30 dec

On the road again.
We first drove to Nevers. It is a highlighted city in our Romanesq map, but when we finally parked our car in the shadows of its cathedral, after deserting Merlin in the outskirts, the cathedral itself didn’t have that much to offer. Bright modern stained glass windows which will be considered a mistake, I am afraid, pretty soon. It’s only glass, luckily, it can be replaced pretty easily..
Nevers is a little famous for the fact that Bernadette, the one from Lourdes, went there after she had all those visits from Mary and had to get a little rest. We went to see the shrine, where she lays with ‘a little layer of wax’. I do not want to offend anybody here, but Bernadette is not very high on my order of saints. I simply don’t care for people who claim to have met dead people – although, of course, I have the most fascinating conversations with my own dad, and he interferes often in my life (my dreams) when I have done something that seems unacceptable to him.
Anyway, Bernadette is not my saint. But Julie read a story about her when she was a teenager and was eager to see her in all her waxed (thin layer!) glory.
We saw her, although we had to wait for the chapel to open after Bernadette had had her midday rest. But then, she looked good, well rested after her nap. A small woman, waxed, in sister’s clothes. The devotion of the people who came praying in front of her was not of the same quality, if I am able to judge, as at the church of the Pastor of Ars. Although I was kind of touched by a woman – standing outside, where there is kind of a recreated rock (made of Lourdes stones) where Bernadette would have met Mary – crying, being comforted by her husband and looked at, a little bit bewildered, by their three year old daughter.
I just don’t get the bewilderment about people who had ‘real’ connections with people from former ages.
Next stop was Charite sur Loire. Daughter abbey from Cluny. The largest church of France in the Middle ages, after Cluny of course. And, just like Cluny, fallen apart, although not not as severe, but more than severe enough. The stained glass was not as bad as Nevers, but also not up to the level that the church deserved.
Julie and I had a cup of coffee outside, although it seemed like we were still within the boundaries of the old church foundations. I went down to a toilet where it seemed like the old monks used to wander. Quite amazing how the old church was connected to the new town. Definitely a place to remember, Charite, also because it is a book city, with lots of second-hand book shops, that I neglected, for the first time in my life.
Some might consider this progress.