Paris - Parc Floral de Paris - 12me

Plate C – Parc Floral de Paris II …

I have already explained how photogenic I found the city, and so now make no apologies for including more images of the magnificent surroundings of the Parc Floral. Aside from the public amenities, including attractions for both children and adults, the main areas include a valley of flowers covering some three hectares. Dahlias, with their last showy summer blooms were the highlight of my visit in late September. The massed plantings are a horticulturist’s delight. I am told there are some three thousand different varieties of flora to identify, along with visiting the sculptural works and play areas.

The Parc’s venue was the historic site of the Pyramide and Cartoucherie military establishments, and with the connection of Vincennes dating back to Louis IX a grove of mature oak trees pays homage to his reputed meting out of justice beneath an oak in the middle thirteenth century.

The mirror like surfaces of the lake area, fed by a monumental granite fountain, with water lilies, lotuses and irises, reflect a tranquil haven and the serenity of the swans on the lake must surely have inspired many a painter to take up their brushes (and a similar view no doubt stirred Tchaikovsky to write that ballet). Contemporary artists hold regular exhibitions here and there is also an open air museum.

Paris - Château de Vincennes - 12me

Plate XCVII - Chateau de Vincennes …

I have broken a self imposed rule of posting pictures by arrondissement, firstly because Vincennes is very much on the edges of the city, and secondly because, sadly, my visit here was towards the end of my stay in Paris making its placement seem appropriate. With only a few evenings and half weekend ahead of me there was still so much I wanted to do. What would it be – Disneyland Paris, Parc Asterix or Vincennes? Having been disappointed by the Bois de Boulogne, I decided that the Bois de Vincennes would perhaps bring some compensation; Disneyland was a definite no-go - I’ll keep American culture for trips to America, bad enough that I had to be confronted with both a Disney store and the ubiquitous McDonalds on the Champs Elysées. (Such, sadly, is part of the price of globalisation). The Parc devoted to the plucky little Gaul we know as Asterix was tempting, but a dip into the history of Chateau de Vincennes convinced me there simply was no contest – for it is at Vincennes that so much French royal history and culture has it early records.

The Château itself, again open to the public, was closed during my trip and so I had to be contented to admire it from the exterior walls. The towering Donjon (52 metres), started in April 1361, is certainly impressive.  The first recorded royal hunting dwelling here dates back to the early eleventh century. It was however during the reign of Louis IX (St Louis) in the thirteenth century that its royal residence status became more widely acknowledged, and it was from here that Louis set out on his crusades. Main work on the Châtelet of the donjon was probably completed in 1369 in the reign of Charles V, who was born and who died here. It was here too that the Relics of The Passion (supposedly Christ’s Crown of Thorns) were held following their acquisition from the Emperor of Constantinople and prior to their transfer to Ste. Chapelle in Paris. Vincennes fell out of royal favour during the reign of Louis XIII as attention began to focus on Versailles. Following the destruction of the Bastille during the revolution, prison overcrowding became an issue in Paris, and in 1790 the National Assembly decreed that the donjon was to be at the disposal of the city. Rumours of the construction of a new Bastille at Vincennes had workers marching on the donjon to bring about its destruction, an act prevented by General Lafayette during events known as the ‘Affaires de Vincennes’. The Château became the headquarters for the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces from 1936 until 1940 when it was occupied by German troops, who inflicted heavy damages on the buildings on their withdrawal in August 1944. Restoration of the Château has been ongoing since 1988.

A porcelain manufactory established in Vincennes in 1738 by migrants from Chantilly, was later moved to the suburban town of Sèvres under the patronage of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour. We’ll visit there shortly.

Paris - Sacré Coeur - 18e

Plate XCIV – Basilica Sacre Couer de Montmartre II …

As with the other two major Parisian landmarks mentioned yesterday (the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe of course) the views of Paris from the top of the central dome of the Basilica are magnificent. Access (tickets needed) is only via the long interior staircase, so if you find yourself easily exhausted perhaps you should save some energy by arriving at the footsteps of the church at the crest of the butte, by using the funicular carriages that ascend alongside the terraced stairs provided for the more energetic or younger traveller.

Formally dedicated to the lives lost during the Franco-Prussian War, the connection to the communards whose insurrectional movement started in Montmartre has not been forgotten by many. Sacré Coeur is a Roman Catholic church devoted to the Sacred Heart of Christ. Displayed in a monstrance above the high altar is an artefact known as the Blessed Sacrament, ensuring that Sacre Coeur has remained an important centre of Catholicism since 1885. The Christ in Majesty mosaic inside the apse must also not be missed.

The south facing portico is flanked by bronze equestrian statues of St Louis (King Louis IX) (pictured) and Joan of Arc. Chief architect Abadie had died in 1884 and ongoing design work was continued by five later successors. Funded entirely by private donations the basilica is estimated to have cost some several million French francs. I found it hard to leave this site and, while living in the same century the basilica’s construction, could not help wondering if we’ll ever see such magnificence created by man in devotion to his God again. It just does not seem likely.

Paris - Sorbonne - 5me

Plate XLV - The Church of the Sorbonne…

Practically across the road from the Panthéon is (part of) the University of Paris. Whatever French I speak today, I owe in some measure to the ‘Sorbonne’*. My first French teacher, you see, did her post graduate language studies here in Paris - and you can’t get much better than that! Of course it meant that I learned the purest form of the language and even today I am told that I have the accent of a Suisse Romande. I guess that’s good?

Originally a theological college founded in 1257 by Robert de Sorbon, confessor to Louis IX, the College of the Sorbonne became the greatest seat of learning in Europe, and the centre of the University of Paris - with a claimed enrolment of some twenty thousand students as far back as the Renaissance age. The domed Church of the Sorbonne, added in 1637 contains the tomb of Cardinal Richelieu, both benefactor and sponsor of the college.  It was suppressed during the Revolution, restored by Napoleon in 1808, and was closed in 1882.  A secular institution since then, the present buildings of the university were completed in 1889. Marie Curie - the first woman Nobel Prize winner - also became the first woman professor at the University in 1908. The Curie Institute, still involved in teaching and research is in close proximity.

The University became a centre of world attention in May 1968 when it was occupied by student radicals during violent protests that spread throughout the Latin quarter of the city - evacuated by order of President Georges Pompidou. Later called the ‘events of May’ this civil unrest would lead to the political demise of General de Gaulle, and to widespread educational reforms.

*Although comprising of a number of colleges, the Universities of Paris today are familiarly referred to collectively as The Sorbonne.

Paris - Ste. Chapelle - 1er

Plate XXV - Ste. Chapelle

Hard to photograph, and do any justice, using this camera I may have to resort to the proverbial thousand words on Sainte Chapelle, the holy chapel found within the walls of the Palace of Justice. Built by Louis IX between 1243 and 1248 as a reliquary to house Christ’s crown of thorns it remains one of Frances greatest monuments. The architect is unrecorded though often assumed to be Pierre de Montreuil. Sainte Chapelle represents the pinnacle of the Gothic Rayonant style of architecture where not only does the tracery of the glass work contribute to design complexity, but the interplay between glass and stone is a notable feature. The work in Sainte Chapelle was to inspire many later church architects - some influence can be noted on the transept windows of Notre Dame. Severe damage was inflicted on the chapel during the French Revolution, and much of what is seen today is the result of superb and meticulous restoration carried out in 1855, adhering strictly to surviving original documentation.

The 15 windows of the upper chapel of Sainte Chapelle rank amongst the most impressive in the world. This chamber, once reserved for Royal use, is built of slender trellised columns filled by almost continuous curtains, some 15 metres in height, of the most exquisite stained glass, comparable only to the work I later saw in Chartres Cathedral. Dating from the early 13th century the windows too were extensively damaged during a number of conflicts in the city, most notably during the Revolution, but even so it is estimated that some two thirds of the glass seen today is original, while the remainder has been sympathetically restored.

I was fortunate on a later visit to France to watch restoration work being done on the windows of Chartres Cathedral. The painstaking attention to detail exercised by the glass artists commissioned to do this work is beyond belief. It is encouraging to know that this level of artisan craftsmanship still exists today. I fear it will not for much longer – I think the youngest of the restoration team was over fifty.

Additional precious relics of Christ’s Passion had been added to the reliquary over the centuries, the remnants of these are now housed in the Treasury of Notre Dame de Paris. There are two places I have found in my life that inspire me to use the adjective ‘celestial’ when describing them - Mont St. Michel is the one … and Sainte Chapelle is the other.

* Included here in the 1st arrondissement due to its proximity to the Conciergerie - some guides show the location as 4^th arrondissement.