Taking a Hike - Notre Dame la grande

 I've been really sick lately but today I had to get out of this appartment.  I was going stir crazy.  There where four places I wanted to go to; the Notre Dame la grande, The Palace, Hotel de Villa (town hall) and the Montierneuf.  Mapquest told me it would take about 2 hours to walk from the apartment to around to these sites and back.  I figured that I would start at 11am and just take my time.  What I didn't feel like seeing I could come back to.  So I headed out toward the Notre Dame la grande.

The sign in front read:

NOTRE DAME LA GRANDE

This church is one of the finest examples of Romanesque art; its facade is known throughout the world.  It depicts the essential message of Christianity, carved by highly-skilled craftsmen during the late 11th and early 12th centuries.  Inside, a barrel vault with arch bands spans the nave, with various funerary chapels on the north and south sides.  The 12th-century frescoes are still visible in the choir.

There is also a little legend that goes along with the Notre Dame la grande.  It goes like this:

In the year 1202, the English took over the city of Poitiers. The mayor's clerk promised to deliver the city to them, on Easter Day, by providing them with the keys to the city in exchange for a large sum of money. In the night, the clerk went to the room of the mayor to steal the keys, but they had disappeared. To his dismay, the mayor also realized that the keys had disappeared and he was alarmed because he realized that treason had been committed. He thus held back his soldiers and went to the church of Notre Dame-la-Grande to request a miracle.

There he discovered the statue of the Virgin Mary holding the keys. However, during the night, under the ramparts, frightened by the appearances of the Virgin, Saint Hilary and Saint Radegunda, the English killed each other and fled.

The legend became very popular, especially after the arrival of the admiral Gaspard II of Coligny in 1569. Until 1887 the citizens of Poitiers celebrated this divine protection by a solemn procession through the city. In the 19th century a statue of the Virgin Mary, with the keys, was set up in the middle of the church.

 Even though this church is really big the only picture worthy area, on the outside, is the single front wall.  There isn't a single carving anywhere else around the building.  I think the front side makes up for it.  It's jammed with small little details!

<--- The personifications of Peace and Justice in a cautious embrace. 

Jesus getting his first bath in a tub while Joseph looks on.  -->

 

 <--- Adam and Eve committing the original sin under the Tree of Knowledge.

The Tree of Jesse --->

The carving above the door.  It looks like four angels and either the Virgin Mary or Jesus in the middle.  The five of them have taken down a really wierd looking worm tailed dragon.

Someone really liked dogs.

I found that people have always had a great imagination.  Especially when it comes to showing what a demon or monster lookes like!

<--- These remind me of the little birds you could ride in the Final Fantasy games.

It's a two headed cat drinking water  --->

 

 <---  Jerusalem

So I thought the outside was a neat little treasure.  I never expected to find what I did inside.  There was more stained glass in this little place then in the big Cathedral of St. Peter!

 

 

 

Not only were there a rainbow of light coming from all the glass but each pole had been painted diffrent colors and in diffrent patterns!  Even the walls and ceilings had paint.

And of course this church also had a few statues.

<--- I don't think this is a picture of Mary and Jesus becouse there are older kids in this picutre too.  (Mary was a Virgin) Maybe this was to tell women to have bunches of kids.  There are nine of them.  The lady is even holding a kid that is holding a baby! 

A proud eagle maybe? --->

<--- They really have something against dragons.  Every time I see one someone is stepping on him!

Some sort of thank you wall.  For what I'm not quite sure.  Maybe for not tearing this place down at one point?  --->

This was the main thing the internet said I had to take a photo of.  I personaly don't like images like this.  I'm much more of a Risen Savior Happy Picture person.

To be continued

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