Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (Paris, France)

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

After our all morning tour of the Louvre and lunch at an outdoor café, we made our way, by foot, to the Bateaux Parisiens boat docking station, near the Eiffel Tower, where we were to embark on a Seine River Cruise. We passed a number of Paris landmarks along the way. The first was the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, a triumphal arch derivative of the triumphal arches of the Roman Empire; in particular that of Septimius Severus in Rome.

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

Located in the Place du Carrousel, it was designed by Charles Percier and Pierre François Léonard Fontaine and was built between 1806 and 1808, on the model of the Arch of Constantine (312 AD) in Rome, by Emperor Napoleon I as an entrance of honor of the Tuileries Palace, the Imperial residence, and to commemorate his diplomatic and military victories of the previous year. The more famous Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, across from the Champs Élysées and designed in the same year, is about twice as massive but was not completed until 1836.

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is located at the eastern end of Paris Axe historique (“historic axis”), a 9-km. long linear route which dominates much of the northwestern quadrant of the city. It is, in effect, the backbone of the Right Bank. Looking west, the arch is perfectly aligned with the obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, the centerline of the grand boulevard Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe at the Place de l’Étoile, and, although it is not directly visible from the Place du Carrousel, the Grande Arche de la Défense. Thus, the axis begins and ends with an arch.

Bas-relief of The Battle of Austerlitz

When the Arc du Carrousel was built, however, an observer in the Place du Carrousel was impeded from any view westward as the central part of the Palais des Tuileries intervened to block the line of sight to the west. When the Tuileries was burned down during the Paris Commune in 1871, and its ruins were swept away, the great axis, as it presently exists, an unobstructed view west was opened all the way to the Place du Carrousel, the Louvre and the more famous Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile. Also, with the disappearance of the palace, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel also became the dominant feature of the Place du Carrousel.

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel seen from the Louvre

This monument is 19 m. (63 ft.) high, 23 m. (75 ft.) wide and 7.5 m. (24 ft.) deep. Its 6.4 m. (21 ft.) high central arch is flanked by two smaller ones, 4.3 m. (14 ft.) high, and 2.7 m. (9 ft.) wide. An example of Corinthian style of architecture, around its exterior are 8 marble Corinthian columns topped by an entablature whose upper frieze has sculptures of 8 soldiers of the Empire: Auguste Marie Taunay‘s cuirassier, Charles-Louis Corbet‘s dragoon, Joseph Chinard‘s horse grenadier and Jacques-Edme Dumont‘s sapper.

Statue of a dragoon

On the pediment, between the soldiers, are bas-reliefs, executed in rose marble, whose subjects are devoted to the battles of Napoleon and were selected by Vivant Denon, the director of the Napoleon Museum (located at the time in the Louvre), and designed by Charles Meynier. They depict:

the Arms of the Kingdom of Italy with figures representing History and the Arts
the Arms of the French Empire with Victory, Fame, History, and Abundance
Wisdom and Strength holding the arms of the Kingdom of Italy, accompanied by Prudence and Victory.
the Peace of Pressburg
Napoleon entering Munich
Napoleon entering Vienna (sculptor: Louis-Pierre Deseine)
the Battle of Austerlitz (sculptor: Jean-Joseph Espercieux)
the Tilsit Conference
the surrender of Ulm (sculptor: Pierre Cartellier)

It was originally surmounted by the so-called Horses of Saint Mark that adorned the top of the main door of the St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, which had been captured in 1798 by Napoleon. In 1815, following the Battle of Waterloo and the Bourbon restoration, France ceded the quadriga to the Austrian empire which had annexed Venice under the terms of the Congress of Vienna. The Austrians immediately returned the statuary to Venice.

Quadriga of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

The horses of Saint Mark were replaced in 1828 by a quadriga, atop the entablature, sculpted by Baron François Joseph Bosio, depicting Peace riding in a triumphal chariot led by gilded Victories on both sides. The composition commemorates the Restoration of the Bourbons following Napoleon’s downfall. The Arc du Carrousel inspired the design of Marble Arch, constructed in London between 1826 and 1833.

Louvre Pyramid (Paris, France)

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

The Louvre Pyramid

At the main courtyard (Cour Napoléon) of the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) is the Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre), a large, glass and metal pyramid that serves as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum. Designed by the late Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei (Ieoh Ming Pei), the founder of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners known for his stellar work at the National Gallery in Washington as well as the Fine Arts Museum in Boston.

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L-R; Jandy, Grace, Cheska, Kyle and Manny

It was commissioned in 1984 by the, François Mitterrand, President of France, and completed on March 29, 1989 (symbolically, the bicentenary year of the French Revolution).

Cheska and Kyle

I.M. Pei’s most famous structure, this controversial structure, now an iconic symbol for the largest museum in the world, has become, together with the Arc de Triumphe and the equally controversial Eiffel Tower, a landmark of the city of Paris.

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One of the three smaller pyramids

Here are some interesting trivia regarding the Louvre Pyramid:

There are actually five pyramids throughout the museum. The Louvre Pyramid is surrounded by three smaller pyramids, positioned to create light shafts for access to the museum’s collections, plus the Pyramide Inversée (Inverted Pyramid), an upside-down and smaller version of the Louvre Pyramid. The latter is a skylight in the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall in front of the Louvre Museum.
The large pyramid has the exact same proportions as the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The choice of the pyramid figure serves as a reminder of the importance of the Egyptian antiquities collection inside the museum.
The Louvre Pyramid was featured near the beginning the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code. Here, Robert Langdon, the main character, meets French Police Captain Bezu Fache in front of the Louvre Pyramid. Today, the sites at the Louvre which are portrayed in the film are the subject of a special visitor trail which enters through the Pyramid and concludes at the Inverted Pyramid.
Because of a series of problems with the Louvre’s original main entrance (it could no longer handle, on an everyday basis, the enormous number of visitors, then at 5 million visitors a year), the Louvre Pyramid was created so that visitors entering through the pyramid first descend into the spacious, 60,386 sq. m. (650,000 sq. ft.) underground lobby before ascend into the museum’s three pavilions — Denon, Richelieu and Sully. However, in 2014, the Louvre’s attendance had doubled and the pyramid proved inadequate, necessitating a thorough redesign of the layout of the foyer area in the Cour Napoleon, including better access to the pyramid and the Passage Richelieu, between 2014 and 2017.
As soon as the Louvre Pyramid project, costing 5 billion euros, was announced, it triggered many years of strong and lively aesthetic and political debate. Accused of disfiguring the architecture, some questioned what direction the museum was headed. They criticized the Modernist style of the edifice being inconsistent with the majestic, old and classic French Renaissance architectural style and history of the Louvre; the pyramid being an unsuitable and anachronistic intrusion of an ancient Egyptian symbol of death in the middle of Paris; the hugely unpopular project being an immodest, pretentious, megalomaniacal folly imposed by then-President François Mitterrand (political critics referred to the structure as “Pharaoh Francois’ Pyramid”); and that Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei being insufficiently French to be entrusted with the task of updating the treasured Parisian landmark. Even today, many people still feel that the harsh modernism of the edifice is out of place.
M. Pei also included large glass pyramid concept on the roofs of the IBM Somers Office Complex(Westchester County, New York, 1989, the same year the Louvre Pyramid opened) and at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1995, Cleveland, Ohio).
Several other museums have also duplicated the pyramid concept, most notably the Museum of Science and Industry(Chicago, Illinois) and the Dolphin Centre (opened April 1982, by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester).
It has been claimed by some that the glass panes in the Louvre Pyramid number exactly 666, “the number of the beast” often associated with Satan and the beast in the Apocalypse. Dominique Stezepfandt’s book François Mitterrand, Grand Architecte de l’Universalso declares that “the pyramid is dedicated to a power described as the Beast in the Book of Revelation (…) The entire structure is based on the number 6.” The story of the 666 panes originated in the 1980s, when the number 666 was mentioned in various newspapers as well as the official brochure published during construction (even twice, though, in a few pages earlier, the total number of panes was given as 672 instead). In 2003, the myth resurfaced when Dan Brown incorporated it in his best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. In the book, the protagonist reflects that “this pyramid, at President Mitterrand’s explicit demand, had been constructed of exactly 666 panes of glass.” However, the Louvre museum states that the finished pyramid contains 673 glass panes (603 rhombi and 70 triangles). David A. Shugarts obtained a higher figure from Pei’s offices, reporting that the pyramid contains 689 pieces of glass.
During the design phase, there was a proposal that the design include a spire on the pyramid to simplify window washing. However, Pei objected and this proposal was eliminated.
Just in case any glass pieces ever break, laminated glass manufacturer Saint-Gobain made enough to build two pyramids. However, after more than 30 years, no repairs have yet been needed.
In the early days, mountaineers were actually hired to scale the Pyramid and clean the glass, a monumental task. However, in the 1990s, a robot was designed to do the job. Then, in 2002, Advanced Robotic Vehicles, a Seattle company, developed a “double breadboxed-sized robot” which boasts a squeegee and rotating brush. When secured to the glass via suction cups, it is maneuvered by remote control to climb the Pyramid on tracks. However, human ropers are still used to repair the joints and descale the glass from time to time.
Although the Pyramid was constructed to accommodate a visitor entrance, it’s not the only way to get into the Louvre. Visitors, with single or group tickets, can enter through the Passage Richelieu, which is just off the Rue de Rivoli across from the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre metro station. You can also enter via the Carrousel du Louvre, an underground shopping and dining space opened in 1993 and the location of the suspended Inverted Pyramid. Whichever entrance you choose, they all converge in the lobby beneath the Louvre Pyramid.

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The underground lobby

Constructed entirely with 21.5 mm. (0.8-in.) thick, extra clear “Diamond Glass” laminated glass segments, totaling 1,800 sq. m. (19,375 sq. ft.) in area, and 6,000 metal poles, the structure, supported by 95 tons of steel and 105 tons of aluminum, is 21.6 m. (71 ft.) high and its square base has sides of 34 m. (112 ft.) and a base surface area of 1,000 sq. m. (11,000 sq ft.).

Spiral stair

Consisting of 603 rhombus-shaped and 70 triangular glass segments, elementary arithmetic allows for easy counting of the panes. Each of the three sides of the pyramid without an entrance has 18 triangular panes and 17 rows of rhombic ones arranged in a triangle, thus giving rhombic panes (171 panes total).

The side with the entrance has 11 panes fewer (9 rhombic, 2 triangular), so the whole pyramid consists of rhombi and triangles, 673 panes total.

The pyramid structure was engineered by Nicolet Chartrand Knoll Ltd. of Montreal (Pyramid Structure/Design Consultant) and Rice Francis Ritchie of Paris (Pyramid Structure/Construction Phase).

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Louvre Museum: 75001 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 40 20 50 50. Open daily, except Tuesdays and holidays, 9 AM- 6 PM (until 10 PM on Wednesday and Friday evenings).

The Louvre has three entrances: the main entrance at the pyramid, an entrance from the Carrousel du Louvre underground shopping mall, and an entrance at the Porte des Lions (near the western end of the Denon wing).

Admission is free, from October to March, on the first Sunday of every month. Still and video photography is permitted for private, noncommercial use only in the galleries housing the permanent collection. The use of flash or other means of artificial lighting is prohibited. Photography and filming are not permitted in the temporary exhibition galleries.

How To Get There: the Louvre can be reached via Metro lines 1 and 7, station Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre Métro or the Louvre-Rivoli stations. By bus, take No. 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95 as well as the touristic Paris l’Open Tour. By car, there is an underground parking reachable by Avenue du Général Lemonier, every day from 7 AM – 11 PM.

Louvre Museum (Paris, France)

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Louvre Museum

Come morning of our second day in Paris, after breakfast at our hotel, we walked towards the Gare de l’Est Metro entrance where we took the Metro to the Louvre Museum (or simply the Louvre), one of the world’s largest museums and a central landmark and historic monument of the city. It was already raining when we arrived at the Louvre. Located on the Right Bank of the Seine River, in the 1st arrondissement (ward), we arrived early in the main courtyard (Cour Napoléon).

L-R: Jandy, Grace, Kyle, Cheska and Manny. The Louvre Pyramid is in the background

However, lines were already starting to form near the 21.6 m. (71-ft.) high Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre), a large pyramid of glass and metal designed by the late Chinese architect Ieoh .Ming (I.M.) Pei. Its square base has sides of 35 m. (115 ft) and consists of 603 rhombus-shaped and 70 triangular glass segments. Completed in 1989, it is surrounded by three smaller pyramids. The large pyramid serves as the main entrance.

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The main courtyard (Cour Napoléon)

The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are still visible in the crypt in the basement of the museum. Whether that spot was the first building is not known. It is possible that Philip modified an existing tower. The remains of the medieval fortress and moat have been excavated and preserved, and can be seen today on the underground level of the Sully Wing, on the way to the department of Egyptian antiquities.

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Remnants of the late 12th century fortress

The building was altered frequently throughout the Middle Ages and was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In the 14th century, Charles V converted the building into a residence and, in 1546, Francis I renovated the site in French Renaissance style and acquired what would become the nucleus of the Louvre’s holdings (his acquisitions including Leonardo da Vinci‘s Mona Lisa).

In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles as his residence and constructions slowed. However, the move permitted the Louvre to be used primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. It was also used as a residence for artists.

In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture which, in 1699, held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a public museum to display the nation’s masterpieces and, on August 10, 1793 (the first anniversary of the monarchy’s demise), opened with an exhibition of 537 paintings and 184 objects of art, three quarters of which were derived from the royal collections, and the remainder from confiscated émigrés and Church property (biens nationaux).

Statue of Louis IV

On May 1796, the museum was closed due to structural deficiencies but was reopened on July 14, 1801, arranged chronologically and with new lighting and columns. Under Napoleon I, the collection was increased with many Spanish, Austrian, Dutch, Vatican (including Laocoön and His Sons and the Apollo Belvedere)and Italian (including the Horses of Saint Mark) works seized by his armies (returned to their original owners after Napoleon’s abdication) and the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon in 1803. During the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, the collection was further increased and, during the Second French Empire, the museum gained 20,000 pieces.

The lobby underneath the pyramid

With an area of over 60,600 sq. m. (652,300 sq. ft.), the Louvre exhibits a collection of nearly 35,000 objects, from prehistory to the 21st century, divided among 8 curatorial departments – Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings. You can’t possibly see them all, so you have to navigate to see what you want to see in the world’s most visited museum (the Louvre received over 9.7 million visitors in 2012). Since the Third Republic, its holdings have grown steadily through donations and bequests.

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Jandy and Grace at the main courtyard

Louvre Museum: 75001 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 40 20 50 50. Open daily, except Tuesdays and holidays, 9 AM- 6 PM (until 10 PM on Wednesday and Friday evenings).

Admission is free, from October to March, on the first Sunday of every month. Still and video photography is permitted for private, noncommercial use only in the galleries housing the permanent collection.The use of flash or other means of artificial lighting is prohibited. Photography and filming are not permitted in the temporary exhibition galleries.

L’Hôtel des Invalides (Paris, France)

Posted on 23 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

L’Hotel des Invalides

After our pilgrimage to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, we made the somewhat long, 1.8-km. walk, via Rue de Sèvres and Boulevard des Invalides, to the National Residence of the Invalids, also called L’Hôtel des Invalides. While some distance away, we could already espy its elegant golden cupola.

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Main entrance

One of the most prestigious monuments in Paris, this complex of buildings, in the 7th arrondissement, contains museums (Musée de l’Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs and the Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine) and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans (invalides), the building’s original purpose.

Left wing

The building retained its primary function as a retirement home and hospital for military veterans until the early twentieth century. Because of its location and significance, the Invalides was also the scene of several key events in French history.

Right wing

L’Hôtel des Invalides had its beginnings in 1670 when Louis XIV, by an order dated November 24, initiated the hôpital des invalides, a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers. Designed by architect Libéral Bruant, it was built on the then suburban plain of Grenelle (plaine de Grenelle) and, by the time it was completed in 1676, the front facade facing the Seine River was 196 m. (643 ft.) long.

L-R- Kyle, Grace, Cheska, the author and Jandy

L-R: Grace, Kyle, Cheska, the author and Jandy

The complex had 15 courtyards, the largest being the cour d’honneur (“court of honor”) which was used for military parades. The veterans’ chapel, known as Église Saint-Louis des Invalides, was also designed by the aged Bruant, assisted by Jules Hardouin Mansart, and finished in 1679.

The Domed Church

Louis XIV’s separate private royal chapel, referred to as the Église du Dôme (Domed Church), was designed and built by Mansart and was completed in 1708. One of the triumphs of French Baroque architecture, this royal chapel is centrally placed to dominate the court of honor.

The chapel’s gold-plated cupola

Its Baroque dome was inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and was built between 1677 and 1706 to glorify Louis XIV, the monarchy and his armies. Mansart raised its drum, with an attic storey over its main cornice, and employed the paired columns motif in his more complicated rhythmic theme. On 14 July 1789, during the French Revolution, Les Invalides was stormed by Parisian rioters and the cannons and muskets stored in its cellars were seized for use against the Bastille later that same day. The royal chapel was later renamed as the Temple de Mars.

The chapel’s facade

During the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, it became a military pantheon with the installation of the tomb of Henri de la Tour d’Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne (better known as Turenne), one of the most famous marshals of France, in 1800 and, on May 26, 1808, had the heart (his other remains were scattered during the French Revolution) of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban , designer of Louis XIV’s military fortifications, transferred, from his grave in Bazoches, to a mausoleum erected opposite Turenne’s, both under the dome.

The Corithian columns and pediment at the upper level

On December 15, 1840, remains of Napoleon himself was brought back to France, from the island of St. Helena (an event known as le retour des cendres or “return of the Ashes”and arranged by King Louis-Philippe) and first buried in the Chapelle Saint-Jérôme (Chapel of St. Jerome) in the Invalides until his final resting place, designed by Louis Visconti, was finished. On April 2, 1861, Napoleon was finally interred in a porphyry sarcophagus in the circular crypt under the dome.

The Domed Chapel’s interior

On January 5, 1895, the degradation of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus was held before the main building, while his subsequent rehabilitation ceremony took place on July 21, 1906 in a courtyard of the complex. During the second half of the 20th century, after the destruction of small back buildings and the creation of a peripheral gap, the entire site of the Hôtel National des Invalides was opened to the public.

The gilded dome

In 1981, a huge restoration project, under the instigation of an interdepartmental commission co-directed by Ministries of Defense and Culture, was undertaken to restore the former splendor of this exceptional site. In 1989, 12 kgs. (20 lbs.) of gold (550,000 leaves) were used to regild the dome and details at the walls for the bicentenary of the French Revolution.

The baldacchino above the high altar

The Greek Cross-shaped Les Invalides has a beautiful facade with Doric and Corinthian columns, two colossal marble statues of Charlemagne (by Charles Antoine Coysevox) on the right and St. Louis holding the Crown of Thorns (by Nicolas Coustou) on the left decorate the niches of the lower levels and on the level above, on the corner of the balustrade, stand the Four Virtues (also done by Coysevox) – Strength, Justice, Temperance and Prudence. Two colossal marble sculptures flank the entrance to l’Église du Dôme. Inside are 9 chapels and niches plus a high altar area covered by a baldachin. The sides each have 3 chapels where the tombs are.

The heavy bronze door leading to Napoleon’s crypt

Upon entering, I was awed by the interior of the 107 m. (351 ft.) high, ribbed and hemispherical dome, the second tallest in Paris, after the Pantheon, and another unmissable monument in the Parisian landscape. Painted by Charles de La Fosse, Charles Le Brun’s disciple, and completed in 1705, its main feature was the Baroque illusion of space (sotto in su) when seen from below. The 50 ft. diameter symbolic painting on the cupola and the pendentives depicts St. King Louis IX wearing his royal robes, entering into glory, amidst angels, and giving to Christ the sword he used to triumph over Christianity’s enemies.

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Balustrade overlooking Napoleon’s crypt

Underneath the lavishly-decorated dome is a balustrade with a large space that looks down into the crypt where Napoleon’s huge porphyry tomb resides. We entered the crypt via a staircase behind the altar that leads to a heavy bronze door forged from cannons taken during the Battle of Austerlitz. The door is flanked by two statues and above the lintel is an inscription extracted from Napoleon’s will (“I wish my ashes to rest on the banks of the Seine among the people of France whom I so much loved“).

Napoleon’s sarcophagus

Built on a pedestal of green granite from the Vosges Region, the sarcophagus was sculpted from blocks of red quartzite from Russia and is surrounded by a laurel crown and inscriptions referring to the Empire’s great victories. Inside the sarcophagus is a nest of six coffins: one made of soft iron, another of mahogany, two others of lead, one of ebony and finally the last one of oak. Napoleon is dressed in his Colonel’s uniform (of the cavalry of the Guard) which bears his sash of the Légion d’Honneur. His hat rests on his legs.

The author besides Napoleon’s Tomb

Around the tomb and mounted up against the pillars of the crypt are 12 “Victories,” symbolizing Napoleon’s military campaigns, sculpted by James Pradier. Inscribed on the polychrome marble floor are his 8 famous victories – Austerlitz, Friedland, Jena, Marengo, Moscow, Pyramids, Rivoli and Wagram. Within the circular gallery are a set of 10 white marble bas-reliefs sculpted by Pierre-Charles Simart, depicting the main achievements of his reign – pacification of the nation, administrative centralization, State Council, Civil Code, Concordat, Imperial University, court of accounts, code of commerce, Major Works and the Legion of Honor.

Napoleon II’s Tomb and the statue of Napoleon I clad in the symbols of empire

Halfway along the gallery is a vault containing the coffin of his son Napoleon II (though his heart and intestines remained in Vienna), the King of Rome also known as l’Aiglon, transferred here on December 15, 1940, and placed under a marble slab in the crypt on December 18, 1969. Over the tomb stands a statue, by Simart, of Napoleon as a Roman emperor clad in the symbols of the Empire.

Tomb of Jerome Napoleon, the youngest brother of Napoleon I who reigned as Jerome I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), King of Westphalia, between 1807 and 1813. From 1816 onward, he bore the title of Prince of Montfort. After 1848, when his nephew, Louis Napoleon, became President of the French Second Republic, he served in several official roles, including Marshal of France from 1850 onward, and President of the Senate in 1852.

Two side chapels contain the tombs of Joseph Bonaparte (Chapel of St. Augustine) and Jérôme Bonaparte (Chapel of St. Jerome ), the eldest and youngest brothers, respectively, of Napoleon.

Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte, the older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte who made him King of Naples (1806–1808, as Giuseppe I), and later King of Spain (1808–1813, as José I). After the fall of Napoleon, Joseph styled himself Comte de Survilliers.

The gilt bees on the walls of the chapel of Saint-Jerôme serve to remind visitors that the Emperor’s coffin lay here while the crypt was being built. Several military officers who served under Napoleon (Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand and Geraud Duroc) are also buried at Les Invalides, all alongside Napoleon’s tomb.

Tomb of Henri Bertrand (March 28, 1773 – January 31, 1844), a French general life whose life was closely bound up with that of Napoleon, who had the fullest confidence in him, honoring him in 1808 with the title of count and at the end of 1813, with the title of Grand Marshal of the Palace. During the expedition to Egypt, Napoleon named him colonel (1798), then brigadier-general, and after the Battle of Austerlitz his aide-de-camp.

Tomb of Geraud Duroc (October 25, 1772 – May 23, 1813), a French general noted for his association with Napoleon. His devotion to him was rewarded by complete confidence. He became first aide-de-camp (1798), general of brigade (1800), and governor of the Tuileries. After the battle of Marengo, he was sent on missions to Vienna, St Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm and Copenhagen. He also served as Grand Marshal of the Palace. After the Battle of Austerlitz, where he commanded the grenadiers and was employed in a series of important negotiations with Frederick William III of Prussia, with the elector of Saxony (December 1806), in the incorporation of certain states in the Confederation of the Rhine, and in the conclusion of the armistice of Znaim (July 1809). In 1808, he was created duc de Frioul.

Aside from Turenne, other Marshals of France buried here include Thomas Bugeaud (conqueror of Algeria); François Certain Canrobert (commanded the III Army Corps in Lombardy in 1859 during the Second Italian War of Independence, distinguishing himself at Magenta and Solferino); Ferdinand Foch (Allied Supreme Commander in the First World War); Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (commander of the famous 2nd Armored Division during World War II); Hubert Lyautey (dubbed the “Maker of Morocco” and the French empire builder) and Jean de Lattre de Tassigny ( commander of the French First Army during World War II and later commander in the First Indochina War).

Tomb of Ferdinand Foch (October 2, 1851 – March 20, 1929), a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War, successfully coordinating the French, British and American efforts into a coherent whole. Deftly handling his strategic reserves, he stopped the German offensive and launched a war-winning counterattack.

Army captain Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (author of France‘s national anthem, La Marseillaise), Antoine Marie-Roger de Saint-Exupery (author of “The Little Prince”) and Pierre Auguste Roques (founder of the French Air Force and Minister of War in 1916) are also buried here.

Tomb of Hubert Lyautey (November 17, 1854 – July 27, 1934), a French Army general and colonial administrator who, after serving in Indochina and Madagascar, became the first French Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925. Early in 1917, he served briefly as Minister of War and, from 1921, was a Marshal of France. He was dubbed the French empire builder and, in 1931, made the cover of Time.

Vauban’s monument, in the Chapel of St.-Theresa, replaced by a black marble coffin made by the sculptor Antoine Etex in 1808, depicts Vauban semi-recumbent, holding a compass and meditating on his writings. He is surrounded by the veiled figure of Science and the figure of War wearing a helmet. On top of the coffin is an obelisk surrounded by flags and standards. On the base is an inscription and a bas-relief referring to Vauban’s project for a royal tithe and celebrating the political and reformatory aspect of Vauban’s work.

Tomb of Sebastien le Preste de Vauban (May 1, 1633 – March 30, 1707), a French military engineer who served under Louis XIV who is generally considered the greatest engineer of his time, and one of the most important in Western military history. His principles for fortifications were widely used for nearly 100 years, while aspects of his offensive tactics remained in use until the mid-twentieth century.

Turenne’s monument shows the Marshal General of France, under Louis XIV, expiring in the arms of Immortality, who crowns him with laurels, as she lifts him to Heaven. At the marshal’s feet is an eagle, representing the Holy Roman Empire, over which he had several victories.

Tomb of Turenne (September 11, 1611 – July 27, 1675), a French general and one of only six Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the La Tour d’Auvergne family, his military exploits over his five-decade career earned him a reputation as one of the greatest military commanders in modern history.

From the Dome Chapel, we moved on to the main courtyard which is is the central area of the Hôtel National des Invalides. Many events unfolded here and a large part of the artillery collections of the Army Museum (musée de l’armée) is displayed here. The Army Museum has one of the most impressive collections of artillery pieces. It had its beginnings in 1872 when the musée d’artillerie (Artillery Museum), whose collections were gathered together during the Revolution, was located within the building. Later, in 1896, it was joined by the musée historique des armées (Historical Museum of the Armies). In 1905, the two institutions were merged to form the present musée de l’armée.

The main courtyard

At the Main Courtyard, we were presented an exceptional array of 60 French classical bronze cannons, jewels of the artillery collections of the Army Museum, plus a dozen howitzers and mortars. Tracing 200 years of the history of French field artillery, we discovered how these pieces were manufactured, their roles and the epic of great French artillerymen.

An array of French classical cannons

The first models of French classical cannons, along with a few adaptations, were developed by the Keller brothers in 1666. These highly popular, large-caliber cannons were used in sieges against fortified towns during the wars of Louis XIV and made the successes of Vauban possible.

In 1732, a royal ordinance laid down by regulations that cannons be decorated with heraldic and mythological ornamentations. A series of 30 of these prestigious cannons are on display.

Gribeauval cannon (1780s)

From 1764, French classical cannons were replaced by cannons of the Gribeauval system (named after its creator) This new, easier to handle and better organized artillery excelled during the revolutionary and imperial wars. Napoleon Bonaparte, who trained as an artilleryman, was able to put it to wonderful use, notably during the two Italian campaigns and the battles of Friedland and Wagram. From 1825 onwards, the Valée systems succeeded the Gribeauval system. The cannons of the two systems were more functional and had fewer decorations than French classical cannons.

12 pounder Napoleon cannon

Eight mortars, made for the sieges of the revolutionary and imperial wars, were also on display while, on exhibit at the corners of the courtyard, are two large howitzers, designed to bombard Cadiz, when the French army besieged this city in 1810. The howitzers could fire shells from a distance of nearly 6 kms., an unprecedented achievement at that time.

One of 8 mortars on display

Hôtel National des Invalides: 129 rue de Grenelle 75007 Paris, France. Tel: +33 (0)1 44 42 37 72. Fax: +33 (0)1 44 42 35 14. E-mail: infos-ma@invalides.org. Website : www.invalides.org.

Open daily, October 1 to 31 and March (10 AM to 5 PM), April 1 to September 30 (10 AM to 6 PM). Closed every first Monday in the month, January 1, May 1, September 1 and December 25.
Dome and tomb have same opening times but is accessible from 10 AM to 7 PM from June 15 to September 15. Admission: €9,5.

How to Get There: By Metro (Line 8, Invalides station), RER (Line C, Invalides station), buses 28, 49, 63, 69, 82, 87, 92.

Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church (Paris, France)

Posted on 23 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

While making our way, on foot, towards the massive Panthéon, we passed the relatively small but attractive, Gothic-style Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church, built between 1492 and 1655. It was described by French novelist Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (in the Connecting, 1895) as one of the most beautiful churches in Paris. It contains Paris’ unique and only surviving rood screen (built in 1535), dramatically crossing the nave like a bridge, separating it from the chancel, with spiral staircases on either side. During the Late Renaissance Period, the others were removed because they prevented the faithful in the nave from seeing the priest celebrate Mass.

Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church

It also houses the shrine containing the relics of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, until 1793 when revolutionaries burned the body, melted the relics at the Place de Grève (in front of the city hall) and threw them in the sewer. Only the tomb, lying in a chapel in the nave’s southeastern corner, survived. Near her tomb is a highly decorated reliquary containing a finger bone, all that is left of her earthly remains.

The church also housed the remains of important French figures such as Pierre Perrault (Receiver General of Finances for Paris and scientist), Eustache Le Sueur (painter), Blaise de Vigenere (diplomat, cryptographer, translator and alchemist), Blaise Pascal, (mathematician and physicist), Jean Racine (dramatist) and Isaac de Sacy Lemaistre (theologian and humanist). The last two were transferred in 1711 from Port-Royal in Saint-Etienne. The political theorist and scientist Jean-Paul Marat is buried in the church’s cemetery.

The three pediments

The church had its beginnings in the 6th century in the abbey of Sainte-Genevieve, where the eponymous saint had been buried. Devoted to the Virgin Mary and, later, to St. John the Apostle, the place was too small to accommodate all the faithful. In 1222, Pope Honorius III authorized the establishment of an autonomous church, this time devoted to St Etienne, then the patron saint of the old cathedral of Paris.

“The Stoning of St. Stephen” of sculptor Gabriel Jules-Thomas

Soon, the new building, overwhelmed by an increasingly dense population, was enlarged in 1328. However, from the 15th century, a complete reconstruction soon became necessary and, in 1492, the monks Génovéfains donated a portion of their land for the construction of a new church. In 1494, under the direction of architect Stephen Viguier, the apse and the bell tower were sketched and, in 1491, the bell tower was built (the first two bells were cast in 1500). The flamboyant Gothic choir was completed in 1537 and, the following year, the frame was raised. The loft was built around 1530-1535, the chancel in 1537 and, in 1541, Guy, Bishop of Megara blessed the altars of the chapels of the apse. In 1545, the gallery was built and in 1580, the vaults of the nave and transept were built.

That same year, the parish awarded contracts for the windows and statues from Parisian artisans. The nave, from the Renaissance period, was not hunched before 1584. In 1610, the first stone of the facade was laid by Marguerite de Valois (who personally donated 3000 pounds) and, on February 25, 1626, the church was dedicated by Jean- François de Gondi, the first archbishop of Paris and Cardinal de Retz‘s uncle. In 1636, the organ (the work of Pierre Pescheur) was installed and, in 1651, a new pulpit was installed.

Bell tower

During the 17th and 18th century, the church enjoyed great prestige as the scene of great processions wherein the shrine of Sainte-Genevieve went to Notre Dame Cathedral and, subsequently, was returned to this church. During the French Revolution, the church was closed and then turned into a “Temple of Filial Piety.” in 1801, benefiting from the Concordat, Catholic worship was restored. During the Second Empire, the church was restored by Victor Baltard (who also built the chapel of catechisms), the front was raised and the statues, destroyed by the revolutionaries, were returned.

On January 3, 1857, Bishop Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour (who was to inaugurate the novena of St. Genevieve) was assassinated here, with cries of “Down with the goddesses!,” by the priest Jean-Louis Verger who opposed to the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. A plaque, at the entrance to the nave, marks the grave of the prelate. The occultist Eliphas Levi was indirectly involved in this tragic event.

The sculpted The Stoning of Saint Stephen, at the exterior’s tympanum, is the work of French sculptor Gabriel-Jules Thomas. The front facade, which consists of no less than three pediments, features a classical porch. The fourth chapel, on the right from the entrance, contains impressive 16^th century stained glass windows.

The church’s impressive interior, which we didn’t see, is characterized by the curved axis of the nave to the transept, the finely carved stone choir screen of Father Biard (1545), his chair (designed by Laurent de La Hyre and sculpted by Claude Lestocart) and its organ case (1631), the oldest in the capital. There’s also a notable wooden pulpit supported by Samson, with a jawbone in hand and a slain lion at his feet.

From 1929 until his death in 1986, renowned organist, composer and improviser Maurice Duruflé held the post of Titular Organist at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. The interiors and exteriors of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont were featured, in both the beginning and finale, of Max Ophüls celebrated film The Earrings of Madame de… (1953). Popes have also celebrated mass here – Pope Pius VI on January 10, 1805 and Pope John Paul II on August 23, 1997 (during his visit to Paris on the occasion of World Youth Day).

Cheska, Kyle and Grace at Place Sainte Genevieve

Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church: Place Sainte-Geneviève, Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, 5th arrondissement,75005 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 43 54 11 79.

Pantheon (Paris, France)

Posted on 23 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

The Pantheon

After mass and tour of Notre Dame Cathedral and our first lunch in Paris at La Bucherie, we proceeded, on foot for 1 km. via Rue St. Jacques, to the nearby Pantheon in the 5th arrondissement on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. The Panthéon (from the Greek word meaning “Every god”), a building in the Latin Quarter was originally built as a abbey church, dedicated to St. Genevieve (the patron saint of Paris), that would house the reliquary châsse containing her relics.

Check out “Restaurant Review: La Bucherie Restaurant“

The interior of the Pantheon

However, after many changes, it now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens. By burying its great people in the Panthéon, France acknowledges the honor it received from them. As such, interment here is severely restricted and is allowed only by a parliamentary act for “National Heroes.”

The underground crypt

An early example of Neo-Classicism, it was designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot and combines the lightness and brightness of the Gothic cathedral with Classical principles. With an imposing peristyle modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, it is surmounted by a dome that owes some of its character to Bramante‘s “Tempietto”. However, its later role as a mausoleum required that its 40 great Gothic windows be blocked. The Panthéon looks out over all of Paris.

Stairs leading to the entrance to the underground crypt

Started in 1758, its construction proceeded slowly. Soufflot died in 1780 and he was replaced by Jean-Baptiste Rondelet, his student. The church was finally completed in 1790. Upon the death Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau on April 2, 1791, the National Constituent Assembly (whose president had been Mirabeau) ordered that the building be changed from a church to a mausoleum for the interment of great Frenchmen.

Portico of Corinthian columns

Architect Quatremère de Quincy oversaw the project, reducing the height of the towers, took off the cross which capped the dome, closed most openings of the dome and changed the pediment. Mirabeau was interred there on April 4, 1791, the first person to be so honored (his remains, however, were disinterred on November 25, 1794, buried in an anonymous grave and are yet to be recovered).

Cheska and Kyle

In 1806 Napoleon I re-converted the Pantheon into a church, changed the pediment and replaced the cross. In 1830, Louis-Philippe decided that should be a Pantheon again, having a new pediment built and stripping the building of any religious feature. However, in 1850, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte re-converted it into a church, again installing a new pediment and replacing the cross on the dome where it has since remained. During the current major restoration project, the cross of the dome, retained in compromise, is again visible. In 1885, the building was finally returned to secular use and converted into a Pantheon. Victor Hugo‘s ashes were the first to be transferred to the Pantheon.

One of 3 bronze doors

This vast 110 m. (352 ft.) long, 84 m. wide and 83 m. (272 ft.) high building has a Greek cross plan, 4 naves and is raised 11m above pavement level. It has a massive portico of twenty-two 20 m. high Corinthian columns. The three bronze doors are topped with marble sculptures representing respectively the Baptism of Clovis, Sainte-Geneviève and the Hun Attila.

Tomb of Voltaire (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778), a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his criticism of Christianity (especially the Roman Catholic Church) as well as his advocacy of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state.

Tomb of Jean-Jacques Rosseau (June 28, 1712 – July 2, 1778), a Genevan philosopher, writer and composer whose political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the development of modern political, economic and educational thought. His Discourse on Inequality and The Social Contract are cornerstones in modern political and social thought.

Its crypt , no less vast, follows the cross shape of the building and is composed of a large vestibule where we saw the graves of the philosophers Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.. At the entrance to the vestibule is the heart of Léon Gambetta (1838-1882) the founder of the Third Republic, placed in an urn on November 11, 1920.

Urn with heart of Leon Gambetta (April 2, 1838 – December 31, 1882), a French statesman, prominent during and after the Franco-Prussian War.

The 4 side vaults follow the layout of the arms of the cross. The western vault, the longest and largest, is divided in two corridors. The right hand side contains the remains of 41 important figures of the Empire. The southern vault has no grave.

The frescoed ceiling

Soufflot’s masterstroke, concealed from casual view, is the impressive triple dome, each shell fitted within the others. Permitting a view through the oculus of the coffered inner dome of the second dome, it is frescoed by Antoine Gros with The Apotheosis of Saint Genevieve. The outermost dome, built with stone bound together with iron cramps, is covered with lead sheathing rather than the common French period practice of carpentry construction. The massive weight of the triple construction is passed the outwards by concealed flying buttresses to the portico columns.

The triangular pediment with sculptural group of David d’Angers

The triangular pediment once had a sculptural group called “The Fatherland Crowning the Heroic and Civic Virtues,” created by Jean Guillaume Moitte but, upon the Bourbon Restoration, was replaced with one sculpted by David d’Angers in 1837. The philosophers Voltaire and Rosseau are represented, seated on the left hand side of the sculpture. The inscription above the entrance reads Aux Grands Hommes La Patrie Reconnaissante (“To great men, the grateful homeland”). Inside, there are no benches, chairs or altar, just gigantic murals; Corinthian columns and sculptures bathed by light pouring in from the dome’s opening.

“La Convention National” of Sicard

The interior of the building has sculptural groups, representing scenes from the French Revolution, all placed in front of the gigantic columns supporting the dome. The sculptural group La Convention Nationales, sculpted by Sicard in the early 1920’s, dominates.

Monument to Diderot

Monument to Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Valmy 1782

Mural scenes, done by Puvis de Chavannes and Jean-Paul Laurens, were commissioned In the 1870’s by the Marquis of Chennevières (the Director of Fine Arts). They revolve around the beginnings of Christianity in France and the French monarchy through the life of St.Denis (the first bishop and patron saint of Paris) as well as the life (her childhood, miracles) of St. Geneviève (the other patron saint of the city), the siege of Paris by Attila and his Hun warriors, the Emperor Charlemagne, the baptism of King Clovis, and the life Joan of Arc and King St. Louis.

Mural of The Baptism of Clovis

Among the famous and great intellectuals (writers, poets, scientists, politicians, inventors, explorers, etc.) of France buried in its necropolis include Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Alexandre Dumas, Louis Braille, Jean Jaurès and Soufflot, its architect.

Tomb of Jean Lannes (April 10, 1769 – May 31, 1809), a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of Napoleon’s most daring and talented generals. A personal friend of the emperor, he was allowed to address him with the familiar tu, as opposed to the formal vous.

Tomb of Emile Zola (April 2, 1840 – September 29, 1902), a French novelist, playwright, journalist, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus. Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901 and 1902.

In 1907 Marcellin Berthelot was buried with his wife Mme Sophie Berthelot, the first woman to be interred but Marie Curie was the first woman interred based on her own merits. Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz (symbolic internment) and Germaine Tillion, heroines of the French resistance, were interred here in 2015.

L-R: Jandy, Grace, the author, Cheska and Kyle

Pantheon: Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 44 32 18 00. Website: www.pantheonparis.com.

Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris, France)

Posted on 23 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Notre Dame Cathedral

We arrived at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle International Airport on a Sunday morning and, after checking in at the Ibis Paris Gare de l’Est 10^th, we decided to hit two birds with one stone by taking the Paris Metro to get to the historic Notre Dame Cathedral, among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world, where we plan to hear Mass and do sightseeing later. It was already raining when we left the hotel and, when we arrived,we still had to queue to get into the cathedral through the right door. The Gregorian Mass we attended was said in French.

The Gothic-style facade

The magnificent, awe-inspiring Notre-Dame Cathedral, also called Notre Dame de Paris, (French for “Our Lady of Paris”) or simply Notre-Dame, is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, its pointed arches, thinner walls and the naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass in stark contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture. The cathedral treasury is famous for its reliquary which houses some of Catholicism‘s most important first-class relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails. The cathedral, with a cruciform plan, was made famous by Victor Hugo’s famous, larger-than-life novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” (about the hunchback bell ringer, Quasimodo, who falls madly in love with the beautiful gypsy dancer, Esmerelda). Notre-Dame is composed of a choir and apse, a nave with double aisles and square chapels. It is 226 ft. high, 420 ft. long and has a total surface area of 5,500 sq. m. (interior surface 4,800 sq. m.).

The pointed Gothic arch of the main entrance

Construction of the cathedral began in 1163, during the reign of Louis VII. Bishop Maurice de Sully devoted most of his life and wealth to the cathedral’s construction. Throughout the construction period, numerous architects worked on the site resulting in differing styles at different heights of the west front and towers. The choir was built from 1163 until around 1177 and the new High Altar was consecrated in 1182. After Bishop Maurice de Sully’s death in 1196, Eudes de Sully (no relation), his successor, oversaw the completion of the transepts.

Gallery of the Kings of Judah

He also pressed ahead with the construction of the nave which was, at the time of his own death in 1208, nearing completion. The western facade had also been laid out by this stage but it was not completed until around the mid-1240s. Between 1210 and 1220, the fourth architect oversaw the construction of the level with the rose window and the great halls beneath the towers. The cathedral was essentially complete by 1345.

The magnificent rose window

In the mid 13th century, the transepts were remodeled in the latest Rayonnant style and, in the late 1240s, Jean de Chelles added a gabled portal to the north transept, topped off by a spectacular rose window. Shortly afterwards, from 1258, Pierre de Montreuil did the same on the southern transept. Both transept portals were richly embellished with sculpture. The south portal features scenes from the lives of St Stephen and of various local saints, while the north portal featured the infancy of Christ and the story of Theophilus in the tympanum, with a highly influential statue of the Virgin and Child in the trumeau.

Gargoyle waterspouts

In 1548, features of Notre-Dame were damaged by rioting Huguenots who considered them idolatrous. During the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, as part of an ongoing attempt to modernize cathedrals throughout Europe, the cathedral underwent major alterations. In 1786, a colossal statue of St Christopher, standing against a pillar, near the western entrance, and dating from 1413, was destroyed, as well as tombs and stained glass windows. However, the north and south rose windows were spared.

The cathedral interior showing the sexpartite vaulting on the ceiling

In the 1790s, during the radical phase of the the French Revolution , many of Notre-Dame’s religious imagery and treasures were either damaged, destroyed or plundered. For a time, Lady Liberty replaced the Virgin Mary on several altars. The 13th century spire was torn down and the statues of the biblical kings of Judah , located on a ledge on the facade of the cathedral, were beheaded as they were erroneously thought to be kings of France. Many of the heads were found during a nearby 1977 excavation and are now on display at the Musée de Cluny. However, the cathedral’s great bells managed to avoid being melted down. In 1793, the cathedral was rededicated to the Cult of Reason, and, later, to the Cult of the Supreme Being. The cathedral came to be used as a warehouse for the storage of food.

The altar area

In 1845, a controversial and extensive 25-year restoration program was initiated and overseen by architects Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (responsible for the restorations of several dozen castles, palaces and cathedrals across France, he always signed his work with a bat). The restoration included a taller and more ornate reconstruction of the flèche (a type of spire) as well as the addition of the chimeras on the Galerie des Chimères.

The very beautiful stained glass windows

During the Second World War, several of the stained glass windows on the lower tier were hit by stray bullets but were remade after the war. They now sport a modern geometrical patterns not the old scenes of the Bible. In 1991, a major program of maintenance and further restoration intended to last ten years was initiated. It included the cleaning and restoration of old sculptures which is an exceedingly delicate matter. By 2014, much of the lighting was upgraded to LED lighting.

Ornate wooden pulpit

Among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports), Notre-Dame was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. However, after the construction began, the thinner walls grew ever higher and stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. To remedy this, the cathedral’s architects built supports around the outside walls. Later additions continued the pattern.

The cathedral’s pipe organ

Around the exterior, many small, individually-crafted statues, including the famous gargoyles and chimeras, were placed to serve as column supports and water spouts. Most of the exterior as well as the statues were originally vividly colored but the paint has since worn off, exposing the gray stone.

The huge bronze equestrian statue of Charlemagne et ses Leudes (Charlemagne and his Guards)

As we were on a tight schedule, we didn’t have time to join the extremely long queue climbing several narrow (387 step total, no elevator) spiral staircases, in 3 stages, to the top of the 90 m. high South Tower. Upon reaching the top, it is possible to view, in close quarters, the cathedral’s Emmanuel Bell, the largest and most famous bell, the flying buttresses and its gargoyles as well as have a spectacular view of the Ile de la Cite. At Notre-Dame, there are 14 millions visitors per year or an average of 40,000 tourists per day.The area around the cathedral has lots of book stalls and cafes.

The author at the Zero Point Marker

One of several interesting things I did see around Notre Dame was the huge bronze equestrian statue of Charlemagne et ses Leudes (Charlemagne and his Guards), created by brothers Louis and Charles Rochet in 1878. Charlemagne, the King of the Franks and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 800 A.D. until his death in 814 A.D., is holding a lance or staff while being guided by two leudes, which are believed to be the figures of Oliver and Roland. Also within the square in front of the cathedral is the Zero Point Marker where all mile markers start from.

L-R: Manny, Kyle, Cheska, Jandy and Grace

NOTE:

On April 15, 2019, the cathedral caught fire (speculated to be linked to ongoing restoration work), destroying the spire, the oak frame and the lead roof but leaving the structure intact. The cathedral is closed while restoration work is ongoing.

Notre Dame Cathedral: 6 Parvis Notre-Dame – Pl. Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 42 34 56 10. Website: www.notredamedeparis.fr. Open daily, 7:45 AM – 6.45 PM (7:15 PM on Saturdays and Sundays). Photos without flash are allowed. For those who want to visit the South Tower (admission: 8,50 €, open 10 AM), the entrance is located outside the cathedral, on the left side of the front at Rue du Cloître Notre-Dame. Even with a Museum Pass, you still have to wait in line just like anyone else. There are also free organ recitals at 8 PM on most Saturday evenings.

How to Get There: the closest Paris Metro stations to the Notre Dame Cathedral are St-Michel Notre Dame (RER B Train Line, blue), the St-Michel Notre Dame (RER C Train Line, yellow) and the Cité – Line 4 (fuschia). By bus, Lines n°21, 38, 47, 85, 96 (Stop Cité – Palais de Justice); Line n°47, Balabus (Stop Cité – Parvis de Notre-Dame); Lines n°24, 47 (Stop Notre-Dame – Quai de Montebello); Lines n°24, 47 (Stop Petit Pont); Lines n°24, 27, Balabus (Stop Pont Saint-Michel – Quai des Orfèvres); Lines n°24, 27, 96, Balabus (Stop Saint-Michel); and Lines n°21, 27, 38, 85, 96 (Stop Saint-michel – Saint-Germain).

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts (Vietnam)

Posted on 13 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

HCMC Museum of Modern Art

On our third day in Ho Chi Minh City, we decided, for a change, to sample Vietnamese art and culture by visiting the HCMC Museum of Fine Arts, the major art museum of Ho Chi Minh City and the second largest in the country after the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi.

An antique wooden lift

Originally the classic and elegant, mansion of the Chinese-born businessman Mr. Jean Baptiste Hua Bon Hoa (1845-1901), the wealthiest man of Saigon at the time (he owned the famous Majestic Hotel and Tu Du Hospital), was built between 1929 and 1934 as the Saigon headquarters of the Société Immobilière Hui Bon Hoa. On September 5, 1987, the 3-storey building was reformed into a museum, as the result of a decision of the City’s People’s Committee. However, it was not officially opened until 1991.

Modern Arts Exhibit

The museum houses contemporary Vietnamese art works (much of it, unsurprisingly, focusing on resistance to colonial rulers) on sculpture, oil, silk painting and lacquer painting, as well as traditional styles including woodcut paintings in the Hàng Trống, Đông Hồ, and Kim Hoàng styles; Vietnamese ceramics; a collection of ancient Buddhist art and historical pieces dating back to the 4th century, including elegant Funan-era sculptures of Vishnu, the Buddha and other revered figures (carved in both wood and stone), and Cham art dating from the 7th to 14th century.

Uncle Ho with Children – Diep Minh Chau

One room is devoted to a collection of totem-like funeral sculptures from the Hill Tribes of the Central Highlands. The museum focuses on collecting, keeping, preserving and displaying fine artworks typical of Vietnamese people, especially Ho Chi Minh City and the South.

Mother & Child – Nguyen Phu Cuong (1953)

Even before entering the museum, we already admired statuary scattered around the grounds. We entered a huge hall with beautiful, exuberantly tiled floor, some fine (albeit deteriorated) stained glass and one of Saigon’s oldest wooden lifts. Though not airconditioned, the museum had airy corridors and breezy verandas. Hung from the walls is an impressive selection of art, including thoughtful pieces from the modern period.

Display of sketches and materials used by wartime artists in the field,

It comprises three floors of exhibition space. The first floor features a changing exhibit of contemporary domestic and international art while the second floor exhibits both contemporary oil paintings, sketches, lacquerware and sculptures of leading Vietnamese (Thái Hà, Quách Phong, Nguyễn Sáng, Hoàng Trầm, Tú Duyên, Nguyễn Thanh Châu, Trần Văn Lắm, Nguyễn Hải, Dũng Tiến, Phan Mai Trực, Hồ Hữu Thủ, Nguyễn Trung, Trịnh Cung, Đỗ Quang Em, Diệp Minh Châu and Nguyễn Gia Trí) and foreign artists of the last 50 years from its permanent collection.

The museum courtyard

The third floor displays an interesting collection of historic arts ranging from 7th century to early 20th century. They include Cham kingdom and earlier civilizations such as Óc Eo archaeological site in Mekong Delta and 17th-20th century decorative Vietnamese furniture.

Statuary at the courtyard

The central courtyard in the center of the building, accessed from the rear of the building, has more statuary scattered around the grounds. We checked out a cluster of 3 small commercial galleries in the basement. One shop has a selection of lovely prints for sale (costing from around 80,000 VND) while Building No 2 hosts lesser known works and stages exhibitions. The contemporary Blue Space Contemporary Art Center, located near the entrance, is run by the museum.

Blue Space Contemporary Art Center

The Fine Arts Museum, indispensable for those who are keen on Vietnam arts and culture, is not big and modern but its abundant collections more than make up for it. Conveniently located near the Ben Thanh Market, the massive but beautiful French villa that houses the museum, a combination of French and Chinese styles, is an attempt to meld elements of Art Deco with local decorative motifs and spatial principles.

Commercial galleries

Through its marble floors; elegant columns; wrought-iron work on its windows and balconies; Chinese-style roof tiles; and spacious, airy rooms, it brings about a typical colonial feeling. It is considered as a work of art itself by most people.

The author

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts: 97 A- Pho Duc Chinh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Tel: +84 8 3829 4441. Website: www.baotangmythuattphcm.vn. Admission: 10,000 VND (adult), 3,000 VND (child). Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4:30 PM.

Church of St. Francis Xavier (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Posted on 12 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

St. Francis Xavier Church

From Thien Hau Pagoda, we again boarded our van and proceeded to Church of St. Francis Xavier, one of the most popular attractions in Ho Chi Minh City. Located at the center of Cho Lon (Chinatown), this pleasing light-caramel and white painted church, built for the Chinese in Saigon, exudes a sleepy, tropical feel.

The spacious church compound

In 1898, Fr. François Xavier Tam Assou (1855–January 24,1934), a Chinese-born vicar apostolic (delegate of the pope) of Saigon, was sent to Cho Lon by the local bishop to take care of the city’s Chinese Christians. His first act was to build a church for them and construction of the church began on December 3, 1900, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, when Lucien-Émile Mossard (October 24, 1851-February 12, 1920), Bishop of Saigon, placed the first stone for the church.

Tomb of Fr. François Xavier Tam Assou

On January 10, 1902, the church was inaugurated and dedicated to St. Francis Xavier (whom Fr. Tam was named after). After that, Fr. Tam also built a school, a kindergarten, a boarding house, and houses for rent in the church. In 1990, the church steeple and the sanctuary were refurbished.

Plaque commemorating Vietnamese martyrs

However, any discussion of this church’s history needs to include its darker side. On November 2, 1963, then South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu were seized inside this church. They sought refuge here in a doomed effort to escape a coup attempt after fleeing the Presidential Palace (now the Reunification Palace) through a secret tunnel network.

When their efforts to contact loyal military officers (of whom there were almost none) failed, Diem and Nhu agreed to surrender unconditionally and revealed where they were hiding. Another version states that an informant recognized the brothers as they walked across the church’s courtyard on the morning of the 2^nd. The coup leaders sent an M-113 armored personnel carrier to the church and, around 10 AM, the two were taken into custody while they were praying inside.

The plan was to transport them to the Vietnamese Joint General Staff Headquarters, then exile the brothers to a new country, far from Southeast Asia. However, before the vehicle reached central Saigon, the zealous and angry soldiers had killed Diem and Nhu by shooting them at point-blank range and then repeatedly stabbing their bodies. Diem was subsequently buried in an unmarked grave not far from the US ambassador’s residence. What followed was a political scandal, an attempted cover-up and an international investigation that ended with no one being prosecuted for the killings.

When news of the deaths was broadcast on radio, Saigon exploded with jubilation. Portraits of the two were torn up and political prisoners, many of whom had been tortured, were set free. The city’s nightclubs, which had closed because of the Ngos’ conservative Catholic beliefs, were reopened. Three weeks later the US president, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. As his administration had supported the coup against Diem, some conspiracy theorists speculated that Diem’s family orchestrated Kennedy’s death in retaliation.

The church compound (which can be accessed even when the church is closed), covering a large area, offered a good space for us to stroll around. An interesting plaque here commemorates Vietnamese martyrs. This Gothic-style church is somewhat unique in that it’s decorated with horizontal lacquer boards and wood panels with inscriptions much like the surrounding Chinese style temples. Pretty red lanterns adorn the church walls.

Statue of Fr. François Xavier Tam Assou at the church steeple

The centrally located, 38 m. high tower has a peculiar statue of Fr. Tam and his tomb is located at the entrance wall of the church. The church is often called Cha Tam (Father Tam) Church (Nha Tho Cha Tam).

The rib vaulted church interior

The mint green and white interior, with its rib vault ceiling, is decorated with images of the Stations of the Cross, while holy water is dispensed from huge clam shells. A pew in the church is marked with a small plaque identifying the spot where President Ngo Dinh Diem was seized. Today, the church, one of Saigon’s more active, is far removed from the brutality of yesteryears and has a very active congregation of 3,000 ethnic Vietnamese and 2,000 ethnic Chinese parishioners.

L-R: Jandy, the author, Kyle, Cheska and Grace

Cha Tam Church: 25 Học Lạc St., District 5, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam. Tel: +84 8 3856 0274. Open daily, 7 AM – 12 noon, 2 – 6 PM and 7 – 9 PM. Masses, in both Vietnamese and Chinese (Mandarin), are held daily.

Thien Hau Pagoda (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Posted on 12 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Thien Hau Pagoda

After our lunch at Pho 24, we continued with the afternoon leg of our day-long city tour, first dropping by the beautiful Thien Hau Temple, one of Cholon district’s (Chinatown) most popular and most active pagodas, located right on very busy Nguyen Trai Street. The temple, also known as Chua Ba Thien Hau (literally means “Pagoda of the Lady of the Sea”), was originally built in 1760 (the oldest Chinese temple in Saigon) by the Cantonese Congregation as an expression of gratitude by Chinese immigrants coming from Tue Thanh Province, Quang Dong, for Thien Hau’s protection during their initial trip to Saigon by sea.

All the materials used for its construction were brought from China. The pagoda was then continuously restored in 1800, 1842, 1882, 1890 and 1916. On July 1, 1993, the pagoda was recognized as a National Architectural and Art Monument.

Wooden model of a Chinese theater above the entrance

The deity Thien Hau, , the goddess of the sea and protector of sailors and fishermen (also known as Tuc Goi La Ba and Mazu, is a traditional Chinese goddess who is not specifically Buddhist or Taoist. Revered by seafaring cultures, she has the ability to travel over the sea, on a mat or the clouds, to wherever she pleases, to protect or rescue stranded seafarers on the high seas. This very popular goddess’ temples are included on so many tour-group itineraries in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The inner courtyard

The pagoda houses over 400 meticulously crafted antiques including seven god statues, six stone statues, nine stone steles, two small bells, four copper censers produced in 1886, one stone censor, 10 horizontal lacquered boards, 23 parallel sentences and others.

A fire pit for burning money, paper clothes or gifts to send to ancestors

Large incense brazier

We entered the temple by entering an iron gate and then crossing a small, partially covered courtyard. Though there are guardians on each side of the entrance, it is said that the real protectors of the pagoda are the two land turtles that live there. Lanterns and wooden models of Chinese theaters hang over the entrance.

The exposed portions of the courtyard contain large braziers, pots where burning joss sticks are placed. Near the braziers are two miniature wooden structures in which a small figure of Thien Hau is paraded, on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, around the nearby streets. To one side of the temple is an alcove containing a pool of fish, among which, is a giant.

Porcelain dioramas at the roof

Above the roof line of the interior courtyard are remarkable friezes decorated with small, delicately fashioned porcelain ceramic figurines manufactured by two famous pottery kilns (Buu Nguyen and Dong Hoa)) in 1908, all elaborate dioramas that express whimsical themes from Chinese religion, customs (such as “fighting in an arena”, “kowtow before ancestor’s altar”, etc.) and legends. In one scene, actors depict a duel on horseback between the revered, halberd-wielding general Guan Yu (of the epic novel Three Kingdoms) and another fighter.

Another scene depicts the three Taoist sages representing longevity, fecundity and prosperity. They also show scenes from a 19th-century Chinese city, including such colorful figures as actors, demons, dragons, turtles, Persian and European sailors and traders, musicians playing instruments, couples conversing on balconies, wise old men in earnest discussion and even a white crane, seated on a rocky ledge, loping past people.

Altar of Thien Hau

The three statues of the goddess Thiên Hậu

At the end of this gorgeous pagoda’s courtyard is the altar dominated by the three statues of the goddess Thiên Hậu on the main dais. The statues, one behind the other, have bronze faces and multi-colored clothes and crowns. Incense burners are all about, filling the open area with swirling pale white smoke and the pungent aroma of burning incense. The three figures of Thien Hau are all flanked by two servants or guardians, one can see very far while the other can hear very well.

Of special note is a scale model boat, to the right, that commemorates the first Chinese arriving from Canton. On the far right is the goddess Long Mau (protector of mothers and infants) while to the left of the dais is Thien Hau’s bed.

The pagoda also has alcoves dedicated to other Chinese gods such as the Money God (it is said that good luck in doing business will be granted after some money is offered to him), Meh Sanh (the goddess of fertility) and the Mermaid. Several women were busy lighting bundles of incense sticks and then praying within the alcove at the rear of the temple.

While the Thien Hau Pagoda isn’t the largest or most elaborate in the city, it is most popular, with worshippers from the local Chinese community and visitors, for its dozens of large amazing coils of incense suspended from the ceiling rafters over the main worship area, in front of the altar of Thien Hau. Some are quite large, with a diameter of more than a meter, and can burn for upwards of a month.

Conical incense coils with red tags

All coils are attached with a red tag with prayers that get sent when the incense burns out at the top of the coil. For luck, good health and good business fortune, the buyer’s name is written on the prayer tag after an incense coil or bundle is purchased. With a small donation to the pagoda, you can have your own coil lit and hung. Several people inside and outside sell incense, with 20,000 VND enough to purchase a large quantity.

Thien Hau Pagoda, probably the finest largest and most popular pagoda in Saigon and easily one of the most favorite tourist destinations in the city,is a valuable work of history, architecture and sculpture as well as an important religious site of the city’s Chinese-Vietnamese community. It truly has an atmosphere of otherworldly reverence owing to the smoking coils of swirling incense hanging from the room and majestic interior and furnishings. When visiting, be sure to keep an eye out for (bring binoculars) the intricate porcelain dioramas that decorate the beautiful roof.

L-R: our guide, Kyle, Grace and Cheska

Thien Hau Pagoda: 710 Nguyen Trai St., District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Open daily, 8 AM -4:30 PM. Admission is free but, if you wish to give something towards the building’s preservation, there is a donation box inside. It will cost 5,000 VND to park.

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.