The good Bishop’s treasures of Northern France ~ Pt 1

An inspired pilgrim’s journey through Normandy and Brittany

Have you ever found yourself on a journey and suddenly felt like you have woken up and landed in a beautiful dream? Seeing Mont Saint Michel is one of life’s most unforgettable sights to see. I was totally captivated looking at beautiful images from my cousin Gai’s trip to the magnificent marine Abbey, basking in the silver moonlight, surrounded by the shimmering sea. It seemed as though it reflected a galaxy of thousands of celestial stars. So, my readers, I felt inspired to write to you about the treasures of Northern France.

Unsplashed image by Andrea Ouellet

Both Normandy & Brittany have a rich heritage of history and spirituality.  This is a land steeped in Celtic & Medieval history where you find everything from symbolic, secret chapels to places of opulent religious wealth.

Throughout history and, in particular the Middle Ages to the modern era, France & England have often been bitter rivals and other times, strong allies, which has led to a tumultuous journey through history.  French novelist and adventurer Jules Veren once said “The possession of wealth leads almost inevitably to its abuse. It is the chief, if not the only, cause of evils which desolate this world below. The thirst for gold is responsible for the most regrettable lapses into sin.”

When I think about the history of Northern France, I am intrigued by the legendary characters of history; who were the saints and who were the sinners?  In life, would the martyrs have been the heretics and regional officials the scoundrels?  The heroic legends and auspicious sites pay homage to the stories of their lives. 

Both Normandy & Brittany are wonderous lands, having so much to discover, with miles of dramatic coastline, rugged rocks, well preserved castles, magnificent cities, medieval villages and riverside hamlets. 

The good bishop’s two timeless treasures of Normandy and Brittany. 

Rouen 

Rouen is a picturesque city in Normandy on the banks of the River Seine, steeped in legendary history.  It was a city the Anglo-French kings kept a favoured attachment for.  William the Conqueror often held court here in the 11th century.  Richard the Lionheart was crowned Duke of Normandy in the city in the 12th century, he left his heart in Rouen, as did Joan of Arc in the 15th century.  

Claude Monet was inspired to paint a series of dreamy masterpieces of the Rouen Cathedral in the late 19th century. This Gothic Cathedral is the tallest in all of France, with its exquisite façade.  Miraculously the cathedral survived the holy wars, the French Revolution, and the bombings of World War II.

The city has magnificent churches in many different architectural styles, a wealth of museums, parks, and gardens.  A treasure of Rouen is an iconic Renaissance lunar clock with the oldest mechanics in France. It has a stunning façade adorned with a royal ultramarine blue sky depicting the phases of the moon with sumptuous gold detail. The old buildings surrounding have been converted into delightful restaurants and cafes, it’s such an enchanted experience dining alfresco in the sparkle of a bygone era. 

Unsplashed image by Andrea Villiers

The story of the city starts in 1204 when the French captured Rouen, history says the city prospered until the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453).   Enter the story, that of the courageous Joan of Arc, her epic short life is a totally captivating tale to tell. 

The start of the iconic legend of Joan of Arc has a very humble beginning.  She was born, around 1412 a peasant girl, her father was a tenant farmer, town official and part time tax collector in a small French village in the Alsace-Lorraine region.

By the time she was born her country had been at war with England for about three quarters of a century. In 1419, Rouen was captured by Henry V and became under English rule.  Meanwhile, as the small girl Joan grew, her mother taught her to spin, sew, cook, and most of all to love and serve God. She spent much of her early life praying in church.  I am convinced there must have been a complex backstory in this family.  It was said to be at the age of 13 years of age, Joan was certain that she was visited by Archangel Michel and other Saints claiming to hear their voices - leading her to a higher calling.  I wonder if her angelic visions were “like a dove descending” like we read in biblical texts. Joan would have heard about scripture from the same ancient oracles we have today.

By the second half of the Hundred Years’ War, English forces occupied much of northern France, including Normandy and its capital. The king ordered the army to take back the nearby city of Orléans, accompanied by Joan, the 17-year-old peasant girl. She inspired and led the French troops. She cut her hair short like a man, clothed herself in a suit of white armour and successfully helped French troops to victory in March 1429, even after being wounded in battle. Following this, Joan had inspired many successful battles against the English army along the Loire in Burgundy. She was captured by Burgundians and ransomed off for a large sum of money to the English. 

In 1431, Joan of Arc was tried in what we might call today a “kangaroo court”!  She was accused of blasphemy and heresy led by bad Bishop Pierre Cauchon, French officials and churchmen in the English-ruled Rouen.  Joan testified that she was guided by visions from the angel Michel, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret who she whole heartedly believed bestowed upon her heart a mission to save France from the English oppression.  Her charge of blasphemy was because she was accused of wearing men’s clothes. Imagine if this was today!  The church deemed her visions as demonic and her actions as heresy, the court declaring her guilty with her punishment to be burned alive at the stake.  

On 30 May 1431 at the tender age of nineteen years old Joan of Arc ended up on the funeral pyre in the Rouen Old Market Square (Place du Vieux Marché).  It is said that in her final moments she looked up and declared a final prayer “Jesus Jesus”.  Did she see a heavenly host of angels descent upon her like doves to take her to the clouds above in her final moments? It seems that despite the flames her heart did not burn, and her enemies ended up having to throw her heart in the Seine River so that there were none of her human remains left to be resurrected.  Was it those heavenly visions that ignited her heart as a young girl that inspired her quest and was destined to be a perpetual flame that would never be extinguished? Maybe this is why Joan of Arc’s story remains alive in the tapestry of time – inspirational, heroic and forever young!

There was a retrial in 1456, the new court found the original evidence and trial was tainted with procedural errors.  Joan’s verdict was overturned, and she was declared innocent.  Over time this early feminist became a symbol of liberty after the French revolution.  Joan of Arc is revered by the Roman Catholic Church as a martyr and was canonised a saint by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. 

In Rouen there is a museum that honours the life and times of Joan of Arc that you can visit.  There is also a modern church “Eglise Jeanne d'Arc” built in her honour at the old marketplace where she was martyred. The unique roof has been designed in the shape of giant flames of the stake and inside there are spectacular stained-glass windows.  The legend of Joan remains alive and an inspiration to this day as a symbol of freedom and independence. 

Rouen images by Gai Bushby (c) 1st photo Joan of Arc; 2nd photo Renaissance lunar clock; 3rd photo La Maison Vatelier patisserie

Mont-Saint-Michel

Mont Saint Michel draws the eye awe-inspiringly from a great distance as this spectacular gothic style Benedictine abbey has been built on a rocky islet, appearing to rise out of the sea.  It is situated within a bay shared by both Brittany and Normandy.  The Couesnon is the main river into the bay.

Unsplashed image by Customery

The story of how this “Camelot” of the sea manifested into this mystical maritime Abbey goes back to the early 8th century.  There was a Bishop called Aubert from the nearby hilltop town.  This good Bishop was convinced he had the celestial Archangel, Michael appear before him in several dreams and inspired him to build a church on top of the island, just out to sea.  In medieval art, you would recognise Archangel Michael as the spiritual warrior in the battle of good against evil.  He is depicted as an armoured soldier, carrying a sword and shield fighting a great dragon (Satan).  The Good Bishop Aubert was considered a champion of justice and guardian of the Church.

The Good Bishop’s dreams became reality.  Over time, majestic, monastic buildings were added throughout the Middle Ages.  In total, it took 1300 years to build this magnificent Abbey.  During the Middle Ages, the Abbey became a renowned centre of learning, enticing some of the greatest manuscript illuminators and minds in Europe.  Despite countless cross-Channel conflicts, vast numbers of pilgrims flocked to the Abbey from the 10th century.  Ramparts were built at the base of the island designed to keep enemies out.  In addition, the high tidal waves made it impossible for the capture of Mont Saint Michel.  There was a village below which also grew in the shadow of its foundation walls.

The Abbey was even able to withstand a thirty-year siege against the English.  From the year 966, Duke Richard I of Normandy installed the Benedictine Monks to the Abbey on Mont Saint Michel and over time the French kings endorsed the development of the Abbey.  Joan of Arc drew inspiration from the Abbey.  She also believed she had been visited by the Archangel Michael and saints who told her to protect the sea Abbey from the English.

After the French Revolution, the resident monks had to abandon the Abbey as it turned into a Bastille (prison) of the sea until 1863.  French writer and politician, Victor Hugo, penned a letter to the poet Louise Bertin in 1863 from Mont Saint Michel saying:  “around us, everywhere as far as the eye can see, infinite space, the blue horizon of the sea, the green horizon of the earth, the clouds, the air, the freedom, the birds flying on all wings and, then, suddenly – there in a crest of an old wall, above our heads, through a barred window – the pale figure of a prisoner.  Never have I felt more keenly than here the cruel antitheses that man sometimes makes with nature”.

Access to the marine Abbey these days has a bridge which has replaced the former causeway, enabling the sea to once more fully surround the mount that gives Mont Saint Michel its majestic image of rising from the sea.  Thankfully, in 1976, Mont Saint Michel and the surrounding bay became a UNESCO World Heritage site, known as the “Wonder of the West” and thousands of pilgrims and tourists flock to Mont Saint Michel.  I was fascinated to find out that in this present day, a holy dozen monks and nuns live in the Abbey complex with about 30 people living below in the commune city and a colony of cats too!  To this day, thousands of Pilgrims make the ancient journey to this auspicious Abbey, praying for the assurance of eternal life from the Archangel Saint Michel.

Reflection:

Perhaps there have been angelic messengers of God who, long ago, visited our ancestors and the Saints in dreams.  Perhaps it was heavenly wisdom to inspire them to build magnificent monuments and leave us legendary stories of their heroic deeds.  Perhaps it was so that future generations (as we become more cynical) could always be inspired by the deeds of the Saints and awestruck by timeless God inspired treasures.

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