Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and EducationAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and Education
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
France -- Church history -- 19th century; Italy -- Church history -- 19th century
_Saturday, July 15._--Our good M. Labbé returned to Ivetot this
morning; he had surrendered to me his room. In the afternoon M. Picard
took us about to the Hôtel de Ville--the ancient Benedictine abbey of
S. Ouen: in the public library here we were shown the most magnificent
gradual, full of very beautiful drawings. It had been used one hundred
years before the Revolution, and, I should think, was unique, as we
were told. The garden and corridors were occupied by National Guard;
but M. le Curé's presence obtained us permission to survey the
wonderful church, the masterwork of middle and late pointed Gothic, on
that side, together with its portail des marmouzets, of matchless
beauty. At S. Vincent's we saw eleven windows of very brilliant
painted glass, which surround the choir, and are visible at once. We
then walked up Mount St. Catherine, from whence the view of Rouen and
the surrounding hills is charming. I have always thought the site of
this city one of the finest I have ever seen, and it looked so to-day,
under a July sun. We went on to Notre Dame de bon Secours, which is
now nearly finished: the inside and western façade pleased us much.
The latter has three portals, after the manner of the great mediæval
churches dedicated in honour of Notre Dame, and is well combined and
harmonised. The inside is of the architecture of our Edward II.; very
good upon the whole: all the windows of painted glass, not unmixedly
good, but the whole effect very striking. It has cost 40,000_l._,
begged or given by the curé: a noble work indeed. The ex-votos are now
inserted into the northern aisle. We should have liked to stay much
longer here, but were hurried to return to the archbishop's dinner. We
did not dine till half-past seven; nine in number, at a round table in
a large hall. He apologised that it was a maigre. But, with the
several kinds of fish, no one could have desired a better
dinner. The archbishop, myself on his right, P. on his left, MM. Les
Abbés Picard, De la Haye, Surgis, two others, and M. Barthélemi, the
architect of bon Secours. We were struck by his conversation--he
seemed a Christian architect, which is a rare and valuable thing.
During the evening the deplorable state of France, the overthrow of
fortunes, the general cessation of trade, and the frightful excesses
of the late conflict, were talked of. The archbishop mentioned a man
taken with arms in his hand, who was on the point of being executed by
the soldiers, when the general officer interfered, and, by his
solicitude, saved his life. The culprit took a pistol from his waist,
said "Mercie, Colonel," and shot him dead. He was immediately cut to
pieces. Every one seems to agree that the Republic cannot last--that
there must be a monarchy; yet that minds are so embittered, and
passions so excited, that France must come to this only through
lassitude of suffering. No one knows what a day may produce. In Rouen
there is great suffering--the shop-keepers sell nothing--the workmen
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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