Monday, January 26, 2009
Les Temps des Cathedrales
i am continually struck by the emptiness of the great cathedrals of France. There are signs posted that command silence upon entering a cathedral, but really...who would want to disturb that colossal emptiness, that cavernous silence. Not I... I walked into the Cathedrale de Saint-Pierre today. It is a magnificent cathedral, full of light and color...and I was the only one there to enjoy it. As I walked the floor of the catheral, I was struck by the state of disrepair I found it in. The cathedral is losing the battle against mold. Mold and moss may make for pituresque photos, but they eat away at stone, slowly destroying the history that has long since fled our awareness. What will be left in 100 years? I hestitate to even wonder. Each and everytime I enter a lonely, forsaken cathedral, I fell as if we are trying to make God a relic of the past. My relationship with my savior is alive and vibrant. I mourn for those who view God as a remnant from the middle ages that science was unable to extinguish. And so, each time I enter a cathedral, it is with a sense of melancholy. Cathedrals are beautiful houses of God, but they can be made even more so if filled to capacity with worshippers who lift their voices to fill the cavernous silence with music and praise. Helas! Il n'est plus les temps des cathedrales.
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5 comments:
Does the closing statement roughly translate to, "It is no longer the time of cathedrals"?
The Cathedrals of Europe do have that rather forlorn atmosphere about them... and if they're filled with music ever, its usually just for random concerts. Though there was one cool one we visited in Portsmouth that was still used for Anglican prayer services in the evenings (and I think for regular services as well, but we only made one of the prayer services). Wasn't terribly crowded, but it was cool to actually see one of the ancient buildings still being used for their original purpose. Wonder if there's any that are still run like that within France.
Also, science (and particularly the ever-popular "scientism") is overrated.
(And arr, no edit button!)
Always has something to say, that one does.
And the silence is truly pressing and amazing, granted it is not interrupted by an unseemly sneeze.
Sarah, don't be mean. And Taylor, you translated it correctly. Les Temps des Cathedrales is also the title of a song that I like immensely.
I remember when I was in Scotland, there were gorgeous old churches all over the place, but rarely were they at all close to being filled. Many aren't even churches anymore. I remember riding on the top level of a double decker on a particularly windy day when we passed a beautiful little old church. But I was really confused for a second because it turns out that the church had been sold and was now being used as a light store. Sad day, that one!
PS: word = "rophoni" - new kind of pasta!
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