Bourges Old Town

We were in a rush when we visited the cathedral in May, but now we took a little time to visit the beautiful old town, capital of Berry.

All-weather merry-go-round

One of the things we liked in Bourges was all the sculpted figures popping out
of walls, windows, etc.

Thus

And thus

And thus

And thus

Jacques Coeur was Bourges Great Man, a minister of finance
in the 15th century

Main bit of his palace

Part of another beautiful Renaissance building

In our not inconsiderable experience, every city and town in Europe has an Irish
bar; most have more than one; but this is absolutely the first Scottish bar we have
seen...shouldn't they be advertising MacEwans' and not Murphy's?

In addition to its Renaissance palaces and Scottish Bars,
Bourges also has its fair share of old half-timbered buildings

Many in the neighborhood along the Rue Bourbonnoux; nice
place, great cathedral

Bourges Cathedral, Again

We drove somewhat out of the way to get back to Bourges, south of Paris. We both wanted to see the great 13th century cathedral again, both for the glass and for the great size and age and uniqueness of the building. I did a long post or two on St. Etienne Cathedral in Bourges back in May, and, hopefully, I won't repeat too many of those shots. It's our new love, as cathedrals go.

The new roof is just about done, I imagine; there are several things I find intriguing
about Bourges...its non-cruciform shape, more akin to the original Roman/Christian
basilicas, reflecting, some surmise, the builders' interest in architectural unity; the
fact that, when built, it had no relics; and was not on any established pilgrimage route 

Elevation, with the great double aisles; Bourges is not as tall
inside as a few of the others, but it feels incomparably larger

In one of the aisles; because of their great height, you can
easily think you must be in the nave

Judgment window

Detail; paucitas salvandorum, multitudonem damnamdorum; including bishops

In another window, devils at play

From the Was, Is, and Shall Be window...Shall Be

And here, a treat or two we missed on our earlier visit...on a couple of apparently
mangled windows on the south side are intact remnants from the earlier 12th century
windows...one doesn't see that much 12th century glass...

Ditto

Vicki demonstrates how close you can get to some of the
glass at Bourges

And another treat...in the St. John chapel, a 1475 fresco that
was "discovered" and restored in the 1990s

Convincingly later 15th century, if you ask me

Bourges' bow

Sex And Violence In the Abbey Church of St. Mary Magdalen, Vezelay*

Vicki says absolutely no one will look at a post of my scores of pix of the capitals inside the church at Vezelay. That's where the great 11th and 12th century sculpture is. So I have re-titled it a bit. Here, anyway, is a modest sampling. In some you can pick out an obvious Biblical story or later Medieval Christian legend. In others, you'll have to add your own interpretation of some great religious or moral truth...or just marvel at what the high Medieval mind and art were capable of...

*The title refers to Peter Cook's "Memoirs of a Miner"

Vezelay Abbey Church Of St. Mary Magdalen/Madeleine

So in one day we get to see the beginning of Gothic and the end of Romanesque. Well, not exactly, since these things have no sharp lines. But Sens is a very early Gothic, and Vezelay a late Romanesque. Both very pronounced in style, architecture, situation, purpose. Sens in a city, ruling over other cities, bishoprically at least. Vezelay out in the countryside, remote, an abbey, but an important one.

Vezelay is a famous place, on the World Heritage Site list now for more than 30 years. Kings Richard and Philip quartered here before embarking on the 2nd Crusade. Becket preached here, threatening to excommunicate anyone who ate mushy peas. Vezelay's monks claimed to hold the relics of Mary Magdalen, the most famous of saved repentant sinners, and Vezelay was already on one of the four classic routes to the great pilgrimage site of Santiago in Galicia. Times were good. The great church was built in the 11th and 12th centuries, a sizable narthex added later in the 12th to accommodate all the pilgrims. But then, in 1279, someone else claimed to have found the tomb of St. Mary Magdalen, right here in France (!), and, Medieval standards of evidence being what they were (numbers of witnesses to putative miracles, wads of cash paid to bishops, popes, kings, et al., marriages, maybe a few murders, etc), Vezelay declined and some other place became important. Decline is good sometimes, however, if it leads to preservation. At Vezelay we have a late Romanesque church, a big one, with great sculpture all around.

West facade

Some interesting sculpture outside, most of it inside...

In the narthex, a great Judgment

Our hearts leapt as we saw this...but, alas, it turned out to be a 19th century
reconstruction (they had their own ideas about what "Medieval" should look like)

Nave...barrel vaulting, pretty Romanesque

Elevation in nave...aisle, small clerestory windows

Abaft

In the chancel/choir, however, we have a small gallery/
triforium, then celrestory; and vaulting that is clearly of
the new style

Altar view abaft

In the crypt (where Sister Sue admonished us about no fotos and the need to pray
for world peace)(I told her no worries, Obama would take care of that)

Aisle view

Outside now; the buttresses, both integral and flying, were added later, we read

Tower

Bow view

The church is high on the hill, quite a climb up from the parking, with a commanding
view of beautiful countryside

An impressive place, seriously; but wait, there's more