Bergerac - Jour Penultimate






Here's the young chap back where he started in that delightful ville, Bergerac. It was Sunday so, as usual, I made my way to the Église Notre-Dame for the Choral Mass. A young lady with a lilting soprano voice conducted the singing. It was a magical start to the day. Afterwards  I headed to the Old Town for a final promenade, where I came across an international jeu d'escrime (fencing) between France and the Netherlands in one of the squares On the way I passed a narrow street with some picturesque medieval timber and stone houses, which are still lived in. Nearby was the 12th century church of Saint-Jacques with its amazing façade and belfry. I finished up by saying au revoir to Cyrano de Bergerac. In reality Cyrano is mythical. His genesis goes back to 1385 when the king granted  Raymond de la Rivière land in the Chevreuse valley for winning back Bergerac from the English. Naturally he named his property "Bergerac". In 1620  his descendent, Hercules de Cyrano, was born in Paris and became an heroic soldier. Hercules in turn, was the inspiration for Edmond Rostand's famous 1897 play, "Cyrano de Bergerac". The townsfolk of Bergerac promptly claimed him as on of their own and erected two statues in his honour. It wasn't such a bad idea as people from all around the world come especially to Bergerac to pay homage to him. Tomorrow Katy will drive me to the airport for my flight to Brussels.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eschif de Creyssac

Image
As it was a warm day I decided to take a stroll along the shaded banks of Pèrigueux's river, the Isle, which itself is a tributary of the mighty Dordogne. On the outskirts of Périgueux, as I was about to descend to the river, I came across quite a remarkable construction, a medieval outpost. This imposing wooden edifice was called the "Eschif de Creyssac" and was built in 1347. Before Pèrigueux became a modern town it was known as the village of Puy-Sainte-Front, named after the usual suspect. Puy means a volcanic hill and this outpost straddled its fortifications and served as a look-out post between the village and the river. From the riverside one also has a splendid visage of the domes and cones of the Byzantine Cathédrale-Ste-Front.
Read more

Mons 2

Image
My first stop today was the 15th century Gothic Collégiale Ste-Waudru. This monumental and magnificent church with its superb set of gargoyles was named after Saint Waudru, a virtuous 7th century nun who founded a small religious community in Mons. Here's a 15th century carving of her with her two daughters in wood polychrome. The shrine containing Ste Waudru's relics is suspended above the altar. Each year on the weekend of Trinity Sunday Mons holds the Festival of the Ducasse de Mons or Doudou, where the casket containing the remains of Ste Waudru is placed in a golden Louis XV1 wooden carriage called the "Car d'Or and paraded around town, escorted by hundreds of costumed guardians. After Ste-Waudru's romp around the Grand-Place the Car d'Or is pushed back up the hill to the Church in one mighty effort by the enormous crowd. After the saint's relics are safely back in her shrine chaos erupts n the Grand-Place with a battle battle between St George the chi
Read more

Tournai

Image
On my penultimate day in Belgium I headed for Tournai, close to the frontier with France as I was keen to see its seminal cathedral. However, when I arrived I found there were massive renovations in place both inside and out, but it is still worth mentioning a few facts about the Cathedral. It is a stirring amalgamation of Romanesque and Gothic styles with five distinctive towers. Inside intricately carved capitals embellish its columns. In front of the altar there is a superb marble rood screen that depicts biblical events. There are also some wonderful 16th century stained glass windows  and a glorious painting by Rubens of the "Delivery of Souls from Purgatory ". Nearby was the Belfry, which dates back to 1188. I climbed its 257 stairs for a panoramic view of Tournai. Here are some photos of its carillon and the Cathedral. My last stop was the Pont des Trous, which spans the River l'Escaut and is the only surviving part of Tournai's medieval ramparts. Tomorrow I le
Read more