!! For the Catholics, it's the celebration of the birth of Jesus. That is why in all churches in the word you find a "Nativity Scene" (une crèche, in French). There is one at the very end of this church (Jean-Baptiste de Pigalle)! A photo I took long ago, so long I don't even remember taking it! Here in Malta, a very very Catholic country, not only churches have Nativity Scenes, but you can also see many everywhere on the island (in people's windows, at roundabouts, etc.)

Contemplation

I'm not religious, but from time to time, I appreciate a little contemplation, like on Saturday, when I attended the Christening of the daughter of friends of mine in the Swedish Church of Paris. A very moving and merry moment. Have a great Sunday everyone.

The sky is the limit

I passed by Notre Dame yesterday and saw this guy with this T-shirt in front of the church. I just thought it was funny. Of course it has nothing to do with God, but with... Sky Television, a British satellite television service. 

Kissing by Saint-Etienne du Mont

I took advantage of my being at the Pantheon, to visit teh Saint Etienne du Mont church, a church that is located right behind Le Pantheon and that I had never visited before. On the way out, there was this couple kissing like crazy and I thought it would make a great photo if I was quick enough. I did not grab the exact moment that I wanted to grab, but it's not that bad ;-) Have a love-ly Saturday everyone.

A church not to miss in Paris

Not all Paris churches are made of beautiful stones with golden fixtures and stunning sculptures! Some are simple, yet worth the visit, like Notre Dame du Travail. This amazing church can be found in the 14th arrondissement at 59, rue Vercingétorix. It was constructed around 1900 for the workers who used to build the pavilions for the world exhibition that took place in Paris during this period. It is fascinating indeed, because it looks like a regular Roman church, except that its frame is made of cast iron.

Inspiring ceiling

Next to my apartment, there is a church called Notre Dame de Lorette, that was built between 1822 and 1836 when the area started to be so popular that they badly needed a church for the ever growing population. The outside architecture is very classic (after the Roman basilicas), but the inside is reallly superb. Especially the stunning ceiling that I photographed yesterday afternoon. A real masterpiece made by Hubert-Nicolas Lamontagne.

A must see church

Amazing how, after all this time, I keep discovering new interesting spots in Paris. Hence this stunning church that I had never even seen before. It's located in the 19th arrondissement, next to the pont levant I already mentioned here and it looks like a real old church. In fact it's not so old as it was built between 1841 and 1844, only the architect (Paul-Eugène Lequeux) copied the Neoclassicism style. Anyway, if you're in the neighborhood, it's definitely worth a visit. As for me, I'm back in Paris now, ready to discover new things for you! 

Notre Dame's day

It's Aug 15, the day where Catholics celebration the Assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus. I thought it was appropriate to show you a photo of Notre Dame de Paris, the most beautiful church in Paris, which is also celebrating its... 850th anniversary this year (amazing!). A real masterpiece (see more on Wikipedia) that is very hard to visit, because of the many people that want to visit it too! It's worth the wait though. If you're interested (and can read French), I found a brand new study about Catholicism in France; even though it's loosing a bit of ground, it's still the first religion in France.

Saint François de Molitor

In my desperate attempt to make you discover concealed - and more modern! - churches in Paris, here is a new one! It's called Saint François de Molitor and it's located, well, at rue Molitor! The church is really modern (it was completed in 2005), and quite nice actually (especially at night when it's lit from the inside), but what attracted me the most was this beautiful statue of Saint Francis of Assisi made by Alain Courtaigne. How is that for a Sunday post?!

Notre Dame d'Espérance

There not only old churches in Paris, some new ones too. Some VERY new ones even... Like this one inaugurated in 1997, located at rue de la Roquette in the Bastille aerea in front of which I passed several times without finding the righ angle to shoot! This time I went for the "closer to God" angle ;-) Thank you for your best wishes yesterday; I'm still not recovered (this photo is not fresh of the day!), but I hope to be better tomorrow.

Notre Dame de la Gare

Here is another Paris church I never showed you, even though it's interesting. It's called Notre Dame de la Gare, after the area it's located in (the Gare - station - d'Ivry)It was built around 1850 when this area was still pretty poor (the East of Paris has always been poorer than the West). That is why they say that this church would specially take care of the poor (they must have succeeded, because now the area is definitely richer!). I like it because its shape is really different; it looks like a church you could find in South America almost...

Another church to put on your list

Here is another church I had never been inside of before I took this photo (not surprising, there are more than a hundred of Roman Catholic churches in Paris!). It's dedicated to Saint Philippe du Roule and, well, it's worth the visit, especially at its end, where you can see this superb dome. It's currently Lent for the Christians at the moment and that is when they are supposed to fast or at least make penance and refrain from consuming goods like crazy (nothing to worry though, we have another sort of penance called "the crisis" for that ;-)).

Inside Saint Pierre de Montmartre

As I was saying yesterday, I spent my whole Saturday afternoon in Montmartre, listening to a former colleague of mine who, now that he is/has(!) retired, organizes tours of Paris for his friends and friends of friends (he as a very interesting website too, but only in French). It was fascinating, for even though I've been living in Paris for many years and have been many times to Montmartre, I never really took the time to learn more about its history. During the tour, we went to Saint Pierre de Montmartre, the little church located behind the big Basilica that miraculously survived the French revolution!. It was my first time there and I did not regret it (and I strongly recommend you go there if you come to Paris).

Cold!

Don't ask me why, but I love this photo! I took it right in front of Notre Dame, while I was in the line waiting to get in to photograph the bells (that I posted two days ago). Because of the 850th anniversary of the Cathedral (a pretty respectable age!), they installed these "steps" where people can sit while attending the various celebrations that will take place throughout the year (have a look at the kick off session they had there in December). Also, as you can notice it, it's pretty cold in Paris at the moment ;-) 

The new bells of Notre dame

You may already have heard the news, Notre Dame had to renew its bells because they were badly tuned! The ones in place at the moment are not the original ones (they were melted during the French revolution!) but installed in 1856. Anyway, the new bell(e)s have been manufactured in Normandy for about a year and delivered earlier this month. Since then, they have been on display, in the middle of the Cathedral. And that's where I was today to photograph them for you (the place is a real nightmare due to the amount of tourists I must say...). It was about time as they are going to be installed soon in the bell towers and should be ready to ring by March 23. In the meantime, they have been digitally sampled so that the show can go on... I'm pretty sure they will soon make an app too ;-) Here is another view and a pretty interesting article from England.

Saint-Gervais Saint-Protais Church

Last year, more than 29 million tourists visited Paris! I guess they all wanted to see for themselves the beauty we, Parisians, pass by everyday without really noticing it! Hence this church that I've never shown - at least from this angle. It was named after two famous Saints (Saint-Gervais  and Saint-Protais) and it's the oldest one on the right bank. It was built between 1494 and 1621 (yes, it took quite some time, but they did not have bulldozers in the middle ages ;-)) Not only is its architecture very spectacular (you can read everything about it on Wikipedia if you're interested), but it also has a stunning organ, which is still in operation. Last, but not, least, it was bombed during WWI killing 88 people .

Nativity Scene

I bet the title of this post probably surprises you, and though this is... a nativity scene that I photographed at the Madeleine Church. And before you think this is crazy or even Blasphemy, think twice: it was created by artist Gaetan Duthu and scenographer Pierre Bourgois who imagined what it would be like if the Christ would be born today. Television networks would certainly play a large role, wouldn't they? I personally love it. More photos here.

Santa Lucia concert (Swedish church)

There are about 10 million Swedes in the world. Some of them are in France and in Paris in particular where you can find many things Swedish, like the wonderful Swedish Institute in Le Marais or... the Swedish church at rue Médéric, (Svenska kyrkan) where I happen to have attended a Christmas concert 2 days ago. It was really stunning, even though I did not understand a word of what they were singing! Of course I could not help but shooting like crazy. See for yourself (and enjoy the soundtrack!)

Inside La Madeleine

I spent the whole day in Lille (a large city in the North of France) today, therefore I did not have the time to take my photo of the day. So, here is one I took a few days ago... It shows the inside of La Madeleine, a Catholic church that took 85 years to build and was almost turned into... a train station at some stage-  in 1837)! It's a beautiful church (the statues in this photo were made by Carlo Marocchetti) often used for concerts (even though the acoustics are awful!) or for important services, like, for instance, for the funerals of famous French people. 

Heaven doors?

A few days ago I had a meeting at the Madeleine square area and I was early. So I took advantage of this unusual situation(!) to wander a bit in the neighborhood and by the church of course. I suddenly saw its magnificent doors, which I had never seen (or rather never paid attention to!). I don't know if my photo allows you to feel the emotion I felt when I saw this extraordinary work of art, but I really hope it does. I looked up on the web and found out they are made of bronze, designed by Henry de Triqueti and feature the 10 commandments. Truly exceptional. And a nice way to start the week...